As you may recall, I had determined, through no discernible scientific means, that Kiddo should consume ten books per day as part of a healthy reading habit. In the beginning I became somewhat obsessed with this number. I was constantly on the lookout for space in the day that could be used for reading.
It occurred to me that we spent a lot of time in our car, and wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to utilize that time for reading? That’s when I discovered the picture books on CD shelf at our local library. The first book we checked out from this collection was Paul O. Zelinsky’s Rapunzel.
The illustrations in this Caldecott winner are what tempted us to choose it in the first place. Below is an example from the part of the story when Rapunzel first meets the prince. Can you believe that these are modern drawings and not medieval iconography?
Though we came for
the pictures, we stayed for the story: a witch’s garden; a man’s love for his
wife; a mysterious beauty trapped in a tower; banishment and wretchedness; and,
in the end, redemption. WOW! Name two books that you've read to your Kiddo this year that can claim the same.
No, seriously - please name them in the comments. We're always looking for our next great read.
I think it’s important to note that this book was FAR above Kiddo’s reading level when we first listened to it. It still is. But even at the age of three, she fell in love with it. And why not? Its pictures are stunningly beautiful, the storyline is compelling, and the voice of the narrator on the audio recording is just spooky enough to keep the listener engaged without being creepy.
No, seriously - please name them in the comments. We're always looking for our next great read.
I think it’s important to note that this book was FAR above Kiddo’s reading level when we first listened to it. It still is. But even at the age of three, she fell in love with it. And why not? Its pictures are stunningly beautiful, the storyline is compelling, and the voice of the narrator on the audio recording is just spooky enough to keep the listener engaged without being creepy.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that we checked this book
out three times in a row (the maximum allowed by our library system). We have subsequently checked it out many more
times over the last two years and the paperback copy that we purchased for our
own home library is still in heavy rotation on the nightly bedtime story slot.
P.S. For those of you expecting a Science Saturday post – it
will be coming early next week. Check back with us soon!
I still haven't found that shelf at my library! I did find a neat app for my phone though. It's called istoryBooks. You have the option to read aloud or for "Maya" the narrator to read. There are some classics as well as original stories. It helps me when I am too tired to read or when Lily wants to read and I am cooking or something.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great tip about the app! I will check it out today.
DeleteHappy Reading,
Ellie