In an attempt to get ready for kindergarten next fall, I've been slowly incorporating new books into my son's bedtime reading. While my favorite books to read are colorfully illustrated picture books, I also love a good novel. The kiddo has been loving listening to the early readers books featuring different Lego characters. We had enjoyed reading a brightly illustrated Bad Kitty book that we borrowed from the library a while back. When I saw the Bad Kitty chapter book series I decided to try reading one to gauge my son's interest in a different book format. The Bad Kitty books have some illustrations and are written in super short chapters. And, they are hysterical, especially if you are five. My son really enjoyed the first book and the second one that Grandmom bought him for Valentine's Day. I had purchased Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a while ago and decided it might be a fun book to try next. It has much less illustrations but the response has been good. We read a chapter or two a night in addtion to picture books. I don't recall ever actually reading this story as a child, but I did watch the original movie often! Once we finish the book I'll show him the movie.
Some of my son's preschool peers are reading already. I'm not worried that my son is not yet doing so. I see how he is recognizing different words in signs as we drive around, in ads, and in books. He likes to play scavenger hunt with a set of sight words I bought for him and he has begun to recognize what some of them say. It is fun to see how his reading skills are improving. He also realizes that he can write letters much better now and likes to make signs and take notes. Sometimes the notes are just scribbles, but I see this as practice for college note taking! Before long, he won't be able to tell me that he is too young to read. Which is what he often tells me when I ask him what something says.
Maybe we'll read James and the Giant Peach next!







