Some of my favorite childhood memories are from quiet summer afternoons, curled up with a book while the world outside baked in the heat. Especially on those sweltering days when it was too hot to play outside, you’d find me tucked away in my room, windows wide open in a desperate attempt to catch a breeze. We didn’t have air conditioning, but I hardly noticed. I was lost in the world of encyclopedias.

Yes, encyclopedias. Big, heavy, beautifully illustrated hardcover volumes that smelled like ink and time. I devoured them. There was always something new to learn: the wonders of the Earth, the vastness of the universe, the mystery of the weather, or the strange and fascinating creatures that lived deep in the oceans or high in the trees. I didn’t realize it then, but those books shaped my curiosity and my love of learning.

Tomorrow, my eldest has to present a school project about Antarctica. As we talked through the icy facts and she practiced her lines, I suddenly remembered one of my favorite encyclopedias, filled with pages on the poles, glaciers, penguins, and explorers, still sitting on a shelf at my mom’s house. That memory came rushing back like a breeze through an open window, stirring up all those sweet summer afternoons I spent reading for hours.

So, I’ve decided on a little weekend project: I’m going to pick up a small bookcase from IKEA and create a cozy reading nook for my daughters. I’ll bring home those encyclopedias from my mom’s house and pass on the magic,  the sense of wonder, discovery, and quiet joy that comes from getting lost in a good book.

Here’s to old books, new traditions, and the simple beauty of learning something just because you’re curious.