Twelve years ago, on the second Tuesday in April, 12:08 p.m.; the ultimate post-lunch preschool routine is about to begin: circle time. Students file away from cubbies stuffed with now-empty lunch boxes and towards the pilling blue carpet with multicolored letters, sitting criss-cross applesauce with anticipation flowing through them. Teachers meticulously select the perfect book to set today’s mood, ranging from “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” and “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” to “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”.
When preschool years are over and children transition into Kindergarten, the books from the years prior influence what we read in childhood, teenage years and even into adulthood. “The Cat in the Hat” and “Llama Llama Red Pajama” are the first building blocks of our journeys and fade into “Pinkalicious” and “The Berenstain Bears”. The adventures and comedies of elementary and middle school morph “Harold and the Purple Crayon” into Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”; a classic childhood book and the book whose dedication sparked a fuse inside Texas High School Cross Country Coach, Danielle Aubrey.
To the Spirit, without whose assistance, neither this book nor I would have been written,
“The dedication in “The Color Purple” kind of tugged at my heart in such a relatable way,” Aubrey said. “It’s written in a way, the way I see it, is a love letter to God. Being who I am and how often I turn to God in times of need and gratitude, for Alice Walker to start her book that way set course for my expectations to be blown away.”
The evolution of reading as a child into adulthood began with boredom and grew into the indulgement that is evident today.
“This whole, as some would say addiction, began when I was a kid. Growing up an only child, I had to find my own ways to entertain myself, and I found most of my enjoyment from reading,” Aubrey said. “And then I never really grew away from books, they’ve always been a part of me. Even as an adult, that spark kind of stayed.”
Aubrey described her ‘motivation’ as a competition between herself and her husband.
“Jodie loved books as a kid too, and he still does to this day,” Aubrey said. “We’ve always had a competition between the two of us to see who could read more, to keep us hooked on something that we were so addicted to as kids.”
From “Harry Potter” to the eye-opening novels of George Orwell, the divine taste of consuming literature page by page has never grown faint to Aubrey. The relatability in books from main character to reader allows us to step inside and experience a whole different world in an individual perspective.
“It all starts in childhood, and for me, I absolutely devoured “The Coldest Winter Ever” by Sister Souljah. Part of that was because of the addicting storyline, but the majority of it was being able to put myself into Winter’s shoes and experience her life through my ‘eyes’,” Aubrey said. “It describes the life that so many kids can relate to. The process of addiction decaying parts of loved ones, and having to learn her way through life without a major support system. She’s just talking about life and the way Sister Souljah uses her words to describe what Winter’s going through has always been close to my heart.”
In the corner of her heart can be found this treasure held close and a past and present favorite, “Harry Potter”.
“Rowling did a fantastic job when sketching out the characters’ transition from kids to adults. The intricacies with each character and how they develop and change is the biggest aspect in my eyes,” Aubrey said. “‘Goblet of Fire’ is also a really fun book to drop all of my worries into and just go back to being a kid again.”
Just as we age, the stories in our hearts grow with our understanding into worlds of new interpretations. Words from others impact us, repeating unconsciously time and time again, just like our favored sentences from years ago. Authors develop new plots and endings for sequels and bonus scenes, the drug that keeps you hooked.
“The second part of Winter’s story, “Life After Death”, is based on Winter becoming an adult, a common theme with my favorite works and being led to look back at all of the choices she made,” Danielle Aubrey said. “Ever since I read that, there’s been this looming reminder in my mind that one day, I’ll have to look back at every choice, every word, every action, everything I ever did. I’ll have to face parts of my life where I wasn’t who I am today.”
When forming a bond with others, we often look for similar characteristics: personality traits, likes vs. dislikes and hobbies. When we’ve deemed someone ‘the one’, we gravitate towards them and their interests. Jodie and Danielle Aubrey match each other with equal jobs, personality and love for literature
Jodie Aubrey, also a Texas High coach, fills his plate with football, basketball and track, training up the district’s athletes. Though his workdays and afternoons are often packed, he finds room for reading, whether single pages or chapters piled together. The reality of busy days often wards off free time filled with passion. Jodie Aubrey finds motivation and encouragement in books, straying away from the fantastical stories and fairy-tales that draw his other half in.
“‘Illusions’ always has me reminding myself that we have the power to do anything,” Jodie Aubrey said. “And when life gets a little stressful, this entire realism that we know as life is just an illusion.”
Once again, role models in hundreds of students’ lives use the imaginations of others as encouragement daily. The root of this common theme is the consumption of thousands of words from adolescence. The impact of “The Runner” left him relating all too well to the story line, and hitching on with eyes glued to the page as the ending was beginning.
Passing on the joy from his childhood onto his children has been highlighted by Jodie and Danielle’s enthusiasm. From picture books to thousands of words, lines upon lines with imagination up to interpretation, the example shown in the Aubrey household hooked one young girl and hasn’t let go since.
“We read the animated kids’ books to reel their interest in. You have to entertain them first, otherwise they won’t find the fun in reading,” Jodie Aubrey said. “You can get lost in books, and you have to show [kids] early that that’s what you want to do. It’s like a movie.”
Within the heart of teenagers worldwide, heartstrings pulled, twisted and tugged at by simple pieces of imagination. Among this majority is a daughter, student and athlete, with a plate slowly filling, much like her parents’: Deja Aubrey.
The constant stories told by parents have led Deja Aubrey into the craving that she has faced for years. Fairy tales and bedtime stories from “Jack and the Beanstalk” to “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” provided entertainment and knowledge for the years to come.
“For years, I was addicted to “Junie B. Jones”, and in every story without fail, she acted bad,” Deja Aubrey said. “It’s been my favorite since I was a little girl, the silliest story has followed me all the way up until high school.”
Looking back as we grow and change, morals become more eye-opening and impactful. “Don’t be annoying was what I thought for so long. It’s a funny kids book so the lack of real plot and morals got me hooked.” Deja Aubrey said, “Something my parents got going when I was growing up led me to one of my most passionate hobbies.”
Generations pass down recipes, traditions, heirlooms, and hobbies. What started as a cure for boredom and relatability has morphed its way into the lives of the Aubrey family, friends and peers. Frequently, Danielle, Jodie and Deja can be found escaping the weight of their busy lives with their noses buried in the pages of fictional adventures.
“Reading is one of the most fundamental things you can do in life,” Jodie Aubrey said. “If you can’t read, you can’t learn.”
