Years ago, when my kids were very young, I started a storytime tradition with our family that has become our “Story Blanket”.

I have a large old quilt that my Mom made for me when I was little, and it is the blanket we always sit on when reading or telling stories. We spread the Story Blanket on the floor or in the grass, then our family piles onto it – sitting or laying down, whatever is comfortable. Sometimes we even read by flashlight under the Story Blanket!

Sometimes I read books to my kids, sometimes they read to me. Sometimes we make up fantastic, adventurous stories together. Sometimes I tell my kids stories about me, when I was their age, and sometimes they tell me stories about things they have done, or dreams they have for their future.

The time we spend together on our Story Blanket is cherished by all, and is a tradition that we still carry on to this day. My boys are now ages 7 to 11 and are very active young kids. However, even though they like to be active, they still enjoy a little quiet time together with Mom on the Story Blanket.

It’s been overcast, and we haven’t seen the sunshine in almost a week where we live, but today looks like a perfect Story Blanket day outside! Lazy sunshine, big poofy clouds against a clear blue sky… and a brand-new book series to begin!

Go ahead… find a special blanket and create a Story Blanket tradition for your family! Summer is a great time to start.

Here is our Story Blanket list of books we’ve read and enjoyed recently:

• The Melendy Quartet, Books 1-4 – The four Melendy children live with their father in a worn out but comfortable brownstone in New York City. There’s 13-year old Mona, 12-year old Rush, 10-1/2-year old Randy, and 6-year old Oliver. The four children create the Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club – and go on some creative adventures! This series was written in 1941 and remains a timeless tale of childhood adventure.
• Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo (Book 1) – Fourteen-year-old Leven Thumps (a.k.a. “Lev”) lives a wretched life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma. But his life is about to change as he learns about a secret gateway bridging the real world and the world of Foo – a place created at the beginning of time, in the folds of the mind, making it possible for mankind to dream and hope, aspire and imagine. Sparks imaginations!
• Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret (Book 2) – Join Leven Thumps, Clover Ernest, and Winter Frore, as they journey across Foo to free Geth from his existence as a toothpick and restore him as the rightful heir to the throne. It won’t be easy. Foo is in chaos, and Leven must overcome several adversaries and survive the Swollen Forest to save his friends and keep hope alive. An exciting sequel to Book 1!
• Leven Thumps and the Eyes of Want (Book 3) – If you are willing to have the courage, you’re invited to join the adventure. Travel to Sycophant Run, survive the Waves of the Lime Sea, and discover a new gateway to Foo. But beware: the true threat to the dreams of mankind lurks beneath the soil. Just as exciting as the first two books!
• Leven Thumps and the Wrath of Ezra (Book 4) – Gear up for the most unFoogettable escapade yet! Get ready to ride a Wave, release a Longing, find the Invisible Village, travel by rope, wrestle in chocolate, and, of course, dream the impossible! Join Leven, Winter, Geth, and Clover on this most unFoogettable adventure yet!
• Five Children and It (Book 1) – To Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother, the house in the country promises a summer of freedom and play. But when they accidently uncover an ancient Psammead — or Sand-fairy — who has the power to make wishes come true, they find themselves having the holiday of a lifetime, sharing one thrilling adventure after another. Originally published in 1902.
• The Phoenix and the Carpet (Book 2) – This popular sequel to Five Children and It is full of wit and magic! It’s startling enough to have a Phoenix hatch in your house, but even more startling when it tells you you have a magic carpet on the floor. Conceited it may be, but the Phoenix is also good-hearted, and obligingly accompanies the children on their adventures in time and space – which, magic being what it is, rarely turn out as they were meant…
• The Story of the Amulet (Book 3) – Magical fantasy and misunderstandings combine in this classic time-travel adventure. When Cyril, Robert, Anthea and Jane rescue the magic sand-fairy from a pet shop, they have no idea of the astonishing adventures to come!
• The Enchanted Castle – An entrancing combination of magical fantasy with real-life complications. Gerald, Cathy, and Jimmy wake a beautiful princess from her hundred year sleep in an enchanted garden. It’s really only Mabel, the housekeeper’s niece – but the garden really is enchanted, and the ring she slips on really is magic! The children find themselves in some funny, some awkward, some frightening and some absolutely magical situations before everything gets sorted out. A classic story for all young adventurers!
• The Mysterious Benedict Society (Book 1) – ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES? Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children – Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance – succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete.
• The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (Book 2) – The fabulous foursome readers embraced as The Mysterious Benedict Society is back with a new mission, significantly closer to home. After reuniting for a celebratory scavenger hunt, Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are forced to go on an unexpected search – a search to find Mr. Benedict. It seems that while he was preparing the kids’ adventure, he stepped right into a trap orchestrated by his evil twin Mr. Curtain.
• The Willoughbys – Abandoned by their ill-humored parents to the care of an odious nanny, Tim, the twins, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister, Jane, attempt to fulfill their roles as good old-fashioned children. Following the models set in lauded times from A Christmas Carol to Mary Poppins, the four Willoughbys hope to attain their proscribed happy ending too, or at least a satisfyingly maudlin one. However, it is an unquestionably ruthless act that sets in motion the transformations that lead to their salvation and to happy endings for not only the four children, but their nanny, an abandoned baby, a candy magnate, and his long-lost son, too.

Do you have a favorite book that your family enjoys reading together? Post your favorites in a comment – we’d love to hear what you’re reading!