The Fruits of Summer Reading

With summer in full swing, Nicole Berlucchi reflects on how summer reading for her kids is turning into fruitful lessons for her as well. 

As an adult, I tend to think I am the wise one in the parent-child relationship, so it’s humbling when your children wow you with something you’ve never thought of before. Their open hearts and curious minds ask better questions than I ever could. Even funnier is how God uses what I am using to teach my children as learning opportunities for me.  

Every summer I assign my kids books to read, books that reach beyond the popular graphic novel series my kids gravitate toward. That’s my favorite part of summer: introducing my kids to some classics, the books we have time to read during the summer. One of my kids has been assigned the Narnia series.  

These books have cycled through my kids and make opportunities for great discussions on life, faith, and more. My kids also read Scripture throughout the week, and between the two different kinds of reading, I’m enjoying their insights. I also find I have takeaways of my own. Summer reading is fruitful. 

Scripture Lessons on Light and Darkness  

After reading “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5) with my fourth grader and “For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8) with my eighth grader, we stood in our dark, windowless bathroom and turned on a little tea light candle. I did it to emphasize what Jesus does to our lives. I was doing it for my children — but found myself thinking about it later.  

I had asked my son how the darkness could make the light go away, and he said it couldn’t. He was right, of course, but later I was thinking of the ways the darkness could appear to overcome the light. The battery in the candle could be dying or could die. If we aren’t putting something into our relationship with Jesus, we might find the darkness creeping in around us.   

Additionally, if I had in that moment taken my hand and covered the candle, it would create more darkness, but the light would be there inside my hand, very confined. So, if we are trying to hide who Jesus is in our lives or if we are trying to say, I don’t need your light here, even if we know the light is there, we invite darkness to take over.   

I find it interesting that what had been me teaching a lesson to my children became my heavenly Father using that to teach me a lesson or two.  

Songs and Prayer  

My children’s summer reading adventures struck another chord for me. This one was a consolation of sorts. A spiritual coach of mine has encouraged me to explore some poetry and singing as part of my prayers. I had just the week before on a whim brought a book of poetry to Adoration, and I mentioned that it’s strange that he would suggest this because I had just felt the nudge to do so myself.  

He thought it was not strange, but instead the Holy Spirit. Duh!  

In reading The Magician’s Nephew with my son, I had forgotten that Narnia begins with Aslan’s song, a deep and mysterious song. The way C.S. Lewis tells it, you want to imagine the song, but at the same time you know you can’t. My coach had suggested something similar. He told me to sing not from the head but from the soul, so I might not even need words.   

This scene of Narnia’s creation: Aslan is singing, light and new life springing forth, and the characters who are observing the scene consider the music mysterious but enjoyable, unearthly, sparking feelings.   

This scene helps me envision that when I sing from deep within me, light and something new is springing to life, gradually, but beautifully orchestrated. The thought of singing with God instead of to Him evokes something emotional in me. I love that He dropped this story back in my lap so that I could make this connection to a place He is trying to meet me in prayer. 

The summer reading I thought I was assigning to my children seems to have been God’s assignment for me, gently giving me nuggets as I continue on my faith journey. While I thought my kids would be benefitting, I seem to be benefitting just as much.

What books are on your summer reading list for you and your kids? Maybe you’ll discover something in those books is as much for you as for your kids. 

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Copyright 2025 Nicole Berlucchi
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