Reading With Kids

When my first born was an infant, I read him "On the Night You Were Born," by Nancy Tillman just about every night. For the first few weeks I couldn't get through it without weeping. (Thanks, hormones!) I imagined that the rhythm of the words would seep into his unconscious and it would be something he'd recognize for the rest of his life. I daydreamed about him hearing it read by someone else and him feeling overwhelmed with a deep sense of comfort and familiarity and an immediate desire to call his mother.
I have no idea if that will ever actually happen, but I enjoyed the book, and I enjoyed reading it.
When he got older we let him choose the bedtime book, which was thereafter referred to as Mistake Number 137.
In the beginning, I hated "Goodnight Moon." (I know, right?!) That one actually grew on me. And I will admit that now, 6 1/2 years later, I really do enjoy reading that book, too.
However, there was one particular book that both my husband and I despised. It was a book about Tonka Town. Yes, Tonka - as in the toy truck company. It was painfully clear to me that it was written by a person who had never previously written anything before. Obviously there was a marketing meeting at the toy company. "Books! We can expand our reach with children's books!" Ted from accounting was tapped to just "write some quick little thing about the trucks. Give 'em each a job, y'know?" There's barely a story. There are serious plot holes. There aren't even any rhymes to redeem it. I hate that stupid book.
But Isaac loved it.
Every other week or so I would hide it behind all the other books lined up along the shelf. But he would find it. And we'd have to read it.
One time I finally just hid it. In my room. Under my bed. Inside a locked box. Suffice to say, it no longer resides in our home.

But as it turns out there are big benefits to repeated readings. Dr. Linda Acredolo writes about it in this week's Baby Signs® blog. As Dr. Acredolo writes, "Children between one and four years are programmed to work hard at practicing remembering things, whether it’s the plot of a certain book or video or the order of events when they take a bath or get dressed in the morning. By reading the same story more than once, you’re providing more chances for them to learn the 'script.'" Read the brief article here: Baby Signs® Inc. Blog.