Kids Book Tuesday

I have come up with a plan for my blog! I will write on a certain subject Monday - Thursday.  So today is Kid Book Tuesday where I discuss the books my children are reading.  I kinda started this back when I guest blogged on my sister's short-lived blog (http://shermereem94.blogspot.com/) so I'm going to cheat this week and copy one of my favorites here. This was from two years ago and Fly Guy is still loved in my house.

Kids are so excited when they first learn to read. I love watching that light bulb go off in their eyes when they figure out that all this alphabet stuff you've been shoving in their face has a purpose. I love sharing in their pride as they polish off those photocopied books they bring home from school with fascinating titles like "Nan and the Pan" and "Lill on the Hill". Then along came my youngest child. He hasn't started kindergarten yet so I got the books from the library.

"Those are boring," he said laying sideways on the chair in typical 5-year-old style.

"It could be fun," I said. "Look! This is Nan. She has a pan."

He spins around on the chair. "It's not funny. I won't read it."

So I tried picture books.

"That's too hard," he said. "I don't know all the words."

"It would be easier if you weren't turning somersaults and looked at the book."

"You read it to me."

I love reading to him so I read the book. "Do you want to read it now?"

"No. You can read it."

Sometimes he'd agree to read one page if I read one page but he won't read anything that doesn't fit his standards. It has to be funny. Easy readers aren't really known for their humor.

So on one of our rushed trips to the library I was zipping past the JE shelf when something sparkling caught my eye. It was a shining book. I skidded to a stop and snatched the book off the shelf. It was called "Hi Fly Guy". I thought the title was cute so I shoved it in the library bag, pulled some other random titles off the shelf and continued on my way. We could still enjoy looking at the cover if it wasn't funny.

Well, Fly Guy was funny. I read it to him. He read it to me. Then he took it with him to bed. We brought it with us everywhere we went. We read it at the school while we waited for his sister to come out of a practice.

"We're reading Fly Guy," he informed the principal.

She smiled (my kids have an awesome principal.) and said, "Wow, you're really lucky."

"Yep," he agreed. Then he buried his nose in the book and continued to read.

"I have Fly Guy," he informed the office staff.

"I've never heard of Fly Guy," the secretary said.

He was happy to take it out of his backpack to show her. He then gave her his review. "It's funny."

Then we had to return it to the library. Bye bye Fly Guy. It was a sad day. So Santa got it for him along with "There was an Old Lady who Swallowed Fly Guy" and "I Spy Fly Guy". Then for Valentines day he got "Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl". There are others too. You can find them at your library. I highly recommend them for preschoolers, kindergartners, first graders, and children who are struggling to read.

Come back tomorrow for Writerly Wednesday.