paper treasures

I realized that although Zach still likes to cuddle up and have mama read to him every now and again, 95% of his reading is hunkered down with his books all on his own. And so I often don't have any idea what he's reading (of course I do know what we have aboard, but I don't know what he chooses). When he is quiet with a book, I run around and do  mama things that mamas like to do when their kids are quiet.

But I felt a disconnect, so I decided to start peering into his bedside book sling and various piles of bed books to see what he's up to so we can chat about it.  Here's what I found recently.

(My pal Lily got him hooked on all things Enid Blyton, which is a very good thing!)

Oh that boy of mine and his wild and varied interests. He also keeps the book A Time To Keep by Tasha Tudor under his pillow. He has for years. He can't get enough of that wee book which thrills me to no end.
Books are such a treasure, and I love that he is so absorbed in his reading. But they are also bulky and prone to mildew and weigh a lot. These are real issue on a sailing catamaran. Our waterline would probably rise up a good 6 inches if we traded the majority of our books for e-books. But I just... can't... It's such a struggle for me. If it was just Doug and I, we could make the switch with a fairly clear conscience. But for the kids, I love the idea of having a favorite tucked under a pillow and a pile on the foot of the bed to paw through and pour over and ponder. You just can't get that experience with an e-reader. So we'll be weighed down and space challenged for now, but he'll be happy.