Do you cry whilst reading to the children?

[MrsNormanMaine]

I just read The Story of Holly and Ivy (Rummer Godden) to my children (5 and 3) and burst into tears. I do get very into the reading and I loved it when I was a child. Maybe due to recent bereavements (parents) or just being older and a parent myself - or being a sentimental nutter - but have you sobbed openly due to being moved by a story you are reading to your children? How did they react? What did you say?

My daughter was concerned and sweet, my son thought it was hilarious but was also very sweet and tried to get me to read the same bit over and over to see if it kept happening. All in all I think it added something!

I did the same thing reading The Diddakoi (when the Does were going to send Joe to the knackers). Must stop with Rummer Godden!

Oh I blubbed each time I read 'Don't let go' by Jeanne Willis, it's so touching.

Don't let go

Also 'Seven for Silver'; don't know the author but it's really , about a little girl who's Grandfather dies.

God I'm choking up just thinking about them!

'Susan Laughs' had me blubbing as did 'Ringo the Flamingo'. Both main characters are disabled as is dd and I had to read it round the huge lump.

There is this absolutely beautiful Christmas story called "The Christmas Miracle of Johnathan Twomey" which always makes me blub-not too bad when you are reading to your own dcs but a bit embarrasing in front of a class of children!

What a brilliant thread this is! Have just added about 15 books to my Amazon wishlist... 'Once there were giants' does it for me every time!

Another one I'd like to recommend is 'A Small Miracle' by Peter Collington. It's a beautiful 'wordless' Christmas story, totally lacking in commercialism, about some nativity figures that come to life. My 3 and 4 year olds love it (and so do I!)

the bit in "the baby who wouldn't go to bed" that goes "someone who was ever so weary but couldn't go to bed until the baby did" always used to get me with (appalling sleeper) dd1. and the mousehole cat makes me blub too, just the evocative language, nothing terrible happens

Gentle Giant by Michael Morpurgo nearly set me off, but it's actually that song from Mamma Mia, Slipping Through My Fingers, that always has me sobbing uncontrollably - much to my 4 yr old DD's amusement.

The one morning I managed to hold it together when it came on on the the way to nursery, we pulled up as it finished and DD said 'I really love you Mummy' - I had to take a few minutes to pull myself together before we actually got out of the car.

I'm a gibbering mess when I read 'the lion that wanted to love'

www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+lion+that+wanted+ to+love

and also just cannot sing 'over the rainbow' as it was my dear dad's favourite song, he died in May 3 weeks after ds born...

MollyCherry - 'Slipping through my fingers' brings the tears to my eyes every time as well... I am going to have to stop reading this thread as it's costing me a fortune on Amazon and I thought I was finished with the Christmas shopping

Only when DS#2 insists I read the 8th book

me too SmallerClanger - it's so obvious Christopher Robin is going to school and that it's the end of his childhood: "They won't let me do nothing any more" ...sob!

It's the first time I've ever cried reading a book to DD. She was surprised and a bit dismayed, I think. I had to just stop and read something jolly instead.

Haven't quite cried to this AA Milne poem (damn that man) but it does get me in the back of the throat: a sad but true summation of motherhood.

I cry at all of those. Especially Holly and Ivy, which I read to my two every year and cry almost all the way through - they are used to me now

All Michael Morpurgo's books make me cry, and Adolphus Tips is DD's all-time favourite, so if I am reading it to her, she has the hankies ready!

HollyHobbie: well, I read the pinkle purr poem & I started crying!! Oh my god, this thread has reaaaaally got the tear ducts going...

By the way, not sure who mentioned ? the velveteen rabbit- I've cried when reading that several times too...

The other book that I find really wonderful- and always makes me cry for some strange reason is a little bit of winter by Paul Riddell...

And, oh yes: I too cry when I hear 'Slipping through my fingers!'

I bought I collection of Mick Inkpen stories ages ago to read to DS - luckily, browsed through it first & found myself howling at Nothing oh its soooooo sad .....never did manage to read the story - its still here in pristine condition

Paws..another Dogger crier here. Is it the bit when Bella swaps her bear?

"And a mother with a baby just like him.." Sob. Whimper.

And "Dogger" is heartbreaking.

I'm just reading the boys "The Railway Children" (the sort of old-fashioned book they are far too 21st century and male to read to themselves) and the bit about their mother asking them not to walk on the railway made me sob:

"But, darlings, you don't know how fond I am of you. What should I do if you got hurt?"

"Are you fonder of us than Granny was of you when you were little?" Phyllis asked. Bobbie made signs to her to stop, but Phyllis never
did see signs, no matter how plain they might be.

Mother did not answer for a minute. She got up to put more water in the teapot.

"No one," she said at last, "ever loved anyone more than my mother loved me."

Boo hoo. Sniffle.

This is a huge relief - thought I was turning into a loon. Will look for some of the books mentioned that I haven't fallen apart over. The children will start worrying if I read a whole story without crying.

Oh God, I'm always sniffling at the Big Big Sea. Sometimes DD hold my hand, in anticipation of me blubbing.

Oh, wow...the Big Big Sea, just the saddest book. What do you think has happened to Daddy?

I cried at the "Whale and the Snail"

Also "Some Dogs Do"...marvellous.

I have posted this before on a similar thread, but this book should be banned!

it has bereavement, redundancy, homelessness, rural idylls, lovable grandads (who die ) and stupid mums read it to their dds without having the least idea where it is going and then end up in a blubbering heap on the floor.

as someone already said. Gah!

and totally agree about Peepo, god we are ridiculously over-sensitive, aren't we!

OMG The Big Big Sea is £33.26 on Amazon.

You can pick up a copy for £8.63 as well, must be out of print. Shall we start a campaign to have it reprinted??