Last week the girls and I disembarked the train on which we rode for several days, finishing The Mystery on the Train by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Tonight we boarded another train, riding with four-year-old Walt Disney from Chicago to his new home. Having had a few lessons in "rail lingo" during our first read, we were two steps ahead for our new read. Trust me, this wasn't planned, but I love when situations like this happen- a nice bridge to our next adventure. Seeing the title, Walt Disney, and being a fond of the blue-covered Childhood of Famous Americans series, I pulled the book from the library shelf. Eighty pages into the book, we have not been disappointed. What a great book! Nothing questionable thus far, just an exciting walk through young Walt's life, listening as his innate interest in art and animals comes to life, despite frequent hardship. We are beginning to see young Walt develop a tender relationship with his brother Roy. What a refreshing treasure that is! Well, anyway, tomorrow, with anticipation, we begin on page 80. The tension and conflict in the plot encourages us to come back to find out what happens.
This was the first biography on the series that we read as we were at Disney all the time so it was very relatable. I loved it as much as Tyler did. As a parent, it really encouraged me to be more of an observer of my children (Walt dressing his pig, drawing on the barn, his aunt buying him art supplies because his dad didn't support it). So many times we get caught up in "training and discipline" that we miss seeing the potential our kids are displaying in their innocent "mistakes" of learning about life in front of us.
ReplyDelete