Once upon a time, three brothers lived happily in a snug little house in the forest. There was a big brother, a medium-sized brother, and a baby brother, who had lots of curly hair.
One morning, as they tasted their daily porridge and doughnuts, they discovered that their breakfast was a little too hot. So they decided to go for a walk in the woods and let their porridge and doughnuts cool a bit. And off they went, singing as they went along. They even left their iPads at home so they could fully enjoy their walk and not trip as they checked the latest available games.
A few minutes after they left, a little girl named Goldilocks came along. As she was checking her text messages on her iPhone, she didn’t notice the cottage door until she had walked smack into it.
“Oh!” she said, rubbing her head. “My goodness, what is this? And do I smell porridge and doughnuts? Perhaps it is a Starbucks!” She knocked on the door, and hearing no response, she turned the handle and opened it.
Reading nursery rhymes to Jacob
Yes, this is something of a send-up of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” It is also one of the “Grandfather Stories” that I tell my three grandsons, ages 7, 5, and 2. We started with the real stories, and progressed from there. Or perhaps we regressed.
My wife and I started reading early to the grandsons, well before they were a year old. The youngest, now 2, had difficulty breathing when he was born, and my wife sat in the infant ICU with him, reciting nursery rhymes – which had the odd effect of calming him down. We continued with the nursery rhymes, as the picture of me reading rhymes to him attests.
Reading to our grandchildren taught us something. The “social time” is just as important as the reading. When you’re reading nursery rhymes or stories, you are spending time with those children, and that’s communicating something powerful – you’re telling them that they matter enough to be given your time and attention.
The now-5-year-old was a late talker, and when he did start, he handed a story book to his mother and said, “Read a bookie.” He loves being read to. And his favorite stories are The Tales of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. It helps to add some drama. “Whose farm did Peter come to?” I ask. His eyes get huge and he shouts, “Mr. McGregor!” This isn’t just listening to a story; this is participatory listening. His older brother rolls his eyes in mock boredom when we move from Peter Rabbit to Benjamin Bunny and Jemima Puddleduck, but I can see him leaning towards us, listening.
The three grandsons
We read a lot of stories. The 2-year-old still loves nursery rhymes, and as we finish one book, he trots to the pile of children’s books and selects another.
The 7-year-old is now reading stories to us. His 5-year-old brother, not to be outdone, “read” Five Little Monkeys to us one night, essentially reciting it from memory.
Reading stories connects four generations of my family. One of the earliest memories I have is my mother reading fairy tales from a big green-covered book called Stories Children Love, first published in 1927 and edited by Watty Piper. The stories include “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Peter Pan,” “Cinderella,” “The Three Bears,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and several others. I still have the book.
We read to both of our sons. Our oldest, the father of the three grandsons, adored Pooh’s Schoolhouse, produced by the Disney empire. I am not exaggerating to say I read that book at least a thousand times. He still remembers listening to The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. We read to his younger brother, too, who was at the perfect age when J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels began to appear.
A page from “Stories Children Love”
I’m not sure when my grandsons and I moved from the “real” stories to “those weird stories Grandpa makes up.” In addition to “Goldilocks and the Three Brothers,” we have “The Three Brothers and the Big Bad Wolf,” and “Cameron and the Beanstalk” (Cameron is the 7-year-old). I tried “Caden and Gretel” (for the 5-year-old) but he shook his finger at me with a very stern “NO!” And we’ve done “Jacob Had a Little Lamb” for the 2-year-old. What I’m doing, of course, is inserting them into the stories. The two older boys love it. The younger one smiles and brings me another book to read.
And I’m thinking. The next story may be Cameron Pan, with the younger brothers playing John and Michael. A little girl who lives down the street from my grandsons might be the Wendy character. And I need someone for Captain Hook.
Photo by John Collins, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by Glynn Young, author of the novels Dancing Priest and A Light Shining, and Poetry at Work.
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This book not only provides a delightful introduction to the letter Bb, and the sound it makes, but loads of other literacy skills including exposure and repeated practice with high-frequency words, games to play, and guidance for grown-ups that is grounded, humorous, relaxed, and supportive. The illustrations will bring lots of smiles, and give lots of cues, all along the way! I can’t wait to send this book to the beginning readers in my life!
—Donna Z. Falcone, early childhood educator
- A History of Children’s Stories: “The Haunted Wood” by Sam Leith - May 20, 2025
- World War II Had Its Poets, Too - May 15, 2025
- Czeslaw Milosz, 1946-1953: “Poet in the New World” - May 13, 2025
L.L. Barkat says
This is just so delightful, Glynn. 🙂
I love that picture of you reading to Jacob! More people should read to babies. It starts there. The love part. And the literacy part.
Glynn says
The fascinating thing is that Jacob, then about 5 months old, sat there and listened very intently to my reading of the nursery rhymes. Was he hearing the rhyme, or the cadence, or just the tone of voice? Or perhaps all of the above.
L.L. Barkat says
At 5 months old, there is much they are listening to already. I consider the fact that at age 1 they have a good working knowledge of their native language (receptively if not expressively)!
The really cool thing about reading to babies is that they are picking up subtle cues about reading. They watch your eyes track with the text from left to right (for English) and they note that you do a “sweep” and “return”, and it preps them for their own eventual reading experiences.
They also get the cues that reading is about discovery and being expressive and sharing loving moments. I especially like your observation that reading tells them they matter. Yes, I believe it does. After all, it takes no effort or extension of self to sit a child down in front of a screen—nor does that tend to lead to bonding that can be drawn upon for future interactions.
Go, Glynn. You truly exhibit the truth that “literacy starts with love.” 🙂
Will Willingham says
Those weird stories Grandpa makes up.
I love this story, Glynn. And that your grandkids have such a rich relationship with you and your wife, full of adventure and creativity and, yes, reading. 🙂
Glynn says
The reading is no guarantee of instilling a lifelong love of reading and books. We read to their father almost constantly, and he loved it, but he is not a major reader today. But he listened, and we knew he enjoyed the stories — he never complained about being read to. I suspect that the reading and the listening is bound up in the time being spent, and it tells the child that he or she is important.
Megan Willome says
I love this in every way imaginable! And I still have my mother’s books from the ’40s of Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Anderson’s Fairy Tales. My children didn’t like them as much as I did–maybe that will be for the grandkids someday.
P.S. For Captain Hook, in the original, the character is very much the other side of the father. There was a movie a few years ago that actually cast the same actor in both roles, really adding to the effect. Not sure if you want to go that way, though.
Jerry says
I would love to sit and listen along! Grandpa and Grandma are doing well! Thanks for this!
Katie says
So enjoyed this post:)
I adore reading to my grands! (ages nine to 1.5)
Just read my new book Aunt Louise Comes to Visit to my granddaughter last week and she said, “Read it again, Nana!” Oh, did my heart soar:)
It is so fun to hear the comments and questions they think of while listening. What a precious memory:)
Sharon A Gibbs says
Such a fun story!
I remember my infant sons sitting in my lap as I read tactile books and encouraged them to touch, tap, and turn the pages. This brings back lots of memories.
I love how you insert them in stories.
What cute little boys!
Michelle Ortega says
So lovely, Glynn! It’s so true that spending the time reading together demonstrates to our children how worthy they are of our time and focus. Precious foundation.
Tori and I both read the Chronicles of Narnia multiple times~I remember feeling in awe that books I loved as a child were now being read by my own child. We also listened to the radio program version of the Narnia CDs on road trips when she was young, then pulled them out again just a few years ago. Transported back to former trips and former literary friends and adventures to pass the time. Magical.