Goats and More

Isaac and I have had the flu this week. We have been home for four days coughing and sniffling and aching. I would like to say that we have spent most of our time reading, but I'm afraid not. Reading out loud gives me coughing fits, so the TV has been on a lot the past few days.

Last night, I managed to make it through a couple of stories, and since I was sick I refused to read Junie B. Jones. We read Patricia Polacco instead.

As we started Oh, Look! I realized that it was a loose interpretation of one of Isaac's old favorites, We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. As I read, I asked Isaac what story it sounded like. He kept coming back to Three Billy Goats Gruff since the story centers on three goats who go over, through, and under various obstacles. He finally made the connection, but still was more interested in the goat aspect.

We also read Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Chris Raschka. Isaac did not like it as well as the "goat book." He prefers stories with action and plot right now, rather than poetry or unstructured prose.

Tonight we will hopefully be back to our regular routine. We have read all of the Junie B. books that we got from the library the other week. Oh, well. I am sure we will survive.

Five and Counting

Isaac turns 5 tomorrow. When I started this blog a little over a year ago I included a list of books that Isaac had liked or that had been important to him/us up to that point in his life. I thought I would revisit that list today and pull out a few to highlight.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown: Matt or I read this book to Isaac just about every night during his first couple of years. It was the first book that he could "read" along with us. We were very impressed when he started pointing things out in the pictures that we had not even noticed in all the times we read it. I especially liked reading this book in a dimly lit room with Isaac cuddled on my chest. The last few illustrations practically glow on the dark page.

Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman: This was Isaac's favorite for a looong time. It was also the first live stage production he ever attended when a traveling children's theater group performed an adaptation at the local university. He and Matt had a lot of fun reading this book over and over and over. He likes books with more complicated story lines now, thankfully, but this book will always hold a special place on our shelf.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen: I can recite this book, we read it so many times, not that the text is difficult to remember. What I really loved about this book was how it translated into other parts of our lives. Instead of taking walks, we went on bear hunts through the neighborhood. We still start off any new adventure or trip asking "Do you think we will find any bears?"

Curious George by H. A. Rey: This precocious little monkey (ape) is still a favorite. Our collection of books has grown in the past year, but occasionally we still find one that we have not read. And we are still looking for a copy of Curious George and the Chocolate Factory. That is one that we need to own.

Hulk: The Incredible Guide (and other super hero collections) by Tom DeFalco: Isaac introduced me to comic books and these books helped us both catch up on what was going on in the super hero world. They were books that Daddy read with him at bedtime, but I was caught more than once reading through one to find out who was who in Hulk's or Spiderman's or Wolverine's universe.

There are many more that I could mention that have been important books in the past five years. Most of them I have already written about. Some we will be reading for years to come, others will be put away and not taken out until some future point when we are "remembering when."

As I look forward to the next five years of watching Isaac grow, I hope that books will remain an important part of our lives. There are many more I want to share.