kid books
One of my very favorite things to do with Babs is to sit down and read the books and stories that I remember reading when I was little. Up until recently, we were only reading picture books. We have some great new ones like Skippyjon Jones and Princess Penelope, but my favorites are the ones I’ve kept since my childhood. The tattered and falling apart copies of books like How The Grinch Stole Christmas are some of my most treasured possessions.
Now that Babs is almost five, we’re not stuck reading books with a picture on every page, and the possibilities have greatly expanded. Ammon read her Pippi Longstocking last month, and now we’re two chapters into Ramona and Her Mother. We’ve also been skipping around through some of Shel Silverstein’s poetry books, and she thinks his goofy rhymes are hilarious. I remember lying in bed when I was little and reading A Light in the Attic from cover to cover- and then reading the whole thing over again. It is so special to be able to share this with Babs now, and to have her enjoy it so much. I hope she grows up to love reading as much as I do.
Here are a few of my favorites from “A Light in the Attic” by Shel Silverstein:
MAGIC CARPET
You have a magic carpet
That will whiz you through the air,
To Spain or Maine or Africa
If you just tell it where.
So will you let it take you
Where you’ve never been before,
Or will you buy some drapes to match
And use it
On your
Floor?
SHAKING
Geraldine now, stop shaking that cow
For heaven’s sake, for your sake and the cow’s sake.
That’s the dumbest way I’ve seen
To make a milkshake.
THE FLY IS IN
The fly is in
The milk is in
The bottle is in
The fridge is in
The kitchen is in
The house is in
The town.
The flea is on
The dog is on
The quilt is on
The bed is on
The carpet is on
The floor is on
The ground.
The worm is under
The ground is under
The grass is under
The blanket is under
The diaper is under
The baby is under
The tree.
The bee is bothering
The puppy is bothering
The dog is bothering
The cat is bothering
The baby is bothering
Mama is bothering
Me.
As a gift several years ago, when I was 27, I was given a cassette tape of Shel Silverstein poems, narrated by himself, for my road trips-
As I child I did not own any Shel Silverstein- his books were the kind of curious finds made at friends’ and cousins’ homes.
As adults, friends and I have occasionally giggled our way through this audiocassette.
As a lover of reading and the written word, it is exciting to help introduce children to this fantastical world of creation and imagination.
Comment by Karen — November 28, 2006 @ November 28, 2006 at 8:13 am
Love that last poem - it’s fabulous! Love the blog too - first time visitor and having a blast!
Comment by Melly — December 28, 2006 @ December 28, 2006 at 9:27 pm
It just so happens that Shel Silverstein wrote the books that ~I~ loved reading so much as a kid when I was supposed to be getting ready for bed.
We also share the same birthday (which is tomorrow!), and I’m making a t-shirt of “The Giving Tree” to celebrate.
I love your photos and stories, thanks for posting!
Comment by Kimberly — September 24, 2007 @ September 24, 2007 at 8:44 pm