Growing Up on Fox Street

Book excerpt: Rodgers, Growing Up on Fox Street Page 22 of 179 Growing Up on Fox Street is full of warm and uplifting stories from an era gone by. Informative, nostalgic, and engaging at its core, it is written from the viewpoint of a little girl enjoying carefree youthful days with her brothers, cousins, and friends in a small American town during the 1960s. It was a time when moms stayed home and parents allowed their children to play freely in the neighborhood. There was only one car in the driveway, and family mealtimes meant eating home-cooked meals together around the kitchen table. There were bikes to ride, ball games to play, creeks to swim in, forts to build, and neighborhood quarrels to settle. Families went to church on Sundays and Vacation Bible School in the summer. The boys played Little League Baseball as the parents cheered them on from the bleachers. They watched parades every year in town and anticipated Santa's visit and Christmas festivities each December. Even though the times are different today, for the Fox Street kids (and all kids everywhere), the idea of growing up seemed so far away. Their personalities were shaped by their families and friends and the world around them. It is their childhood memories that now seem far away. Growing Up on Fox Street features charming illustrations by the author and helpful annotations for the younger reader. The reflection questions for each chapter will help the reader tell their own story and stimulate meaningful conversations with family members about their childhood recollections.