A Little Boy

About the Book

This book is a collection of true stories that happened in the life of the author Del Hart on a dairy farm in Central Pennsylvania. After Del was blessed with his own children, he would often lie with one of them in bed at bedtime and tell these stories loud enough in order that all four children could hear in the adjoining bedrooms before they went to sleep. All the stories deal with Del’s family. His family consisted of his mom and dad, Judy, Rod, his twin sister Deb, and Matthew. Judy was three years older than Del, and Rod was one year older. Matthew was born fourteen years later than his other brothers and sisters. For this reason, Matthew is not mentioned in many of the stories. Even though the stories occur at different times in Del’s early life, they all begin with the same sentence. Del’s children loved this group of words and would often start the story by reciting this sentence. Their dad would then choose a story, from memory, and finish it. Del’s children, Leah, Thomas, Lydia, and Timothy, heard one story each night and, in time, heard these stories many times. However, Picking Up Pears, The Bees Nest and Deb’s Shoe, and The Cow Story were some of their favorites. Del would like to thank his children for the special times he shared with them during these bedtime stories. The stories you are about to read have all been heard by Del’s children many times. Del hopes that you will enjoy these stories as his children did.

About the Author

Del was born on a dairy farm in Central Pennsylvania and had a very happy childhood with his brother and two sisters. When he was fourteen, Del’s parents gave birth to another boy, and the family was complete. From an early age, Del and his brothers and sisters were taught the value of hard work amidst a loving family life. Del’s family was not poor, but they lived modestly and conservatively. The family ate their meals together and spent almost all their time on the farm, working and playing. Del was expected to be in church each Sunday with his family. He was also expected to dress in his best clothes for church. Being respectful to others and having a good positive attitude were also expected of him and his brothers and sisters. As time progressed, Del grew to love the farm and the wholesome lifestyle that it provided. He enjoyed working beside his older brother and father and spent many happy days tending to the land and the farm animals. School was very important to him, and he excelled in the academic subjects. However, Del was very social and was able to forge and maintain deep, important relationships with others. Upon graduation from high school, Del attended and graduated from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania with a degree in biology education. He taught biology at the local high school and subsequently graduated from Bucknell University with a master’s degree in education. After teaching biology for fifteen years, he graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a doctorate degree in educational administration. This degree enabled him to become a high school principal. During Del’s tenure as a high school principal, he tenaciously clung to his ideals of respecting and honoring those educators whom he had the pleasure of supervising. He was dedicated to the pursuit of excellence. The value of hard work, learned from his early days on the farm, was important to his success. He was successful in building a cohesive team of educators, united by a common goal, committed to the success of the students and the community. As Del taught high school biology and led the school as its principal, he was also raising his four delightful children, Leah, Thomas, Lydia, and Timothy. Second only in importance to his faith in God, these four children were the true joy and inspiration of his life. Being with them as they worked and played was the ultimate happiness for Del.