storytime

I have wrestled over the past few months with trying to fulfill all the children's reading needs, but I was overwhelmed. Maggie and Charlie love to sit and listen to picturebooks, the more familiar the better, but Will and Mary are only interested in are chapter books, such as Little House, but for the most part they have determined that because they cover the pages so much faster when they read silently, listening to Mommy read is BO-RING.

The obvious solution would be to read to the little kids and let the older ones read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys to their heart's desire, but it always seems to be Charlie's bedtime just as I finally make it to the sofa with a stack of books. Tim has come to the rescue by taking over putting Charlie to bed and giving him his own story time before he turns out the light and says, "Good night, sleep tight, see you in the morning." Apparently the preferred book this week has been The Little Puppy, in which the main attraction is a brown and white floppy eared Spaniel named Charlie owned by a freckled face boy, Tim. Charlie loves seeing his name in print so much that he has taken to sleeping with the book under his pillow.

Since I recall this book and the others in the series (Kitten, Bunny, Pig, Duck) when I was about 6 or so, Tim and the other children are likely now in their 40's and all the pets met their demise long ago. Still, they are appealing in that they show animals growing up and the mischief they get into, just the way our little ones grow and mature over time. Puppies become dogs and toddlers become adults, though it takes ever so much longer than 1 year. Still, I am beginning to see what older moms mean when they say, "They grow up so fast." Will and Mary don't want to hear about The Little Puppy anymore, they are closer to being adults than infants. Part of me wants to turn back the clock, while the other part longs for the day when the little ones won't be so physically demanding.

Enjoy these years of storytime, don't let them slip by without many nights cuddling on the sofa together reading a worn copy of a childhood favorite.