BOY and GIRL are obsessed. Smitten. Excited. And enthralled. With Jack and Annie and The Magic Tree House books, by Mary Pope Osborne. I had never heard of the series before, but decided to check a couple of them out from our trip to the library last week. Since then, we've been back to the library and gotten MORE of them. It is our first adventure series to read together and it is a ball! I especially love playfully teasing them by trailing off the last sentence of a chapter and pretending to close the book.
Immediately there are shouts of No, Mom, NO! One more chapter, please. Please, Mommy. Just one more...
Are you SURE, BOY?You really want ONE more chapter, GIRL?
Really?
Yes, Mommy, Yes!!!
It is SO fun, and lovely.
I started reading to BOY & GIRL very early, when they were infants, and we have always read aloud every evening before bed and often during the day as well. It is a special time to sit together and have that space, honoring the words and imagination of someone else. And now, we are leaping into adventure stories - chapter books! As a former Library Club Queen, I am in a state of nirvana knowing that my children are truly experiencing the pull of suspense and the draw of a good story.
BOY is reading so many words now, and picking up some simple sentences. I can envision him reading these stories on his own in the not too distant future.
GIRL has fallen in love with the character of Annie, the fearless one. She is the feisty little sister who just leaps into an adventure often encouraging Jack to follow her.
The books are full of adventure, humor and my personal favorite...time travel. I love that the stories go against the typical boy/girl stereotypes. Annie is the adventurous one, the risk taker, yet the little sister. Jack is the studious one, the researcher, the "by the book" more cautious older brother. I see Jack in GIRL and Annie in BOY. And like my children, they are very close in age.
GIRL has fallen in love with the character of Annie, the fearless one. She is the feisty little sister who just leaps into an adventure often encouraging Jack to follow her.
The books are full of adventure, humor and my personal favorite...time travel. I love that the stories go against the typical boy/girl stereotypes. Annie is the adventurous one, the risk taker, yet the little sister. Jack is the studious one, the researcher, the "by the book" more cautious older brother. I see Jack in GIRL and Annie in BOY. And like my children, they are very close in age.
There are many things that I hope my children will learn from me. And having a love and passion for reading is definitely at the top of the list.
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Note: In rereading this I realize it sounds like a book review! It is not. Just a parent's excitement at her children discovering an adventure series. Are there other series you remember from your childhood or that you've enjoyed with your children that you recommend?
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You paint such a wonderful picture of the reading. I did a lot of that too. I say "did" because I only now read to my youngest (he is 7) although often the other two sneak in and listen.
ReplyDeleteWe read all sorts, Enid Blyton's "The Faraway Tree", Roald Dahl's books, CS Lewis, Jill Murphy's The Worst Witch, Paddington Bear of course. My son loves the Mr Twiddle stories by Enid Blyton - they are so funny, very dated, sexist really but it is always the wife who is superior even if Twiddle does address her as "wife" which always makes me laugh.
I haven't read the book you mention. But my son Jack would have enjoyed it as he loves stories with characters who share his name and his older sister is generally referred to as Annie so that would have made it doubly appropriate.
Ooops I have gone on . . .
Sorry!
Lovely post; brings back memories of reading to my children. They say that love of reading starts early on sharing treasured books and stories. Sounds like GIRL and BOY are soaking this up; what a treasure.
ReplyDeleteHappy Reading!
I just started reading with the 7 year old girl I am a nanny for, while her younger sister naps in the afternoons. It is my favorite part of the day. I love how she sounds out the words, so literally, like when she said "balleT", with the "T"! When a 7 year old reads you realize just how complicated the English language is!
ReplyDeleteGlad you are enjoying this special time with them. They will always remember it!
The Magic Tree House series is a favorite over here too.
ReplyDeleteWe do A LOT of reading out loud...I bet you could even try some other chapter books with them - my kids sat through Charlotte's Web, James and the Giant Peach, Stuart Little...we have long winters and do a lot of reading ;)
Oh -- don't do Charlotte's Web. My daughter cried and cried.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited that you are one of those terrific people who enjoy reading aloud to their children. I still remember my elementary school teacher reading Charlotte's Web to us each day at school. I believe this is how children fall in love with language and books.
ReplyDeleteLUV magic schoolhouse, we get them from the library on tape and listen to them on car rides.
ReplyDeleteSo fun.
My son was addicted to those--they were his first read-alone chapter books.
ReplyDeleteFor reading aloud, everyone loved The Little House series--there is actually a lot of boy-friendly adventure in them.
i bet you're great at reading outloud, too! whenever I read in MQ's class or whatever everyone gushes about how expressive I am. I'm an ACTRESS, sillies, i can't read in monotone!
ReplyDeleteMQ is now reading ME chapters. We take turns. It's delightful.
That was our first series too. We never got through them all because the get a little repetitive after a while but it did open the door to chapter books for us. My girls also loved the A to Z mysteries. Even though the girls read books now on her own, we still read together every night. I love it!
ReplyDeleteSharon
One of my twin daughter's loved MTH series, the other, not. Each to her own at an early age, huh?
ReplyDelete