Reading

I'm not going to lie.  I wasn't one of those moms that read to my child everyday when she was an infant.  I was lucky if we got one complete book finished a week.  She had NO interest in books.  In fact, when she started preschool last fall, story time was the area where she struggled the most.  She didn't want to sit still that long.  And if she didn't want to do it, she was not going to do it.  She is head-strong, this one.  One of the reasons we loved her teacher, Ms. Lyndi, so much is because she never worried about it.  She was patient with her and in a few months time, she had fallen in love with books and was participating in story time.  Since this time, we read about 20 books a week.  In fact, when I go pick her up from summer camp, she is usually sitting in the reading area flipping through books.  It makes me smile.

She has recently fallen in love with Mercer Mayer's "Little Critter" series.  She loves to listen to the narrated versions on the iPad.  So when Chick-fil-A started giving "Little Critter" books away in their kids' meals, she was elated.  Her favorite is this one. 

Let me add that this child has a remarkable memory.  Her mind is like a steel trap.  You tell her something one time and she never forgets it.  Never.  I can never make empty promises or just tell her something to get her to be quiet, hoping she will forget that crazy thing I just promised.  She never forgets.  She gets it from her dad, the brainiac in this family.  So it shouldn't be surprising to know that after reading this book about 5 times, she had it almost completely memorized.  I have tried to tape her reading it at least ten times, but haven't been able to get a good recording.  But the other day in the car, she started reading it and I was able to get it.  I didn't tape the whole thing.  I was afraid that the file would be too big to fit on the blog.   A few tidbits:  She repeats the second page a few times.  She was determined to get it right.  You may or may not hear me mumble something about the car in front of me.  You might not be able to understand a word of this.  I understand it because I also have the book memorized!  

I wish I had gotten the end.  She always ends each book with "Amen" instead of "The End."  Close enough, right?

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