When my daughter was born I was so excited to read aloud to her. I started reading Misty of Chincoteague when I was nursing her at a few months old. It had been a childhood favorite. I don't know if she enjoyed it but I sure did.
When she reached nine months old and was sitting in her high chair eating breakfast one day I realized that this would be a great time to read some picture books. I mainly did it for my own sanity because she took about thirty minutes to eat and I got kind of bored. I wolfed down my food in five, though I was trying to slow down.
I used a cookbook holder and picked out three picture books that I really enjoyed reading. Nothing stupid. It had to wonderful writing and beautiful pictures. It was a game changer. It made breakfast so much more fun!
And we still do it today. We've added two brothers and now she is nearly five, but we enjoy breakfast and books on weekdays.
Over the years we have dabbled in longer chapter books at different times of day, like Rabbit Hill, and Rascal, but we haven't finished them. Maybe it was too soon. But it's been about a year since we attempted a longer read and the time is now right for some afternoon reading aloud. (Staying at home means more time to read, hooray!)
So I chose one of my favorite books, a copy of which I still have from my childhood. It's cover is torn off, and my painstaking printing includes my name and phone number (533-3238), and my age (8). This book includes mystery, Springtime, and an outbreak of a deadly virus. It's perfect for 2020.
Yes, you guessed it! Today we began reading The Secret Garden. If you've read it, you probably love it. If you haven't, you may enjoy. So far, she's hooked and I'm happy!
The brothers are along for the ride. I'll let you know how it goes.