I’m sure you’ve been
in the situation where you have had to read the same book over and over for
days, weeks, or even months. No matter how much you enjoy the book, eventually
you may become sick of it, while your child or children are still clamouring
for more.
Have you ever asked
the child or children concerned what it is that they especially love about the
book? The answers may often surprise you!
I once had to read The cat in the hat over and over several
times a day for many weeks to a small group of 4 year olds who just couldn’t
get enough of it. Luckily Dr Seuss’s rhythmic and rhyming text bounces along in
a very comforting way, so is fun to read aloud. As several of the children knew
most of it by heart, they also helped me to read the book. But it is quite a
long book for some children to sit through, and as the weeks went by some
children became unfocused and restless. Interestingly, although they were free
to leave, as we were reading in a cosy corner during play times of the day,
they always chose to stay. Occasionally I would stop mid way through the book
and suggest we finish later, but at least one child would say “No! no! keep
reading.” This puzzled me and set me thinking. I wondered if the children just
found the rhyme and rhythm comforting, and weren’t really focusing closely on
the actual narrative. So I had a brainwave and asked a group of 5 children who
were listening to The cat in the hat
one day: “What is it that you like best about this book?”
“The clean up
machine!” said Chris.
“Yeah, me too,” said
Georgie. And the others nodded and agreed. Fascinated by their answers, I made
a point of asking every child who I read The
cat in the hat with over the next few weeks what they liked best, and
nearly every one of them said the same thing.
What books have you
had to read over and over? Have you ever found out what it is that makes those
particular books such favourites? Please share your read aloud experiences with
us.
Here are some picture books I have happily read over and over:
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| My all-time favourite picture book |
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| A book young children never seem to tire of |
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| Any of the Willy books are wonderful to share with children |
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| This book fascinates children with its mysterious ending |
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| This book, like many of Pamela Allen's books, has a great sense of rhythm, and also gets lots of laughs |
