Chapter Books

Over our vacation, I delved into the world of reading chapter books with Noah. The decision was as simple as not having enough room in our backpack for more than a few diversions. So, rather than pack 10 or so very large and heavy picture books, I grabbed just 2 very small paperback books: Runaway Ralph, and Charlotte's Web. Problem solved.


Only I wasn't sure if it would actually work: if Noah would sit and listen to a story with no pictures to look at. I had the opportunity to try it on the car trip to Pennsylvania, and thankfully Noah adapted with no problems! He sat and listened to me read 4 chapters straight through. In the days following our trip, we have read the remaining chapters one at a time before naptime. Today we finished Runaway Ralph, and Noah is already asking when we can begin Charlotte's Web!

This is so exciting to me, as I have dreamed of the day when I can read my all-time favorite children's book aloud to Noah, "The Trumpet of the Swan." My second-grade teacher read that one a chapter at a time to my class when I was 7, and I fell in love with that book! Loved. It.

On a nostalgic side note, I can clearly remember the day I discovered that Noah could sit through a picture book with a plot, rather than just concept books with a page devoted to each concrete concept. ("Orange. Tree. Cup." That sort of thing.) The day we moved on to books with a plot was a grand day indeed; it opened up new worlds of reading and made it something I actually enjoyed doing with Noah. And now we're on to chapter books! I will still do a lot of picture books though, as Noah really prefers to see illustrations...

And finally, I had to share a funny. I picked up our copy of Runaway Ralph at a yard sale for a quarter. It looks like the one pictured above, and its pages are brittle and falling out. Noah asked me how long that book had been around. Seeing the printing date of 1970 in the inside flyleaf, I said, "This book was printed 10 years before Mommy was born." Noah, in wonderment said, "Was Noah from the Bible there?"

Ha! Ho! Hee!

Maybe that's not as funny as I thought. :)



Comments

Carrie said…
Do you know there are 2 other Ralph books, Me and the boys read through all 3 last year..it was my first time but I loved them, and the kids did too.
October 25, 2011 at 6:16 PM
Ruth said…
I also can't wait to start reading chapter books to Nadia. I am hoping to start in the next few months. Even when Noah is able to read chapter books himself, you can keep reading books aloud to him by reading books that are at a higher reading level than he's currently at. This is a pleasure you can enjoy together for many years to come. WOOHOO! My middle schoolers loved it when I read books like The Hobbit to them.
October 26, 2011 at 10:08 AM
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