The Half-Way Mark

Last August, I started recording all the books Emry was reading in a goal to reach the “1,000 Books before Kindergarten” mark.  I even started her a blog to keep track of the books read and to review the ones on the listed provided by the 1,000 Books campaign. To be honest, I knew we would hit our mark quite easily. Especially since you can count any title every time you read it. In which case, we surpassed 1,000 a month ago because we’ve read almost every single book on her list at least twice…and some well over twenty times a piece! But we’re only counting each title once.

Emry loves to read and already searches for more to read. When we finish a book, she sees the other titles by the same author advertised in the back, points to them and says, “We need to get that one, and that one, and that one, and that one at the library.” Even at the young age of 3, she already has a list longer than a lifetime! I haven’t yet told her it’s the one list that grows before it ever starts shrinking.

We have discovered some wonderful books along the way. Fancy Nancy has become a favorite. Stellaluna, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and The Birds, the Bees and the Berenstain Bears we read more times than I can count. I have watched her understanding grow. Her imagination plays off the stories she reads. She relates the pictures to the words, wonders why a picture is lacking something she thinks is vital and relates one story to another. It will almost be sad when she learns to read herself in the near future and doesn’t need me anymore. (But then it will be Ethan’s turn!)

On the other hand, as we’ve read through the list provided by the 1,000 Books campaign, I often wonder where in the world they came up with some of these titles. Many of them I did read as a child myself: Curious George, Babar the Elephant, Bread and Jam for Frances. Others I have never heard of and simply do not understand how they achieved making the list. Part of it may be my lack of appreciation when it comes to illustrations. I admire illustrators, but I simply don’t see in pictures. As soon as I could read, I graduated myself from picture books and never looked back. Another part might be the fact that I don’t think of picture books very psychological-ly. As a mom, I do think about what the story may be trying to entail and if I really want my child reading about a spoiled brat, a bully or a character that is bad but goes unpunished. But aside from that…well, maybe I’m lazy. On the other hand, since I find reading a pleasure I think I pass that aspect on to Emry more than any other.

Not that we don’t discuss some of the books we read outside of their two covers. (I mean, really? I do not want her growing up believing that Abraham Lincoln was god on earth when he was actually…well, I won’t get up on that soap box. We’ll just go find a good book on Stonewall Jackson.) And re-reading some of the books I agree are classics has made me curious. So many were written even before my parents were born! And did you know the authors of Curious George were German Jews who had already fled Germany but then escaped Paris on two bikes with their now famous manuscript in a backpack? Some books have a whole history themselves!

So, we have reached the half way mark. But I feel like we’re just getting started! So many wonderful books to read…so little time to read them all!