My girls and I like to repeat the poem in our favorite book; whether we’re reading it or not. It helps us remember how much we mean to each other and always sends one, or both, clamoring up into my lap for snuggles to reinforce our feelings. And at six, I’m grateful they’re not done snuggling yet. I hear even they will grow out of that and dread that day with severe abhorrence.

My inner voice also changes per book. With Robert Munsch it was a tender older-ish woman, changed into my own with ever “…as long as I’m living…”. But with Fablehaven it’s a young sweet girl, and Nancy drew it was a charismatic twenty-something (surely she was aged in my head) that spoke from the pages below.

Every book brings a new and fascinating friend to lead me through its very personal story, and I love that.

But as much as I like new friends, I would rather my children hear my voice as their inner friend. I may be a little selfish in this wish, but….

Though I suppose it is a very personal thing, I am grateful you have all shared this with me. This post is truly a treasure.

Thank you Danielle for inspiring us to look within to find what drives us without. Precious.

I wish it were Adam West.

Sometimes, I find myself reading too quickly to my three-year-old, and I force myself to slow down and make funny voices, because I’m not just reading to her… I’m helping her find her own inner narrator.

But, honestly, after the third reading of Rockabye Crocodile, I can’t help the velocity.

My mother read in voices, and I never really thought about it until I started reading this blog entry and the replies. I realized that everything I read aloud is with specific voices for the characters. I probably do it in my head too.

I teach a class at work called Nonviolent Crisis Intervention. Part of the course is about communication, and I am constantly stressing to people that what we say is far more than the words. Nonverbal communication comprises 58% of the message, followed by paraverbal at 35%, and the actual words are 7%. It fascinates me that the power of words might truly lie in the voice we hear when reading, the pictures of communication in the nonverbal and paraverbal spheres that writing evokes.

Thanks for asking such a thought provoking question. I find that I’m looking at writing from a new perspective right now.

My mother seldom read to we five kids, and for some strange reason I seldom read to my three. I guess you can say I was a late bloomer in that regard because I didn’t find that ‘reader’s voice’ until I began to teach school, reading Ramona the Pest to my fifth-graders. Suddenly, a voice I’d not heard before found ME. I suppose it was the author’s.

I remember hesitating to read such a primary book to fifth-graders, but they absolutely loved it–begging me to keep reading and well, I have to confess, the HAM in me kept on going. It was hard to move on to US History.

My mother is 92 and not doing so well these days. Some days she recognizes me, some days not. I go to visit her, hoping and praying she’ll recognize my voice, recognize my face. I can no longer call as my voice over the phone only confuses her, but I do hope she goes to the Great Beyond hearing all her family’s voices in her heart. I will forever hear hers in mine.

“Have to pay health insurance . . . also the car payment’s due, you better write something . . . kid’s tuition . . . spoiled little bastards but they’d never handle public school . . . I could drink cheaper booze . . . no, never! Quick, write a bestseller . . .Hmmm, I could turn off some lights or I could write an extra page . . . I want to trade my MacBook for a MacBook Pro . . . I miss the Benz . . . okay, coffee up and write something . . .”

Usually in John Malkovich’s voice.

As for me, I hear different voices depending upon what I am writing. But there is one voice that I really like….it is British sounding and a little snobby and always witty. It is really fun to write when that voice shows up.

Yeah, um, the Brit voice didn’t show up when I was writing my comment….sorry.

Funny though, it never occurred to me people heard voices other than their own. That surprises me. I hear my own voice in my head.

But this is interesting too, I was once part of an online discussion regarding if people saw moving pictures (like a movie) in their head as they were reading. I see the pictures. I’ve heard that not everybody does.

Thanks for the nice story.