Reason to Celebrate ~ Authors 📖

GoodGrandma℠ recruited our amazing daughter-in-law, Kiersten, to share her thoughts about her favorite authors. Kiersten and Todd are parents to four of our furry grands; Rusty, Luna, Sookie, & Pigeon. Kiersten is a passionate reader, and she has delightful memories of her grandpa and dad.

“I come from a long line of avid readers, most especially my Grandpa Tenney. I attribute my love of reading to the many happy memories reading with my family. There were two staple authors on our bookshelves growing up; Dr. Seuss and H.A. Rey. I learned to read at a young age and my grandpa was delighted that my go-to books were anything by Dr. Seuss. I remember reading Horton Hears a Who with him, and afterward, my grandpa told me about a man named Theodore Geisel. He told me that he had also lived in La Jolla (where my family is from), and had written books to help combat child illiteracy. He wrote a book with 236 of the 250 words all first graders should know. The book was Cat in the Hat, and Theodore Geisel was Dr. Seuss’s real name. It was a big reveal for a three-year-old me.

H.A. Rey also holds a very special place in my heart. My dad is an astronomer and growing up he read us two of his books, The Stars and The Constellations. They are perfect for teaching young kids about astronomy, how to look for constellations, their names, and some of the mythology behind them. My dad shared with me that my grandpa was the reason he loved H.A. Rey and growing up the Curious George books were his favorite. He told me he was inspired by the stories his dad told him about H.A. Rey, who was born in Germany and Jewish. He and his wife fled Paris just a few hours before the Nazis occupied the city. They rode out of the city on bikes in the middle of the night with just a few items, one of which was the manuscript for Curious George.

I was able to recommend a few of my favorite books to my Grandpa Tenney, which we had many great conversations about. He was even writing his own book before he passed away in 2012.”

Thank you, Kiersten, for sharing your favorite childhood authors, as well as stories the heartwarming stories of your dad and grandpa. We love you! 🧡

#GoodGrandma #Grandma #GoodGrandmaDotCom #GivingGrandmasGoodIdeas #GrandParenting #GrandmaFun #GrandChildren #NationalFamilyLiteracyDay #Literacy #Authors #Read #HARey #DrSeuss #TheodoreGeisel #GrandpaTenney #GiveIDEAS #GuestAuthor #Kiersten