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Ella can’t get enough of her books. From the time she was around nine months old, she would sit and stare at the pictures and turn the pages herself. Almost all her toys have gone through stages of being ignored, but not her books.
Up until about a month ago, Ella was inclined to literally devour her books. The thick pages of many of her (not so) resilient board books have teeth marks and holes. Nothing I did could deter her from this, so I let it go. At least she was still enjoying the books.
Now Ella loves to hear stories and several times a day thrusts a book in my face and begs. I’m usually willing to stop everything I’m doing for story time; I’m a book lover myself. Besides, it is a wonderful opportunity for some great snuggling while she sits on my lap. .
Due to the hours Ella has poured into this hobby of hers, we’ve discovered that her receptive vocabulary is quite impressive even though she barely speaks yet. She also enjoys testing mine by pointing to pictures and waiting for my response. I’m then usually rewarded with a smile and a clap of the hands.
So what books are we reading, you ask? Well, anything from “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to nursery rhymes and touch and feel books. My Little Wordbook has been read, carried around and dropped so many times that its binding is completely broken.
Any of Sandra Boynton’s books are a total hoot for parents and kids. Some of my favorites are “The Going to Bed Book,” “Barnyard Dance,” and “The Belly Button Book!” to name just a few.
Over the years I learned to make sure to purchase books that I enjoyed as well, otherwise I was not enthusiastic about reading them to my children.
Lately Ella’s interest in the printed word has spread to colorful ads in newspapers, magazines, and catalogs. She is surprisingly gentle with these materials, and “appears” to be reading them.
In the photo Ella is looking at a catalog while she waits for breakfast, no doubt biding her time until I leave the laptop within her reach so she can place an order.
Lisa,
VERY cool, isn’t it? Our ds, home from Guatemala at nine months as well, LOVES books and we have plenty of dog-eared and teeth-marked books, too. He constantly brings us books (although, staying still long enough to hear them read is iffy
) and bed time ritual alwyas includes a couple of books. My mother, the librarian, is THRILLED!!
Hopefully this will continue on and on and on!
Lisa