In this picture is one beginning reader and one that is rarely without a book. I got excited while looking through a booklist for third graders today. Most of the books for school I simply get from the library. That is one incredibly wonderful thing about living here - the library is "probably the best that I know of". We go at least once a week and pick out way too many and fill up the corners of time with stories and facts (If you are Alec). But this year I find myself itching to buy books. I used to be a book collector. I thought that I was over it: I haven't had much time to read, we have lived places without much storage and we don't have bookcases for the books that we DO have. But tonight I was looking at this reading list and really feeling the urge to buy books for us to enjoy and keep. I am resisting the temptation. It just isn't necessary when there is a great library down the street.
There are a few books on the list that will be challenging reading and I really do think that those would be worth buying. David's sister Robyn bought Jan a pretty copy of "The Secret Garden" when she was a baby. There is something about a beautiful book that makes you want to read it, even if it is a little hard to get into at first. We are finally reading that book together (it will be performed as a play in town this fall and we get to go) and the kids are fascinated. Really fun.
My Dad bought me a pretty old book for Christmas when I was 5. It was called "The Lost Cricket". It was a collection of old fashioned short stories, mostly with a moral to them. He read them to us at bedtime and noted in pencil at the end of chapters the date we read them together. I love that book, still have it and have read some of it to my kids.
One year my brother Nate paid for the "Book A Month" club for me. I received a leather bound classic every month for 12 months. I am sure it was expensive - but they are so pretty. I never would have really WANTED to read "The Three Musketeers" if it hadn't just been so beautiful!
Jan is interested in storyline - she likes to read and then come to the kitchen or wherever and give me a blow by blow of what is going on in whatever she is reading. I am always surprised by how much she remembers out of books that she has read several months or even a year ago.
Alec is interested in facts and humor. If it is humorous he will read it, enjoy it, repeat it. I can't wait until he can read Patrick MacManus, it will be fun. He really is not able to read the books containing facts about sports and science easily yet and this frustrates him. We will work on it this year.
Anne just wants to read. I feel badly about this because I have no doubt that she would be reading well if I had given more time to it last year. She surprised me by sounding things out on her own and starting to read short words without help. This year I hope to help her out more.
Pati is different. She likes to be read to, but only if it is a one on one activity. If it is a group activity she will take a book, go to another room and "read" it, aloud, to herself. Sometimes this is so entertaining we will stop what we are doing and go and listen to her.
