An open book

Posted on by WritingfromtheheartwithBrian

My wife had several children’s books sprayed across our kitchen table this week. Of course, I had to look at them. In that moment, I was nine- or ten-years-old again getting ready for elementary school and wolfing down my soggy cereal, while reading from whatever book gripped my attention that week.

One of the books on the table had a cover shot of a girl with a magnifying glass, apparently a teenage sleuth detective, while another had a freckled boy getting into a sleek-looking Formula One race car, and a third geared for a younger reader had several unicorns. My wife had brought the books home from school to look over and was taking them back to her classroom. The reason why they were on the kitchen table didn’t matter, I was a kid again happily skimming through that month’s Scholastic Book Club Order Form. 

A glimpse into another world!

Who remembers Scholastic? Each month, my teacher would send home the Scholastic order form printed on thin, colorful newsprint and I couldn’t wait until later in the evening to look the form over with my mom. In preparation for our negotiation, I would circle every book that I was interested in reading. The number of circles far outnumbered my limited budget.

Like most kids, I was clueless about money, but I know now that times were tight for my parents. Despite that, I could count on being able to get a book or two each month. Scholastic sold posters and books on magic with a black and white wand or balls for juggling, but they were usually off limits. My mom’s general rule was that I had to keep the order under $10 and I had to read everything I ordered. I wonder where my mom found the money. The second part of the deal was always a no-brainer. I read the books faster than a hungry dog devours a bone. 

Once we had agreed on the book or books, we would fill out the form together and put it in an envelope with the correct cash or a check and I would hand it to my teacher the next day. A few weeks later, the books would be delivered to the school. 

The best thing was when the teacher would hand out your books at the end of the day. The teacher would usually forget and would remember right before dismissal bell, handing out everyone’s book order in a mad dash. I would grab my books and run to the bus with a smile on my face. For me, it was Christmas morning all over again. I would spend the rest of the trip home reading the back of each book and put a great deal of thought into deciding which one I was going to read first.

In the early years, when I was a new reader, I bought Clifford The Big Dog and was excited to compare my own dog’s exploits to Clifford. Later when I was older, I came home excited to learn about Danny Dunn, a series of books on a headstrong boy with a love of science and space who seeks out adventure and uses his smarts to get himself and his friends out of trouble.

The whole process was like Amazon before Amazon was a thing!

Creating a lifetime habit

At the time, I thought I was just looking for something to help pass the time on the twenty-five minute bus ride to and from school or to entertain myself in the evening. I viewed reading as a way to keep out of trouble and give me something to do by myself, especially when my big brothers didn’t want to play with me and to my eyes, it seemed like they never wanted to play with me. I realize now that choosing my own books turned me from a struggling reader into an enthusiastic one, built my thirst for knowledge, and nurtured my creative juices.

Of course, I wanted to read about Clifford and find out if he got into trouble for digging a hole in the back yard, but I also started to create my own side stories. I imagined him coming to my window in the middle of the night to play hide and seek and to keep me company. Later, I imagined how Danny Dunn would talk his way out of trouble at my school and how we would collect enough scrap metal to build our own spaceship.

We’re writing On the Heart of the Matter about how we “show up” and the ways that it manifests itself in our life. For me, my regular round of new Scholastic books kept my creative juices churning and helped create aspirations and goals that far surpassed the little town where I grew up. I found that I had ambitious hopes and dreams. I wanted to continue my education. I wanted to travel.

As I look back on those years, I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that help give us courage to be our true selves, to do hard things and to overcome challenges. For someone else, it might be succeeding in a sport or activity. For some it might be working on your own car. For another, it might be building confidence by volunteering or helping others.

For me, it was reading. Few things can match the thrill of the scholastic book club and reading the back of a new book that I can’t wait to cuddle up on a chair and read. What interests excite you to be a better person than you are today? 

 . . . . 

Please join in on the discussion on the HoTM site. In addition, please visit my personal blog at www.writingfromtheheartwithbrian.com to read my companion piece. In addition, you can follow me on Instagram at @writingfromtheheartwithbrian.

All the best, Brian.

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29 thoughts on “An open book”

  1. Pingback: My Towering Inferno – Writing from the Heart with Brian

  2. Oh my gosh…I remember those Scholastic flyers. I’d have every edition so dog-eared by pawing (wink) all over the choices, too! And thank you for the giggle — same rules in our house. No cheap toys or doo-dads…books, only books. My answer to your question about what interests me about how to be a better me? Probably being open to all that I don’t know and learning – from books, friends, new experiences. Thank you, Brian! 🥰

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  6. I loved the Scholastic book orders. You brought back happy memories from elementary school. My mom would take me to a used book store near the University of Washington. There I bought some of my favorite books like “Little Women,” and “Secret Garden.” I loved the musty smell and the endless packed shelves of books.

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  7. Oh wow, I remember the Scholastic Book Club and the thrill of getting those books. We were also on a limited budget, but like your mom, my parents always found the money for some books. What a thrill!

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  8. Kids today will never understand or experience the joy of flipping through the Scholastic order form. I think my first order was How to Eat Fried Worms. Although I never owned a Clifford book until I became a parent, I loved them growing up.

    It really speaks to your parents’ love that despite financial hardships, they made allowances to support your love of reading! 💕

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  9. We had Scholastic book fairs, where they set up books for purchase in the library twice per year. It was magical! My parents also had a limited budget, but there was always a little extra for a book or two. What a fun little trip down memory lane today.

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  10. I love this beautiful, readable nugget of inspiration. Love your description of the process. And your question about what gives us courage to be our true selves is so good. I think it’s watching, listening to, meeting, reading about people who are fearless. We are such social creatures – but I love when others bring out the best in me.

    Like this post! ❤ ❤ ❤

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    1. I kind of swayed from the topic of the month, but it was still fun to go back in time. Reading about people who are fearless? Do you think that’s why first got into mountain climbing? I suspect that might be a “chicken or egg” kind of question. Thanks Wynne!

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  13. I sent home a lot of Scholastic book orders over 31 years. Early in my career, I realized that it was often the same kids’ families buying books. It never felt right for the kids whose families couldn’t afford a book. Teachers earn some free books with each order, and I tossed in some money because I didn’t want the same kids to always miss out. Somehow we made it work without bringing attention to the kids who couldn’t afford it.

    Your comment about Clifford brought back a funny memory. One year I dressed up as Clifford for some reading literacy event they were holding at the mall. I walked around (sweating my ass off no doubt, haha). The funniest part was I kept seeing old students at the mall. I could see out, but they couldn’t tell it was me. You can imagine the fun I had with 7th and 8th graders I taught asking if they wanted Clifford to read them a story. Of course, I had my Clifford voice and never told them who I was. 🤣🤣🤣 Best gag ever.

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  14. Oh yes! The Scholastic Book Club flyers. . I don’t remember them when I was a kid, but my daughters loved those when they were young. And a couple of times a year, the school would host a Scholastic Book Fair. We picked up some wonderful treasures there. Thanks for the memories, Brian.

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  15. As a teacher, the most important thing I do every day in the classroom is read aloud to children. It is a joy for me and especially for the children. My room parent does the Scholastic Book orders, and you’ll be glad to know it is as popular today as it was when we were kids.

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