Some Notes on Reading (Dec 2008 - Apr 2009)

December 2008 - January 2009

(Uncle Paul & Natalia explore the world)

Prior to December, Natalia was in her primer period. It started with alphabet primers like Baby Hugs ABC and eventually graduated to number primers like Learning numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10!

But as you can see, it didn't really matter what type of book it was -- she loved them all.

Everything seemed to change at Christmas 2008. Not only was she a year more aware but many of her gifts were books last year. Amongst these exciting and new and colourful things was what would become her favourite book. It was a present from her Aunt Barb, Uncle Joe and cousins. From Christmas until the end of January it was that book, and sometimes with a few others, but always that book that I read to her.

It was always her choice and it was always The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

It began with her curiosity. Combine that with what happened Christmas Eve when she decided to stop cruising and wall-walking -- stopped holding on for dear life -- took those steps without realizing what was happening and just kept on walking. With hindsight it appears inevitable.

That was when, both figuratively and literally, she moved onward...upward. Now that she could walk, very soon she was trying to climb, and soon she could climb; with very little fear but with all her curiosity, her board books became within her reach, so why not pull them all out?No matter how many times we put them away each night after putting her to bed, she'd pull them all down each day in her search for her favourite one to bring to Daddy to read to her. She still does this. But from Christmas to the end of January it was The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Every day. Sometimes several times each day!

But she had plenty of other faves at that time and since. In a note I wrote one morning in January: "Last night Natalia wanted her usual The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats -- which she got for me...after she'd been fed her mom-made mushroom soup -- but she picked a few others that she wanted us to read as well. I read her The Ugly Duckling (a simplification of the Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale) then she had Ksenia read her both of ABC of Canada and Al Perkins' Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb. Her curiosity into her library is increasing!"

Later in January the reading agenda included Pooh's Winter Music (a "Play-a-Sound" book), Care Bears: Baby's First ABCs!, A Day with Barney, There's a Wocket in my Pocket: Dr. Seuss's Book of Ridiculous Rhymes, Baby's First Toys.

One book, Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book!, had to be changed from the beginning. Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) was American and so the last verse of the book was "Big Z, little z, what begins with Z? A Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz, as you can plainly see!" Natalia has never heard that verse exactly that way. I have taken it upon my self to 'Canadianize' it to "Big Z, little z, what begins with Z? A Zizzer-Zasser-Zuzz as you can plainly hear I've said!" Wonder what she'll say when she realizes what I did for the sake of patriotic pedagogy?

All these books were being brought by Natalia to one or the other or the both of us. She wanted and still wants us to read to her. That's a wonderful thing! Here are some other good examples...

I was napping on the couch one evening but that didn't deter Natalia! She gathered books and whacked me on the face with the following in succession: The Snowy Day, There's a Wocket in my Pocket! Dr. Seuss's book of Ridiculous Rhymes, and Mr. Brown can Moo! Can You? Dr. Seuss's book of wonderful Noises. I accepted each one and promptly placed them behind me (so she wouldn't whack me). She was surprised and a little upset but kept grabbing books. When it appeared she couldn't get immediate reading satisfaction from me, she went to Ksenia to have read: P.D. Eastman's Go, Dog. Go! and Button Gets Dressed. Later, refreshed, I read the books to her with which she'd whacked me.

She was relentless! She kept bringing them to us to read!

Later that same day I read her Dr. Seuss's ABC: an amazing alphabet book! and A Very Shiny Christmas. Afterward Ksenia read her A Day with Barney, Care Bears Baby's First ABCs!, Care Bears Baby's First Opposites!, Eric Carle's Have you seen my cat?, Eric Carle and Richard Buckley's The Greedy Python.

On another day, I had worked late and then needed to shovel the driveway. I just sat down to relax when Natalia brought me five books in succession over the course of about 20 minutes or so to read to her: Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar; 1-2-3: Pull the Tabs! Find the Numbers!; The Ugly Duckling; Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb and Care Bears Baby's First Colors [sic] and Shapes!

Still later, one day's books -- before she willingly went to bed early (she's sick, poor thing!) were: Pooh's Winter Music, Lois Ehlert's Snowballs, and Baby's First Toys.

Near the end of January we read Weebles' Bumpus's Bumpy Ride, Rosemary Wells' Max drives away, and ABC of Canada (another favourite at this time). And, in the evening after work on that day, which happened to be Daddy's birthday, we repeated the morning's readings (her choice) and added Care Bears' Baby's First Words!

For those that are curious about how her exposure to Polish books was progressing, we had only one Polish board book at that point. Ksenia had read it to Natalia a few times: Ksiezniczka na ziarnku grochu (The Princess and the Pea). It is, Ksenia admits, above Natalia's comprehension level -- probably for a 4-yr old. Time to get some more Polish language children books for her age!

February-March-April 2009

In these months she began to love Curious George. She has several of these books but her favourites were the four board books that came together: Curious Geoge rides (from 1941, rev. 1947), Curious George and the rocket (1957; taken from Curious George gets a medal), Curious George and the bunny and Curious George goes fishing (1958; both taken from Curious George flies a kite).

Also at this time my parents got her first book of Bible stories, the Baby Blessings Bible. She loves the book: the different textures, fabrics and colours of the animals on the material cover, the artwork, the quick rhyming story poems and the bright pictures all fascinate her right now! Creation, Noah, Moses, David & Goliath, Daniel & the lions, Jonah & the Whale, the birth of Jesus, Zacchaeus, Jesus & the storm and the Easter story keep her turning the pages on this one.

Along with more interactive books like Pooh and You (the entire book surrounding a Winnie the Pooh finger puppet), which revived interest in the previously discarded Bye-Bye Bear (a hand puppet bear with a fabric book attached), as well as Milo and the Magical Stones (translated from the German Mats Badebuch) which could accompany her in the bath.

Rosemary Wells' Ruby's rainy day replaced Max drives way which had made it's way into Natalia's cousin's first birthday presents. She deliberately dropped the book in the gift bag of presents and stubbornly refused to let it come out. Natalia had decided.

Then suddenly one day we acquired two new Polish children books: Bóbr Poldek and Wielka wyprawa do lasu were given to us by our hair stylist. These things happen!

In March we went to a sale at the University of Waterloo bookstore. Children's books were $1 - $3 apiece!

Look out: I sense new favourites!