I have some pretty bad habits for reading to Maya. She loves books. I mean LOVES books. I mean REALLY LOVES books! I have to read her at least four books before bedtime. Sometimes more. A LOT MORE! And did I mention that as she ages, her books are getting longer.
But it is no problem. Because, you see, I have a perfect naughty solution. I skip pages. That's right! When I am meant to turn one page, I turn two instead (Works especially well with the Mouse Cookie series). Alternatively, I just skip words and phrases. I paraphrase, basically. I mean, a lot of books have lots of unecessary repetition anyway or are just plain wordy. So I just take a few liberties. It works perfectly, and Maya has never noticed ... until tonight!
Tonight we were reading one of Maya's favorite books, Thunder Bunny, and I skipped a line about how Thunder Bunny runs and jumps and thumps his feet like all the other bunnies. And I turned the page. Maya just about had a heart attack. She said: "No. No page. Thunder Bunny jump". And she started bouncing up and down in my lap to demonstrate. And I had to turn back the page and read the text over again. I guess I am not going to be able to wordskimp with Thunder Bunny anymore... Darn! I wonder if this new rule will aply to all books. Hope not!
I actually really enjoy reading with Maya. I just don't like it when it delays bedtime. She is starting to actually like storybooks now, which is really cool. And the previous books that were in book detention -- mostly due to being to scary -- are back on the shelves. We are now reading Corduroy, and tonight she read the Three Billy Goats Gruff with no ill effects.
There is only one casualty from book detention -- the two Llama Llama books. I hid them because Maya used to get scared from even seeing the cover. But the problem is I hid them so well I can't find them...
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Thursday, 3 April 2008
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Book detention
Several of Maya's books are in book detention. Can you believe it! There are two categories of book detention: Scary books and annoying books (well some of the annoying books are books that are really cool but that have just been read too much recently).
The list of banished scary books are:
1) Llama Llama Red Pajama -- Now some of you might ask how such a wonderful and cute book could be scary. But you see, in the book, Mama Llama goes downstairs, and it takes her a dang long time to come up when little Llama calls. Maya used to love this book (and so did we), but now that she actually understands it, she is terrified of it. And Maya also relates a little too much to baby Llama. For example, when I try to leave her room at night, even when Mike is staying with her, she looks up at me in a pitiful way and solemnly says: "Llama Llama scared." So the book is in detention for a while.
2) Llama, Llama Mad at Mama -- Why? Because while this book is not scary, it reminds Maya of Llama Llama Red Pajama!
3) Corduroy -- Well, in this book, Corduroy goes upstairs alone and gets scared by the night watchman. Maya doesn't think Corduroy should go wandering around the department store, and she gets very upset when he does. And it scares her that poor little Corduroy is all alone at night.
4) Where the Wild Things Are -- Wow, we didn't even get past the first sentence in this book before Maya started totally freaking out. This book is way too scary for imaginative toddlers in my opinion! I think it will be in book detention for a long, long, long time.
OK, those books are in book detention for being scary. Other books are in temporary book detention for being annoying. They are:
1) If You Give A Mouse A Cookie -- Why? Well, because I have had to read this book to Maya every night for the past three months. I love the book, and it is currently Maya's FAVORITE!!! And it is not scary in the slightest! But let's be honest, there's only so much mouse a mommy can take. Oh yeah, and did I mention that our Mouse Cookie book came with a CD?? Yep, that's right! In addition to reading it, we also listen to it on the CD player, and sing along with it, and play little mouse cookie games, and dance to it. I could go on....
2) The Chocolate Covered Cookie Tantrum -- Why? I swear this book actually gave Maya the idea that if she wanted something and cried long enough, she would get it. The day after I first read her this book, she started having massive temper tantrums, and we are still to this day dealing with the repercussions. Can I just ask, why does the temper tantrummy toddler get her cookie just a couple short page flips after her temper tantrum. Oh yeah, it's supposedly after dinner by the end of the book. But what toddler is going to notice a slight technicality like that!
The list of banished scary books are:
1) Llama Llama Red Pajama -- Now some of you might ask how such a wonderful and cute book could be scary. But you see, in the book, Mama Llama goes downstairs, and it takes her a dang long time to come up when little Llama calls. Maya used to love this book (and so did we), but now that she actually understands it, she is terrified of it. And Maya also relates a little too much to baby Llama. For example, when I try to leave her room at night, even when Mike is staying with her, she looks up at me in a pitiful way and solemnly says: "Llama Llama scared." So the book is in detention for a while.
2) Llama, Llama Mad at Mama -- Why? Because while this book is not scary, it reminds Maya of Llama Llama Red Pajama!
3) Corduroy -- Well, in this book, Corduroy goes upstairs alone and gets scared by the night watchman. Maya doesn't think Corduroy should go wandering around the department store, and she gets very upset when he does. And it scares her that poor little Corduroy is all alone at night.
4) Where the Wild Things Are -- Wow, we didn't even get past the first sentence in this book before Maya started totally freaking out. This book is way too scary for imaginative toddlers in my opinion! I think it will be in book detention for a long, long, long time.
OK, those books are in book detention for being scary. Other books are in temporary book detention for being annoying. They are:
1) If You Give A Mouse A Cookie -- Why? Well, because I have had to read this book to Maya every night for the past three months. I love the book, and it is currently Maya's FAVORITE!!! And it is not scary in the slightest! But let's be honest, there's only so much mouse a mommy can take. Oh yeah, and did I mention that our Mouse Cookie book came with a CD?? Yep, that's right! In addition to reading it, we also listen to it on the CD player, and sing along with it, and play little mouse cookie games, and dance to it. I could go on....
2) The Chocolate Covered Cookie Tantrum -- Why? I swear this book actually gave Maya the idea that if she wanted something and cried long enough, she would get it. The day after I first read her this book, she started having massive temper tantrums, and we are still to this day dealing with the repercussions. Can I just ask, why does the temper tantrummy toddler get her cookie just a couple short page flips after her temper tantrum. Oh yeah, it's supposedly after dinner by the end of the book. But what toddler is going to notice a slight technicality like that!
Saturday, 5 January 2008
More on Corduroy
Tonight, Maya again refused to read Corduroy -- even though she talks about him constantly -- but we figured out why.
Apparently, she doesn't think it is good that Corduroy goes upstairs all alone looking for his button. She thinks that Corduroy is scared, especially when he hides when the night watchman comes. She told us she wanted to tell Corduroy not to go upstairs because she knows he'll be scared. But that he goes upstairs anyway. And that makes her upset because she likes Corduroy and doesn't want him to be scared.
So then we decided together that Corduroy was a story "for daytime", not for bedtime. Hopefully she will agree to read it again. Who would have known this story would be scary to her?
I should mention that we have already had to shelve the Llama, Llama books at night as well because Maya relates a little bit too much to Baby Llama's nighttime fears of being alone without Mama Llama. Little Llama has been banished from the bedroom for this reason. So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised about her being afraid for Corduroy.
Apparently, she doesn't think it is good that Corduroy goes upstairs all alone looking for his button. She thinks that Corduroy is scared, especially when he hides when the night watchman comes. She told us she wanted to tell Corduroy not to go upstairs because she knows he'll be scared. But that he goes upstairs anyway. And that makes her upset because she likes Corduroy and doesn't want him to be scared.
So then we decided together that Corduroy was a story "for daytime", not for bedtime. Hopefully she will agree to read it again. Who would have known this story would be scary to her?
I should mention that we have already had to shelve the Llama, Llama books at night as well because Maya relates a little bit too much to Baby Llama's nighttime fears of being alone without Mama Llama. Little Llama has been banished from the bedroom for this reason. So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised about her being afraid for Corduroy.
Maya loves Corduroy!
OK, first I apologise for going awol for the past week. I went back to work after being off for about two weeks and it's been crazy busy.
Maya is all of a sudden starting to get into storybooks. As in actual stories with real plots. Previously, she was only interested in picture books. She liked books with pictures and catchy text that were about things -- say tugboats or puppies for example -- but wouldn't sit still for an actual book with a storyline.
The other day she pulled Corduroy off the bookshelf and asked me to read it to her. I opened the book up with the full expectation that within two pages she would be wriggling off my lap to find a different and more action-packed picture book. But she didn't! She sat through the whole story and was completely captivated. The next day, she talked about Cordoroy and asked to read Corduroy again that evening. So we read it again! And she was captivated again.
She talked about how Corduroy went upstairs (up the escalator in the story) and downstairs again. And she talked about how he lost his "belly". (She means his button but thinks it should be called a belly, as in a belly button...) But it is clear she is actually following the story!
So I tried some other books -- the Rainbow Fish and A Mother for Choco -- and she sat and listened to those as well. OK, well she didn't like them as much as she liked Corduroy. But still, I am so happy that we can move on from picture books to books with simple stories!
Anyway, we tried again with Corduroy last night and she wasn't interested and claimed to be "scared" of Corduroy. Umm hmmm... But I think she was just trying to delay bedtime, so it doesn't count.
Maya is all of a sudden starting to get into storybooks. As in actual stories with real plots. Previously, she was only interested in picture books. She liked books with pictures and catchy text that were about things -- say tugboats or puppies for example -- but wouldn't sit still for an actual book with a storyline.
The other day she pulled Corduroy off the bookshelf and asked me to read it to her. I opened the book up with the full expectation that within two pages she would be wriggling off my lap to find a different and more action-packed picture book. But she didn't! She sat through the whole story and was completely captivated. The next day, she talked about Cordoroy and asked to read Corduroy again that evening. So we read it again! And she was captivated again.
She talked about how Corduroy went upstairs (up the escalator in the story) and downstairs again. And she talked about how he lost his "belly". (She means his button but thinks it should be called a belly, as in a belly button...) But it is clear she is actually following the story!
So I tried some other books -- the Rainbow Fish and A Mother for Choco -- and she sat and listened to those as well. OK, well she didn't like them as much as she liked Corduroy. But still, I am so happy that we can move on from picture books to books with simple stories!
Anyway, we tried again with Corduroy last night and she wasn't interested and claimed to be "scared" of Corduroy. Umm hmmm... But I think she was just trying to delay bedtime, so it doesn't count.
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