Our Little Bookworm

Molly has always been a lover of books. We started reading to her in utero months before she ever even laid eyes on a book, and in our arms from the day she was born. Daddy's choices included works such as The Right Stuff and Treasure Island. I usually mix in some lighter fare ;-)

Here's an oldie: a not-quite-3-month old Molly reading Treasure Island with her Daddy.

Lately, reading has been a huge staple in our day simply because she loves it so much. It amazes me how long her attention-span is when it comes to reading, especially when her interest in the average toy lasts for all of 30 seconds. When it comes to books though, she'll sit forever flipping the pages back and forth, back and forth (she LOVES to flip pages). Generally, we'll read a book through front-to-back, and then Molly will go through at least 2-3 more times, flipping back-to-front, or cherry-picking favorite pages to look at. She isn't quite into pointing yet, but she is very into "beating" the pages. When she finds a favorite page or picture, she likes to slap it vigorously with both hands simultaneously while the teacher in me patiently describes the object and repeats its name, usually in a totally dorky sing-song voice. For example, her Peter Rabbit touch-and-feel book has a picture of Benjamin Bunny in a real felt coat. She loves to beat on the poor bunny repeatedly while I sing "Benjamin Bunny, Benjamin Bunny" over and over again.

I'm partial to my old childhood favorites, but Molly is very particular and has picked a few new favorites of her own. Here are Molly's current recommendations for the under-3 crowd:

Peter Rabbit, of course. This was an Easter gift from Aunt Jessica and is a daily read because of all the fun textures: Benjamin Bunny's felt jacket, crinkly leaves in Mr. MacGregor's garden, Jemima Puddleduck's fuzzy baby ducklings, and many more. It has really thick, easy-to-turn boardbook pages, a definite plus for Miss Molly's tiny fingers.

This is usually the first book Molly reaches for on the shelf. It's filled with 100 brightly colored photos of everyday objects sorted into categorical pages (Colors, Things-that-Go, Food, Home, Bathtime, Emotions, Wild Animals, Pets, etc.) and labeled with their names. Molly will literally sit for 10 minutes or more (a long stretch in baby-time!) just flipping the pages, "beating" on pictures while I name them for her. Her favorites are the train (because I always make the choo-choo sound), the grass, the fish, and the owl (also probably because I always make a hooting sound). Parenthood really does make you do things you never imagined!

This adorable book is based on the lyrics of a song by Davy Jones and the Monkees, in which a precious penguin befriends an unsuspecting hippo. Super cute. Molly also likes to dance to the song, which I downloaded to my computer to play along with the book.

This is a Molly AND Mommy favorite. It is part of the "touch-the-art" series, which I think is SO cool. You can feel the peachfuzz on Cezanne's Still Life with Cherries and Peaches. You can untie the hairbow on Renoir's A Girl with a Watering Can. Molly's personal favorite is trying to pick the lily flowers on Monet's Water-Lily Pond. I have to restrain myself from rushing out and buying the rest of the books in this series including Feed Matisse's Fish and Pop Warhol's Top.

So, if you have a little bibliophile on your hands, check these out. Molly has personally given them her seal of approval.