Read to Julia, February 3, 2005

Julia doesn't seem to be ready for episodic novels like the Ramona books, but many of our favorite picture books don't seem to be quite enough for her either. I'm trying to figure out where the sweet spot is.

Tonight we read:

Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss. I like the Bartholomew Cubbins books. It's slightly creepy, like all of the best Seuss. I remember having bad dreams about oobleck. Julia seemed to enjoy it, but at the end asked me not to read it again. Perhaps she was scared? Borrowed from the library.

Goggles by Ezra Jack Keats. I don't think Julia gets this book, even though it's much shorter. The urban environment and the threat of physical violence are things she doesn't have much conception of. I remember not really getting into Keats as a kid, but as an adult I really like his books. Borrowed from the library.

Pierre by Maurice Sendak. We sang this book using Carole King's music. It was fun -- Julia did all of the "I don't care"s. I loved this book as a kid, perhaps because it has "Chapters" despite the fact that it's a very short story. We own this book.

I promised Julia I would read Bill Peet's The Whingdingdilly tomorrow.