Garden Path Schoolhouse: The Dream

Yesterday Nora Lee became thrilled with the idea of having her own book shop. She decided that she would write books "about her own experiences" and sell them. She talked a mile a minute as she shared her vision and asked for my assistance in putting it all into action.

Step one, write a book. I gave her a file folder and stapled some computer paper inside.

"What should the title be?" I asked. "The Experiences of My Dream," she suggested. She decided that was a mouthful and simplified it to, "My Dream."

"Will they know that it's my dream, like, the dream of the author?" she worried.

I assured her that we would put her name on the cover and readers would understand that it was her dream. She liked that idea and began writing the title as I spelled out the words for her.

I couldn't believe how focused and energized she was. I wore out before she did and she wanted to do another book which I had to say no to since I was starving and it was time to make dinner. "Okay, I guess I'll make art and picture books then."

She began collecting books that she had made in an old cardboard box that would be the inventory for her store.

"Can we make a big sign for our gate that says 'Please Come Into Our Book Shop'?" she asked.

I told her I would have to think of a way for her to sell her books since I didn't want strangers coming into our house.

"What if we put on the sign, 'Only Nice Strangers Come In'. Wait, no, that might make the mean strangers feel bad." She was really trying to figure this all out.

"How about if Dad and I pretend to be strangers and come in?" I suggested.

"No! I don't want my parents buying my books! I want strangers. I want people to be surprised."

"Hmm. I'll talk to Dad about an idea, but I think the best we'll be able to do is have some friends come to your store when they visit our house." She didn't like where this was heading, but we left it at that and closed up book making for the evening.

It's tricky because her enthusiasm is incredible and her willingness to sit for hours and write things, create stories ("My Dream" was an actual dream she was documenting). Yet, I don't know that strangers would be as willing to buy a book as grandma or her god mother. Her first thought was that she could put her books in the library and then strangers could read them. Perhaps the children's librarian would be open to displaying them for a while? As a parent, these are nice problems to have...