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The perfect balance
Feb. 23rd, 2008 08:58 amIt's not often I can find something that completely entrances Robin the way the Commander Toad books, by Jane Yolen, do.
And those are nice, because he can almost read them himself. But they're hard for adults to read more than once, and they're so short that he insists on us reading them again and again.
We've tried a whole list of 'sit and read with me' books, stuff I loved as a child, stuff Mike loved as a child.
The Hobbit -- no attention span for it
Wrinkle In Time -- no attention span
Iliad/Odessey -- no attention span (hush, you-- *I* Loved this at age 3)
Roald Dahl -- no attention span for it
My side of the Mountain -- no attention span
...Doctor Dolittle works, but there aren't enough pictures to suit him. Likewise, Kipling's Just So stories with the original illustrations. Those work for about 20 minutes at a time.
But the perfect balance-- the book that I read to him for 90 minutes last night until I was hoarse, with Just Enough illustration that he can enjoy it, not so much that he goes off in his own head and interrupts me because he's thinking so hard about the pretty pictures?
The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1.
We finished it last night, too.
So now we have the rest, and I'm looking for recommendations of things written on a similar level.
Robin is currently watching TV with Book 2 hugged to his chest, and the two small spider finger puppets I got him at the same time on his index fingers. Lillian is trying to reach his toes to chew on them. Mike is out on a run, and I am securely hooked into my new sports bra (which has about as many grommets as can be found on your average aircraft carrier) and am packing a bag for weapons class.
Today is busy: after weapons and empty-hand, there's a party. After the party, Mike has a party to attend. I will be child wrangling and looking for those recommendations of books from you, my dear friends, as AKICILJ. :)
And those are nice, because he can almost read them himself. But they're hard for adults to read more than once, and they're so short that he insists on us reading them again and again.
We've tried a whole list of 'sit and read with me' books, stuff I loved as a child, stuff Mike loved as a child.
The Hobbit -- no attention span for it
Wrinkle In Time -- no attention span
Iliad/Odessey -- no attention span (hush, you-- *I* Loved this at age 3)
Roald Dahl -- no attention span for it
My side of the Mountain -- no attention span
...Doctor Dolittle works, but there aren't enough pictures to suit him. Likewise, Kipling's Just So stories with the original illustrations. Those work for about 20 minutes at a time.
But the perfect balance-- the book that I read to him for 90 minutes last night until I was hoarse, with Just Enough illustration that he can enjoy it, not so much that he goes off in his own head and interrupts me because he's thinking so hard about the pretty pictures?
The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1.
We finished it last night, too.
So now we have the rest, and I'm looking for recommendations of things written on a similar level.
Robin is currently watching TV with Book 2 hugged to his chest, and the two small spider finger puppets I got him at the same time on his index fingers. Lillian is trying to reach his toes to chew on them. Mike is out on a run, and I am securely hooked into my new sports bra (which has about as many grommets as can be found on your average aircraft carrier) and am packing a bag for weapons class.
Today is busy: after weapons and empty-hand, there's a party. After the party, Mike has a party to attend. I will be child wrangling and looking for those recommendations of books from you, my dear friends, as AKICILJ. :)
