By Brenda Sieglitz, www.brendaleefree.com

One of my favorite things to do is travel. With a 26-month-old niece and another niece or nephew on the way, neither of them are great travel companions at the moment. When my first niece was born, I was determined to gift her with something that was instrumental to my love of travel: books.
 
I recall spending countless hours in the evenings and weekends curled up on my bed, or sitting on the corduroy cushioned pad of my window seat, delving into a good read by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Lurlene McDaniel, and R.L. Stine. I dreamed of giving the gift of imagination to my niece. While we were traveling to nearby campsites or our family cabin in Northern Pennsylvania, my mind was soaring to new places around the world.
 
Before my niece was born, I began collecting books from my local independent bookstore, Aaron’s Books, to gift to my sister at her baby shower. I believe in the importance of reading to your child. My imagination was built on books, not on video games, and I plan to gift the same to my new niece or nephew on the way.
 
Every new place I visit, I try to pick up a book that is local to the area to bring home to my niece. In Saguaro National Park, I purchased a book about the great cacti of the area. In English Harbour, Antigua, I purchased a fantasy about a little local lizard. With another niece/nephew on the way, I look forward to adding other unique titles to his or her bookshelf.
 
My niece loves to have books read to her, and I try to look for interesting titles with a lot of color to keep her visual attention. At 2 years old, her stimulation needs are high, so any books that are interactive and colorful are a must on her to-read list.
 
I look forward to reading more to my niece, and to share the gift of reading with my future niece or nephew and one day having them read to me and share in the adventures of a good book. Once they’re old enough, they can join me in my travels and pick out books of their own to explore the next town in their imagination.

Photo: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot
Published: April 30, 2013