Bedtime Stories

My 7-year-old and I finished yet another Junie B. Jones title by Barbara Park tonight. I have to admit, when my older daughter became old enough for such books, I avoided Junie B. because she seemed like such a smart mouth. Since I have given up on parenting the perfect child, my younger daughter and I have enjoyed reading these books together--there are many laugh-out-loud moments. We've come a long way from reading the same board books over and over, and though I love Goodnight Moon and Time for Bed, it's fun to explore wider worlds with her.

The youngest likes to read the books to me now, instead of the other way around. Since I am generally tired and ready to finish the bedtime routine as quickly as possible, this isn't always my favorite way. After all, I could read it so much faster! But when I take a deep breath, settle in, and give myself to enjoying the book with her, it's fun to hear her inflection and her sense of humor coming through. Some of her favorites right now, besides Junie B. and a multitude of picture books, are the Daisy Meadows fairy books--Weather Fairies, Pet Fairies, Flower Fairies, Dance Fairies--you get the picture. When she allows me to read to her, we've been laughing over Beverly Cleary's Ramona books. (We're looking forward to seeing Ramona and Beezus in the theater soon!)

One of my favorite read alouds to all of my kids at 7 or 8 years old is The Prince of the Pond by Donna Jo Napoli. This is the story of the prince who has been turned into a frog by an old hag, told by the female frog who finds this huge, inexplicably incompetent male frog and eventually falls in love with him. The book subtly teaches numerous facts about frog life, and it is very entertaining. All three kids loved it. My son liked one of his dad's old favorites, Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. I did too, though I found the rest of the series, well, flat. Cleary's The Mouse and the Motorcycle was a good one, too.

Our older daughter is 11, and she still wants to read with us every night. Some of our favorites together have been Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, and The Thief Lord by the same author has her wanting to visit Venice sometime soon! The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale was another great one. Though the plot involves all of the girls from a small mountain village being sent to learn to be princesses because the prince will be choosing one of them for his own, the main character is a strong, smart young woman who is not interested in wealth or fame. Both of us were hooked reading this one. I have wept through parts of Because of Winn Dixie by Kate diCamillo, and I'm hoping to read Louisa May Alcott's Little Women with her soon, though again I'll probably turn into a blubbering mess!

The oldest, our son, recently turned 13 and has not had us read to him regularly for a while. This is partly due to the logistics. Often one of us is gone for a meeting or exercise or whatever in the evening, so bedtime is a one-man or woman show. Reading to three kids for any significant length of time can be a big commitment! The boy child is content to read to himself most nights, especially when he has a stack of new graphic novels from the library.

Every so often, though, I will sit down with whatever book he happens to be reading at that time, and I'll read 5 or 6 pages to him. This keeps me connected to what he is reading, and it gives him an opportunity to ask questions that the book has brought to his mind. And if he is reading a book that's been assigned by school, a few pages of read aloud sometimes kicks in his interest and he can move forward more eagerly.

Bedtime stories are a great way to connect with our kids. Choosing books that interest both the reader and the child being read to makes this a fun experience rather than a boring chore.