What My Child is Reading

This week has been a real challenge with Selena. She is feeling better from her cold, but since we rearranged her bedroom to get her bed away from the windows for the winter, she has been waking up at 5:30 when she hears Papa getting ready for work. We use to have her sleep where her bed is now and we didn’t have this problem, then it occurred to me that this is the first time that Papa has worked days, he always worked an odd shift where he didn’t go into work until later in the morning and getting home late at night. She is a light sleeper, who would have guessed that she would be a light sleeper with all the construction being done to our home when she was a baby, but yes the least little noise and she is wide awake.

I have really cherished our reading time this week, as it has truly helped to calm her spirit as she tries to adjust to this new chapter in her life. I hope by Spring she will be use to this sleeping arrangements, I would really like to keep her bed where it is.

What Grandmas Do Best and What Grandpas Do Best by Laura Numeroff illustrated by Lynn Munsinger was not one of Selena’s favorite books by far this week. I however found it to be very worthy to share. It is a double sided book, one half is about What Grandma’s Do Best, while the other side of the book is What Grandpas Do Best. Selena was a bit confused at first when we got to the half way point and the book suddenly turned upside down. Maybe that was why she didn’t like it. As for the story itself Selena seemed very engaged to, and I felt it really fit everything that we do with Selena. This is a book that we will continue to read and maybe Selena will warm up to the fact that half way through she needs to shut the book and turn it over.

Betty Lou Blue by Nancy Crocker illustrations by Boris Kulikov was one of Selena’s favorites this week. It is a story about a little girl who gets made fun of because she has big feet. One day when the children have an early release from school due to a bad snow storm instead of going home as instructed they decide to stop and play. Betty Lou Blue so much wants to join in on all the fun, but instead stands hidden behind a tree afraid of the children making fun of her should she try to join them. Suddenly the children get into trouble and fall into a snow filled hole. Not able to get out, they do not know what to do. Betty Lou Blue comes to the rescue, knowing she has two options, letting the children know how they make her feel, by making fun of them being stuck in the snow, or helping them get out. She chooses finally to help the children and suddenly finds herself with many best friends. This was a great story to open up a discussion about how while people look different and have different features we are all human and have feelings. We also talked about choices and how the choices we make can show to others how good friends we truly are.

We have also just been spending time reading many of the books that I reviewed over the week, except with a twist of reading them together. Selena loves to read the parts she is able to read, while I read the parts she struggles with. Sometimes she surprises herself and reads practically the entire book independently. I believe this will be an exercise that I will continue with our reading.

I am linking to Natalie at Mouse Grows Mouse Learns.