The Girl Likes Her Books

I love to read.  That's obvious to anyone who knows me (as I always ask if they are reading anything, and have anything to recommend).  Visitors to the blog will note that there are several sidebars from Goodreads providing information on what I am reading, and what I have recently read.  Those updates get posted through to both my Twitter feed and my Facebook profile, and often my Google Plus page.  Reading is something I am very passionate about.  Jackie, as a kindergarten teacher, is also passionate about reading, particularly sharing that passion with her students.

Thus, it was very logical to incorporate reading into our routines with Maia.  From the very first night she was home, we read two books to her every night before bed.  We had books available for her in every room we would hang out in, and as she grew, she often picked them.

So, its something we're passionate about, and share with her.  Whether its because of that or her own personal interests (or some combination of the two and still other factors), Maia likes to read.  Really, on some days, it appears that Maia is obsessed with reading.  On the Mondays I stay home, and often on a weekend morning, we have what I refer to as the morning book parade.  Maia goes to wherever that room's book are, grabs them, brings them and places them on your lap, and says "read this."  Over and over and over again. And again. And again.  Often until all the books that are kept in that room are finished.  And then we start repeating as we continuing throughout the day.

Read these 9 before we left to go grocery
shopping, prior to 7:30 a.m.

This is why often, before 8am, we have already read at least 10 books.  Its what she wants to do.  As with any young kid (as I hear), she has her favorites.  A pair of books ("Little Blue Truck" and "Little Blue Truck Leads the Way") are her current favorites.  Yet we've also read the local library's copy of "Little Gorilla" more than 10 times each on various days, and both Jackie and I can recite from memory several other books (Dr. Suess's "Hop on Pop" and "ABCs", "The Napping House", and "Rumble in the Jungle", among others).

This was a Monday's rotation of books.
Several read more than 10 times that day.

My favorite thing about Maia's current fascination with reading, is seeing how she reacts or interacts with the book and our reading.  When I read the Little Blue Truck books, I have to do character voices.  If I just read it plain, she gets frustrated with me.  When we read the "Hop on Pop" book, she says "boom" on the page where "Fall, Wall, All fall off the Wall", and "hurt" when Pat is about to sit on the cactus.  In "Rumble in the Jungle", she hits her belly and bellows like a Gorilla every time we get to the gorilla page.  In "Little Gorilla," on the page where the characters sing happy birthday to little Gorilla, she claps her hands and cheers.

Ellie is not amused, however.

It is these little moments that help, me at least, persevere when another book lands on my lap and I hear "read this" for the 50th time that day (true story - I counted one Monday, and for the entire day, we read 83 books, including several more than 10 times each).  Because after all, how do you say no to this.

"Read this, or you have to wear the cupcake hat!"