On this Mother’s Day, I am prompted to remember my mother Shirley (Rowe) Cormany, and the many ways she enriched my life from my childhood years into adulthood. One of the most-valuable gifts she ever gave me was storytelling. It was a two-fold gift since she both read stories to me and gave me stories to read. From her, I developed a love of both human and natural history, as well as an appreciation of art, drama, and literature. One book she gave me that I particularly enjoyed was an anthology of poems, which had one poem for each day of the year from January 1 through December 31 (I’m pretty sure there was one for February 29, too.) I recall the poem for June 21, my birthday, about a little boy who enjoyed all the extra outdoor playing time he got because there was more daylight today than any other day.

The legacy of story-telling is something I have tried to pass on to my children and grandchildren. I recall reading Hansel and Gretel to my daughter Rachel so often, that the book finally fell apart. I also recall the fights that sometimes erupted between Rachel and her younger sister Ruth over who got the privilege of choosing their bedtime story. One night, when Rachel believed Ruth had wrongfully been given that privilege, she expressed her outrage by running away from home.* For his part, my son Jonathan enjoyed books about Thundercats and He-Man, characters that opened the door to his enduring interest in superheroes.

Whenever the opportunity has presented itself, I’ve enjoyed reading to my grandchildren, too. Favorites include Just Go to Bed by Mercer Mayer, Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss, From Head to Toe by Eric Carle, My Big Animal Book by Roger Priddy, and Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes by Judy Hindley. It’s my hope, of course, that reading stories to them now will create an interest in books that will last throughout their lives.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unexpected but not insurmountable challenge to storytelling. Thanks to Skype and Facetime technology, I’ve been able to read bedtime stories to my grandchildren even though we are miles apart. Skype is much to be preferred. With Facetime, the picture on the phone is small and prone to be jostled; whereas, Skype provides a larger and more-stable platform. Still, it’s not ideal. I have to go back and forth, first reading a passage and then flipping the book around so the kid can see the pictures that go with the words. This lengthens the reading time and sometimes tests the patience of the grandchild and whichever parent is trying to hold him or her in place.

Whatever its shortcomings, storytelling by Skype reaffirms the value of books to my grandchildren. More than that, it shows them that storytelling is so important, we should not allow the ongoing pandemic to stop it. I think my mom would heartily agree.

*  She returned home five minutes later.