dorkyFirst, the insect world. Caterpillars are slow moving. I tend to think of kids who have not yet caught the reading "bug" as caterpillars. They move slowly from text to text. They proceed slowly through the text as well. They are just getting started. And then they find that book. You know the one, right? The gateway, touchstone, turning point book: the one that draws them in and holds them captive. Suddenly, they are curled up with books, cocooning if you will. And then, emerges the butterfuly, the reader with wings still a bit damp, but ready to take off into new worlds of books. Now, while I know that butterfliws do not morph into bees or ladybugs, I do know that all of these insects help spread seeds. And this is, what I think, full members of the reading community (all ages) do. They spread the love of books they love. Go back and look at the #titletalk archives (http://titletalk.wikispaces.com/May+27%2C+2013) and see how we are all buzzing and spreading the love of books.
Now, the flower world. Same thing here: a bloom is that reader just coming into her or his own. They have found a couple of bhooks that have nourished them. Now, we are feeding them books and even flooding books (a la Kelly Gallagher) and now the bloom becomes a blossom. Eventually, the blossom spreads its seeds as well, growing new plants (readers).
Okay, so maybe I did have too much caffeine this morning and was buzzing along to the office while "reading with my ears." But I do love the idea of blossoms and bees and perhaps some other wildlife coming into the picture (Donalyn Miller would approve, I bet, of the WILDlife). As summer approaches, I hope we are busy bees who are passing along some nourishment to our blooms and blossoms so that their summer will be one filled with great books. Nothing required. Sort of a casual NO CLASSICS, NO ANALYSIS, NO DISSERVICE policy if you will.