Ahem.

Little Man has long been eager to learn about letters and words and how to read them. I’d like to think that it has something to do with my awesome mothering skills (Hey, this could be a Good Enough Mothering post!), but truthfully, I think it’s just in his nature, as a result of what’s in my nature. If that made sense to you then you’re possibly as crazy as I am. That’s a lot of crazy.

Some of the earliest reading that I can remember doing was in a series of little hardcover books published by Ladybird Books. Way back in my  day, this were books about Dick and Jane, if I recall correctly. Now, it seems, they’ve decided that the names Tom and Kate are less scandalous. Or easier to spell without snickering? Ahem.

***Correction: It was Peter and Jane. My mistake. Please accept my apologies. Though, the name Dick made for more exciting reading, I think… ***

I had a huge collection of Ladybird books growing up. They started at the basic level with sentences like, “Here is Dick,” and, “Here is Jane,” and moved right up into full-on stories with paragraphs and chapter divisions. I think one of the things about these books that tickled me was their size and their hard-covered-ness. They just fit so nicely into a child’s hand and felt like there was really something to hold on to, as opposed to the larger, floppier versions put out by most other children’s publishers.

Anyway, my mom, at some point in my state of growing into an adult who doesn’t read children’s books (much) anymore, got rid of my collection of Ladybird books. It’s a good thing I don’t hold a grudge. Against people I love more than anything. I’m just saying…

You can imagine my delight when, about a year ago, I was in a little educational toy store near home and I saw that they had an entire rack full of Ladybird books. Yippee! I just about took out a small girl playing with the sample Thomas the Train set as I leaped gracefully  tripped and tumbled toward the rack, dragging Little Man behind me by the wrist.  (I never said that it took large, glee-worthy things to make me happy.)

I quickly educated Little Man:

Kia: “Look, Little Man! Ladybird books! You will LOVE these!”

Little Man: “They’re just books, mommy.”

Kia: “Oh no they’re not! These are LADYBIRD books. I learned how to read with Ladybird books.”

Little Man: “Can I go see the dinosaur stuff now?”

Kia: “In a minute. Don’t you want to see the books? Look at the books. Aren’t they cool?”

Little Man: “I really just want to see the dinosaurs.”

Kia: “But…”

Little Man: “If you like them so much, why don’t you buy some of those books?”

Kia: “What a great idea, honey! You’re so sweet. And so kind. And have I told you today how cute you are?”

Little Man: “I’m not cute. I’m cooooooool. Can I go see the dinosaurs now?”

 

So he went to see the dinosaurs while I giddily decided which Ladybird books I would get for myself Little Man. I think I brought home two that day. I’ve since bought a few more on subsequent trips to that little store.

They really are  great little books for emerging readers, you know. Aside from my trip down memory lane, they truly have been a great tool in bringing out the reader in Little Man. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not reading Harry Potter (thank GOD!) before bed or anything, but he can read some basic sentences now.

One of the great tools that these books have provided us is this game that we made the other day, following instructions from the ideas at the back of Splat Cat:

What is so great about it is that in order to make the game, we didn’t need any fancy tools or artistic abilities beyond 3rd grade (’cause I think that’s where my  artistic abilities ended), and also that we can always add to the game as Little Man gains more skills and vocabulary. It’s really cool to see my 4-year-old son sitting there, forming words, and reading them out to me. Being a bit lot of a bookie myself, I LIVE for this stuff!

Back to my memories, as I said, I remember that Ladybird books were among the first that I read. I also remember, as I got a bit older, reading books like Mr. Muggs, Amelia Bedelia, Ramona Quimby – Age 8, Sweet Home High, and many, many more as I got older. So here’s the question, readers:

What are some of the earliest books you remember reading? Do you have any favorites?

Kia

P.S. When I asked Little Man if he had any thoughts about Ladybird books for my blog, this was the response I got:

P.P.S. That’s *code* for “Ladybird books are cute cooooooool.”