Reading

We have been reading alot this year. One reason is the baby. She wanted to learn how to read like her brother and sister so it was time. She has done a great job. We are all very proud of her. It was scary to me because I didn't have to teach the other two to read. I just had to reinforce what their teacher had taught them that day. But the baby was brand new to me. She has gotten to that "How do you spell..." stage that the other two went through.

She loves to read books. She will read them out loud to me and then wants me to read it, too. We may read a book several times in a row. That helps her and I'm all good with that. She is very happy when she finishes a book. She likes to tell her brother and sister and I have to go right then and add it to her list. The library is one of her favorite places. She would get ten books if I let her. I don't because we just do not have any place to keep that many books and not lose a couple.

The boy likes books that have action in them. I don't blame him. It keeps his attention and I'm good with that. He does like funny books, too. He usually wants to read whatever his big sister is reading just to prove he can. She just doesn't always pick books boys would like to read.

The big girl cracks me up and makes me want to lock her in her room at the same time. She might start 3 books, but good luck getting her to finish one. She is also very set about the kind of book that she likes to read. The last time we were at the library, I made her walk down and aisle and just pick three books. No looking, no peeking, just grab three and call it good. She wasn't happy about it, but she's enjoyed the books.

We have been listening to Harry Potter on CD and we've been reading The Chronicles of Narnia at dinner. We listen to Harry Potter in the van usually. We have such a long drive to dance and back we usually finish one by the time we get home. We are on "The Goblet of Fire". We like the fact that we have seen the movies. If we get to a part that we have a hard time understanding, we think about the movie. That usually gives us a frame of reference. I actually read this book a couple of years ago, but it has been nice to hear. Sometimes we listen while we eat lunch and then finish after school is done. This one has 17 CDs! We're on 10, but still. We already have the next one. I hope we can finish quickly, before we have to turn in "Order of the Phoenix".

The Chronicles of Narnia has been a fantastic series of books. They do all stand alone, so you don't have to read them in order; we just chose to. We are on the final book, "The Last Battle". It has kept all of us on the edge of our seats. We are sad that we only have one more chapter to read and then it's over. The kids want to start all over. I do, too, but we are going to move on. C.S. Lewis is a wonderful writer. His words flow around each other painting a picture of fantastic creatures and a beautiful world. The books have laughter and fun, tears and sadness, pounding hearts and daring action. Read them as a family and share a magical experience.

I think our next dinner book will be "The Wind in the Willows". I loved that book as a kid. I would like to reread it. I think the kids will enjoy it, too. We may go on to the other books in the series and see what kind of trouble we can get in to. If you have any suggestions, pease feel free to leave a comment.

Have a great day!