When my son was six or seven years old, he was given his first "Magic Tree House" book.  For those who do not have grade school aged children, the "Magic Tree House" is a series of time travel books written by Mary Pope Osborne.  There are about 25 books in the series, maybe more.  Each one takes its two protagonists, six year old Annie and her nine year old brother Jack, on an adventure back in time to a great historical event or era.  The books are terrific, and a great way to plant an interest in reading and history in small children.

My son's first "Magic Tree House" book was called Tonight on the Titanic.  He was not familiar with the Titanic story, and as I read the book out loud to him, he was absolutely enthralled.  I was too, surprisingly so.  Obviously, the story of the Titanic is one that I know very well.  I've seen all the movies numerous times, of course.  Heck, I've even written a post on Open Salon about the last survivor of that tragedy (who passed away earlier this year).  Being so familiar with the story, I never dreamed I would react the way I did.  I got choked up.  As Jack and Annie desperately try to reunite two young children with their parents, their own lives become imperiled.  In the chaos of the doomed ship, they are unable to find the magic tree house that will transport them back to the safety of their 21st century home.  All the while, the ship's orchestra continues to play "Nearer, My God, To Thee", despite the fact that the musicians know they will be in God's presence before the break of dawn.

I could barely get through the story.  Fortunately, I managed to stifle the tears enough to finish, but it was not easy.  The same thing happened a year or so later when the two of us sat and read another entry in the series, Civil War on Sunday.  In this book, Jack and Annie meet Clara Barton, who enlists the children to help feed and comfort the wounded in her field hospital.  While there, they meet a freed slave, a young drummer boy (who turns out to be one of their own ancestors), and a severely injured Confederate soldier.  They learn first hand how tragic and destructive war is, and they witness true heroism in the person of Clara Barton.  And guess what?  I had to take a short break in reading so I could clear the tears from my eyes.

It's embarrassing to cry when you're reading a children's book to your young son!

So why am I recounting these episodes of several years ago?  Because it happened again last night, that's why.  Of course, now that my son is in 4th grade, he thinks he is too old to have Mom or Dad read to him.  Still, I like to know what he is reading, and I will sometimes read a few pages to him just to make sure he is comprehending what he is supposed to. 

His current book is called Defiance, by Valerie Hobbs.  It is about an eleven year old boy with cancer.  Yeah, I know what you're thinking.  No surprise this one would choke me up.  After my son went to bed last night, I decided to read the final four chapters by myself.  Whew!  I had to wait about five minutes before I could even tell my wife that I had finished the book.  To do so sooner would have been pointless, because when I'm choked up, I can't speak.  Really, nothing comes out, at least nothing other than a weird blubbering noise.

So after a few minutes, composure fully regained, I told my wife that I finished the book.  After a minute or so spent describing its conclusion, my wife asks, "Have you  been crying?"  "No", I lied.  Dang, I can't get anything past her.

Well, I'm finished with crying over children's literature, at least for this week, anyway.  No reading tonight.  I think I'll pull out my DVD of "To Kill a Mockingbird", which is probably my favorite movie.  I've seen it at least 15 or 20 times.  At the end of the film, when we see Atticus through the window sitting with the unconscious Jem, and the narrator explains "Atticus would stay with Jem all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning", I'll cry just like I have cried every other time I watch that scene.  Guaranteed.