Thank You, Barnes and Noble Lady!

I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.” (JK Rowling)

The idea of creating a bookclub for our grandchildren was sparked sixteen years ago by a specific conversation with The Barnes and Noble Lady in Des Moines IA. I never learned her name, nor she mine, but we knew each other well. She worked at the information desk of the University Ave location, and frequently helped me solve my never ending searches for specific books. As a retired elementary school teacher, she was particularly well-versed in children’s literature.

One day, as she and I hunted for Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola, she mentioned something about a bookclub she had started for her grandchildren. This piqued my interest immediately, since Lloyd and I were on the threshold of becoming grandparents for the first time, and had already been talking about creative ways to do long-distance grand-parenting. We were actively looking for ways to encourage and enlarge the life of our soon-to-be grandchild and any other grandchildren that might follow.

So I asked her a zillion questions. She happily and very passionately told me all about the bookclub she had established: the letter she wrote to welcome her three grandchildren as charter members of the club, the membership certificate she made for each of them, the monthly books she chose for them and how they absolutely loved the club. We were lost in the aisle for quite awhile that day, long after Strega Nona had been located!

Later that evening, I told Lloyd about this conversation with The Barnes and Noble Lady and the idea of a bookclub for our grandchildren took root. That night we decided to design our bookclub in a way that would delight our grandchildren (hopefully!) and also be sustainable and fun for us. We wanted the club to become another life structure, built into the fabric of our lives, a structure that could breathe and adapt to the inevitable twists and turns of life. It didn’t take long to formulate these guidelines:

 

• The name of the club is Nana and Papa’s Book of the Quarter Club
• Each grandchild becomes a member during the quarter of their birth and receives a welcome letter and homemade membership certificate along with their first book
• Members receive a book every quarter: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
• Quarterly books continue from the quarter of a member’s birth until that member is 18 years of age
• We write a short personal note to each child inside the front cover of each book they receive
• Cousins, but never siblings can receive the same book
• We record book selections for each quarter on a spread sheet to avoid inadvertent duplication
• Books can be new or used

Nana and Papa’s Book of the Quarter Club was launched in 2004, shortly after the birth of our first grandchild, Emma. Then came Claire, Eden, Marley, Levi, Harper, Gavin, Gerrit, Micah, Rebekah and in 2018, Rowan. Some of them are still into children’s picture books, but most are now into novels. The ever changing interests of each child have helped inform quarterly book selections. At times we engage parents of younger grandchildren before choosing specific books: What is your child into now? Dinosaurs? Bugs? Birds? Now that some of our grandchildren are older, we can text or e-mail them to inquire about their preferences.

We usually purchase the books online or at  local independent bookstores, but sometimes shop at half-price book stores or choose books that belonged to us and were beloved by one or more of our children.

Once, while living in Johnston IA, I came across a former school teacher’s garage sale with multiple copies of numerous award-winning children’s books. We spent $80 at that garage sale, and ended up with over a hundred books that fueled selections for many years. We have one remaining copy of The Wizard of Oz reserved for youngest grandson Rowan in Denver. His is is the only household that hasn’t yet received it. When he gets a few years older, it will go west.

At times, there are opportunities to buy books from local authors, some of whom we know personally. Audrey’s Mackaman’s books, for example: Audrey’s parents, friends of ours, invited us to her first book-signing at Beaverdale Books in Des Moines IA. We met her there and purchased three signed copies of her first book for Levi, Harper and Gavin, all cousins at just the right age to enjoy. When Audrey’s second book was published, we ordered three copies from Amazon, as sequel books for the same three grandchildren. Our friend David, Audrey’s Dad, transported them all the way to Washington (where Audrey lives) and back, so she could sign them before we mailed them to our grandsons.

 

Once, because there was a definite story to tell, I decided to try my hand at writing a book for grand-daughter Eden. The main character in Reuben’s First Love: Hats, Hats and More Hats is our son, Reuben (Eden’s Dad), who is now 38 years old and still wears a hat most of the time!

After all the hours it took to write Eden’s book, I concluded it was not sustainable to write a similar book for each grandchild. However, I am considering the possibility of creating a photo book for each grandchild’s 18th birthday to mark the conclusion of their bookclub membership. Emma will be eighteen in two years, so we still have time to decide protocol. In the meantime, Nana and Papa’s Book of the Quarter Club continues to be a wonderful way to nourish long-distance family relationships and share the love of reading with a new generation.

Last week, we mailed or hand-delivered Summer 2020 books to everyone except Eden and Harper who live in Hamilton, Ontario. They had received theirs in February during our last visit to Hamilton, in the form of a book series (4-5 books) to last for a whole year instead of going quarter by quarter. We adjusted bookclub guidelines in this way to mitigate rising Canadian postage costs. Now that the Canadian border is closed for the COVID-19 pandemic, we are grateful to have made this decision!

 

Earlier this year, a school assignment required ten-year old Harper to write and present a speech. To our delight, he chose reading as his topic. Since Hamilton schools closed in response to the pandemic shortly before his class presentation, Harper presented his speech online. He decided to wear his Dad’s suit for the occasion. Thank you, Harper, for giving permission to share your wonderful speech here!

I’ve long wanted to thank The Barnes and Noble Lady for inspiring Nana and Papa’s Book of the Quarter Club, but the conversation we had while hunting for Strega Nona, was our last. I’ve looked for her at the information desk numerous times since our bookclub launched, but have never seen her again. I hope she’s well, and am forever grateful for her inspiration. She understood the truth of Harper’s speech: Reading is awesome!

V.

 

Vicki Vanderkwaak On July 16, 2020   /   A Journey