One of the most important and beautiful memories I have of my mother Helen, was listening to her read to my brother and I every night with the pillows piled high against the nine hundred year old carved rosewood headboard, and us tucked snugly under the covers in anticipation of what book she would surprise us with. They were Incredible books, like Jules Verne’s Around The World in Eighty Days, Rudyard Kipling’s Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, The Last of The Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. The list was endless, as were our adventures every night with my mother and in our dreams.

I recently looked up the survey conducted by YouGov for the non-profit Read Aloud 15 Minutes, and it was found that fewer than half the parents surveyed read aloud to their children every day, and only 34% did so for at least 15 minutes. I was heartbroken to learn this. My mother dealt with so many obstacles, when we were kids, that to me, her voice, reading those words became an incredible reprieve for the three of us.  As my mother read to us each word filled my mind with pictures and ideas and the thirst for more. I look back now and realize that I learned how to read following the words on the page as she read them.

I have been privileged to be able to publish two of Sally Landaker’s books; The Cave of The Crystal Skull and the sequel now just launching, The Guardian of The Crystal Skull. Sally’s abilities as a writer and her years of being an elementary school teacher have led her to write a truly amazing saga.

Fifty years later, I’ve leaned up against that beautiful old carved headboard with my two daughters reading both of Sally’s books.  It is my hope and wish that The Cave of The Crystal Skull and The Guardian of The Crystal Skull find their way into as many homes as possible, then comfortably into the hands of a loving mother or father or eager for an adventure young person. Let’s make the magic happen. Our children and grandchildren need to be read to, to cultivate and grow their creativity! Thank you Mom for the stunning gift you gave Doug and I, for the true love of great books, and your beautiful voice reading into our imaginations.