“If the apple tree could talk to me, what would the apple tree say, truly?” The answers are infinite. How would you answer this question? I hear you thinking.

This question is the first line of my poem titled, “What would the Apple Tree Say?” published in Serenity View Poems and Images of the Blue Ridge Mountains book. Like other spoken words, this question tugs at the brain. Brain, become engaged, think, talk, discuss, interact, and laugh. Ahh! Enjoying National Family Literacy Month today.

National Family Literacy Month started in 1994, even though the first dictionary dates back to 1582. Reading out loud by adults, for adults, to children, for children, by families, for families is fun. One of my favorite places to roam is a library and bookstore. My imagination is captured by the book title, the illustrations, the first sentence, paragraph, or word. Oh, the places my mind goes when reading.

Want to travel, read about that special place yet to be explored. Go back in history to the days of. As a child, I loved escaping into a book. I was one of those kids that read under the covers with a flashlight when instructed to put out the lights and go to sleep. I hear chuckles from my fellow flashlight night readers in the days before screen reading and e-books.

National Family Literacy Month, on my calendar, is every month of the year. Have fun reading out loud by being expressive with pauses and different voices of different characters. Talking and chuckling about the book brings the words to life.

Comprehending and listening to how others viewed the book is eye opening and at times, eye rolling. My mom, age 95, asked me a great question about my children’s book, Happy Ever After A Pandemic Tale. She said, “Marlene, what is in the magical unicorn dust?” My answer, “Mom, you have to ask the unicorns!”

Reference: National Family Literacy Month November 22, (2022), National Today, [https://nationaltoday.com/national-family-literacy-month/]