10 For the Fair

Today Caleb finished reading ten books to get a free ticket to the fair this fall. He has been working on it for a few weeks, although I do not remember exactly how long. We picked up a form about it at the library. It is for kids ages six to twelve. He will also receive a ticket for a free drink, bookmark, and possibly a ticket for a ride. I have not ever been to the State Fair here, but want to go each year. This year we will make it since we will have one free entrance pass. Before I send the form in, I wanted to make a list of the books he has read.

1. Scooby Doo: A Whiff of Pizza
2. I Can't Said the Ant
3. The Fire Cat
4. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
5. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
6. My First Truck Board Book
7. Frankie Works the Night Shift
8. Bear Stays Up For Christmas
9. Hot Wheels Cave Race
10. Matchbox Missions: Conquering Dragon Castle

A friend recently recommended "The Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease which I have been reading. It talks about how important it is to read to children. One thing Trelease discusses is reading novels to kids. I had never really thought of reading novels to Caleb and Parker, but Trelease points out how children's listening comprehension is several levels higher than their reading comprehension. Reading to my kids is something I have been pretty consistent about, although I realized I do not do as well reading just to Alyssa as I do with the boys. I think we really started reading quite a bit at bedtime a few summers ago when I signed the kids up for summer reading at the library. My kids do very well sitting and listening to the books. The boys take their turn sitting on my lap while I read the book they chose. Alyssa tries to sneak in as well if either of the boys get off my lap. It is generally one of my favorite times of day with my kids. I love sharing books that I loved as a child, as well as discovering what books catch their eye. Parker is happy to read the same Scooby Doo stories over and over. Caleb enjoys reading new stories that he has not heard before. For school he would bring home a calendar each month to fill in the days he read for at least twenty minutes. If he read at least twenty days he would get a pizza or bread sticks coupon. It is amazing to see how he has improved in reading, just from working on it for a few minutes nearly every day but Sunday. We plan to continue to have him read daily through the summer. I love the library, and plan to go frequently this summer.