Reading Journal: November 2, 2010

Finding the time to review and blog continues to be challenging, but reading every day with the kids is still a top priority. Both kids are growing so quickly, and I want to capture memories of reading with them, which is the very reason why I started this blog in the first place nearly 3 years ago.

Baby Reader:

You know, for me, while having a second child has been more time consuming, I feel less stressed and worried than I did with the first. I think it's because I know what to expect, and I definitely know what to expect with books.

At nine months old, getting my son to sit still for even five minutes is out of the question, but he loves to look at the pictures and touch them. Last night, my daughter learned the hard way why we need to be careful with the baby around her books when he ripped a page out of her beloved Life-Size Aquarium book. That's why when we're reading together, I like to have plenty of board books around that capture his attention. Some books we read with the baby tonight included the old standby, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and some more tactile books like Feely Bugs. I don't even know how we acquired this book, whether it was a gift or from a book or yard sale, but it's been a hit since my daughter was an infant.

Preschool Reader:
We're at the stage with my daughter where she constantly asks for "one more book." She knows I'm weak and always say yes, but we have had to set limits at night. Because some books take longer than others, I start by letting her pick out three books to read. We normally dedicate at least half an hour for bedtime reading, so if we have time for more, we'll read more. She's also at the stage where she'll want me to read the same book to her over and over again.

Tonight, she and my husband read while I was getting the baby bathed, and then once it was time for her bedtime stories, she chose two old standbys, Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity and Splat the Cat. I can't tell you how many times we've read these stories, and watching her face filled with the excitement of knowing what's going to happen next is priceless. And if I miss a word, she is quick to correct me. I'm always amazed at the different observations she makes. For example, tonight, she found a little mouse door in Splat the Cat's classroom that we've never seen before, and she said that it must be the door to mouse school. And while reading Knuffle Bunny Too, she noticed for the first time that Trixie and Sonja had lunchboxes with their initials on them.

Our third book of the evening was a first for both of us, even though it's been sitting on the shelf for a while: Laura Joy Rennert's Buying, Training, and Caring for Your Dinosaur. It's a witty little book that weighs the positives and negatives of owning different types of dinosaurs and tells you how to care for them and train them once you've found one that suits your family. Marc Brown's illustrations are full of detail and are great conversation starters. When we were finished reading the book, my daughter sighed and said, "I wish I had one of those pet dinosaurs."


Wow...writing this post has actually been very enjoyable, something I haven't felt with blogging for a while. I see more reading journal entries in the future!

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