by Lilli Harris Lee

Whoever says Los Angeles isn’t an intellectual town obviously hasn’t met the kids from my son Mason’s pre-school class.  In what may be the first of its kind, Mason and his 3-year-old friends have formed their very own book club.  The members may not yet know how to read but that’s a technicality we’re all willing to ignore.  It all started the morning after one of my book club meetings: a girls-only, six member group that has met once a month for the past nine terrific years.  Yes we do actually discuss books but only after an hour or two of wine, delicious dessert, and catching up on all the gossip from the previous month.  We have attended each other’s weddings and baby showers… agonized over issues concerning our parents, husbands, boyfriends, and children. But it has also been a great excuse to carve out a little quiet time in our busy lives to read.  It’s always at my house and it’s always after the boys go to sleep so the morning after my last meeting Mason woke up and asked, “Are the book club girls still here?” “No I told him, “They all went home.”  He looked a little disappointed and then wanted to know what we did at the club.  “”Well,” I told him, “First we ate dessert, and then we talked about books.”  He thought for a second and then announced, “I want to have a book club too!”  And so it was formed.  A few hours before his club’s very first meeting I saw his friend Chloe at school.  She looked straight into my eyes and with great seriousness whispered, “I had a dream about the book club.”  Other kids reminded their moms to make sure their books were in the car so right after school they’d be ready to go.  Sure enough, at exactly 4 p.m., each of Mason’s friends marched into our house, clutching a favorite book.  Desserts and lemonade were offered and then each mom read her child’s selection to the group.  Some of them wandered off to play but were lured back if the book had good sound effects.  All of us applauded after each one was read and every child looked so proud for picking a book that made his friends cheer and clap.  My aunt started a book club with her daughter when she and her friends were 9 years old.  They met every month until the girls left for college last year.  I kept thinking how cool it would be if Mason and his pre-school buddies continued their club for that whole span, too.  They may only be three years old but you’re never too young to appreciate a good book.  Or dessert!