My older daughter is off to first grade tomorrow morning. I can't believe she is already in first grade and I continue to be amazed at all the things she knows and remembers. We had an action packed summer with trips to New Hampshire, Fire Island, Delaware, Washington, DC, Baltimore and White Plains. In between all the fun times with family and friends our children read...a lot. Tonight as I put Tea in bed for the last night of summer I read her the 600th book of summer vacation. That's a lot of books in 69 days. That's an average of about nine books a day! Granted many of these were picture books and could be read in just a few minutes, but others were chapter books that were read over several days. I love reading and my husband and I hope that all the reading we do with our girls will foster this love of reading in them as well.
Reading to Tea was so much fun this summer as I got to re-read some of my own favorite childhood books. Miss Nelson and the kids from room 207 came to my house. I was reminded of the recipe for freckle juice and we made way for ducklings. Dr. Seuss was a frequent author and his rhymes and tongue twisters kept me on my toes! Curious George, Clifford, The Berenstein Bears and Cam Jansen all made appearances in our living room and bedrooms throughout the summer. The Pain and The Great One was a favorite book of mine as a kid because it so perfectly described my brother and me. The girls frequently requested the book about me and Uncle CJ whenever they were visiting my parents and it is now one of their favorites. I have also now read The Giving Tree enough times to not tear up at the end, but it still remains a favorite from childhood into adulthood.
While some old favorites found their way into our library bag every few days, a lot of new friends came home with us, too! Mo Willems was hands down the most popular author of the summer. His Elephant and Piggy books are funny for kids and adults and are great early reading books. Tea could read every one of them and together we would act out the parts of Elephant and Piggy. My personal favorite of his is I Broke My Trunk. Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious also stopped by to tell about their slumber parties, loose teeth, hair dos and donts and being a princess. A wide assortment of princesses and fairies showed up throughout the summer to save the day, to fight the bad guys, to marry the prince, to sleep on a pea, or to perform some magic. There were also a wide variety of "littles" that showed up: little mouse, little pea, little penguin, little dog, little pink pup, little boys, little girls, little burro, little fish and, of course, Little Red Riding Hood.
The vast majority of books we read were fiction, but we also dove into some historical fiction and biographies. We brought a story about Amelia Earhart to Washington, DC and saw Tea's eyes light up when she got to see Earhart's plane at The Air and Space Museum the next day. She was so excited to see Abe Lincoln's hat in the Museum of American History after reading the book Abe Lincoln's Hat in kindergarten. We read about painters like Kandinsky and Picasso, presidents, and a wide variety of animals and their habitats.
Tea likes most books she reads, but The Magic Tree House series is easily her favorite. Jack and Annie are her two best friends and she is highly insulted if anyone insinuates that she is just pretending when she talks about the missions she goes on with them. These chapter books will keep her silent for over an hour in a long car ride if we put on the audiobook. She later can refer to the things she learns about in the books and remembers so many facts. I love these books because they take her to different places all over the world and in different time periods throughout history. In my opinion, there's nothing better than a book that's educational and entertaining.
So off my big girl goes to first grade tomorrow morning. She is armed with a lot more knowledge and a lot of practice reading. I can't wait to share more books with her as she becomes a better and better reader. I can't wait to introduce her to Peter and Fudge Hatcher, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, Laura Ingles Wilder, and the Tuck family from my favorite book of all time, Tuck Everlasting. We will also cry together when we read Bridge to Terabithia and The Fault in Our Stars. What are some of your favorite books? Happy reading to all of you!