It’s been more than 9 months since I posted a list of books that Emma is into, so I figure it’s time for an update. Interestingly, some of the ones I mentioned last May (like Possum Come A-Knockin’) still make an appearance from time to time. We read before bed every night — if it’s late we’ll read 1 or 2, but usually we let Emma pick 3 books.
She has been through a couple phases in recent months. Back in the fall, I showed her my stash of ~10 big Disney storybooks and for a while that’s all she was interested in looking at. Then at Thanksgiving Jose’s mom gave her a big stack of old Dr. Seuss books and for a while after that all she wanted to read was Marvin K. Mooney and There’s a Wocket in my Pocket.
Those phases have both waned a bit. Here are some other current faves:
Floating Home. This was a hand-me-down from my mom’s kindergarten classroom and Emma is OBSESSED with it at the moment. It’s very wordy and if I actually read it word-for-word Emma starts turning the page well before I’m finished, so I just make up a few sentences to summarize what’s happening on each page. She particularly likes saying “blast off!” with me when the space shuttle launches.
No No Yes Yes. This one is super simple — the only words in it are “no” and “yes.” The fun part is that Emma can “read” it herself
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel. A classic — but don’t think too hard about the ending is actually kind of depressing. (As Jose said sarcastically: “yeah, let’s read that book where they get entombed underneath a building at the end.”) Again, this one is on the wordy side for a toddler so I summarize.
A random calendar. Yes. Months ago Jose’s mom gave Emma a grab bag of stuff she had gotten free somewhere — must have been some sort of medical building or event because it was full of that kind of thing. There was a calendar in there promoting childhood vaccinations and each month has a cartoony picture of a kid at school, a kid at the doctor getting a shot, a kid flying a kite, a kid karate-chopping a germ — you get the idea. And Emma likes to “read” this calendar. She specifically will seek it out underneath a pile of other books.
My child is a little strange sometimes.