Read Any Good Books Lately? One of the most special times of day at our house is just before bedtime. Almost every night without fail, I read to my son. It's a time we both look forward to as a way to reconnect after a busy day, to just sit quietly for 10 or 20 minutes, and to enjoy the gift of good books.

One of our all-time favorites is called "Rooster Can't Cock-A-Doodle-Doo," by Karen Rostoker-Gruber. The story is funny, and the illustrations have my almost-six-year-old in hysterics every time. It's about a rooster that loses his voice and can't wake up the farmer. He enlists the help of all the farm animals to wake up Farmer Ted, and then they all pitch in to get the farm chores done. Believe me, the drawings in the book are hilarious.

Another must-read for us is Highlights magazine. We have a subscription and look forward to getting it every month. Remember Goofus and Gallant, the Timbertoes, and Our Own Pages? They're all still in the magazine, along with jokes and puzzles. (What does a sea monster eat? Fish and ships!)

About once every two weeks we go to the library to pick out a new stack of pictures books to read. Anything with a Halloween theme is big with us right now, including "The Best Halloween of All," by Susan Wojciechowski and "Pumpkin Cat," by Ann Turner. I highly suggest checking out a book of the season. It amazes me that there's actually a children's book for holidays like Labor Day and events like the autumnal equinox.

Most of our reading time right now revolves around the Magic Tree House series of books. We got hooked on the adventures of Jack and Annie during book one, and now we're on "Dolphins at Daybreak," number nine in Mary Pope Osborne's series. This was our first try at reading chapter books, and it's been a big hit.

With the days getting shorter, and the temperatures about ready to cool down, this might be a great time to start a reading hour of your own with your children. There are few better ways to unwind at the end of the day, laugh and just enjoy sitting side-by-side, getting lost together in a good book. ¶ 12:18 PM