Favorite Books

I used to keep track on a calendar for each kid some milestones (first smile, first steps, etc.) and some favorite things (favorite foods, toys, etc.). I thought I would try to update that a bit here. It is not a scientific cataloguing - just what comes to mind. Today, I am thinking of books.

Books:

We are reading through the Narnia books (C.S. Lewis) at bedtime with James and Maggie. I am not sure that Maggie would choose these, but she doesn't want to be left out. James, on the other hand, wants to finish all seven, and pushed for it even after we were down to the ones Jeremy didn't like as much and so was inclined to skip.

James loves to read and has just completed an ambitious reading contest at school, reading through an assigned list of 30 books in 6 weeks. On his own, he chooses from several categories:

• non-fiction, such as life in ancient or medieval times, or science/technology
• Harry Potter books (he read through all 7 books, about 4200 pages) in 3 weeks last summer)
• juvenile fantasy series, such as the Secrets of Droon
• Comic books, particularly Calvin and Hobbes, though he loves all comics and has been trying to convince us to subscribe to the newspaper just for this reason. (Jeremy thinks reading them all on-line is fine; James doesn't have such easy access...and I think he prefers the feel of the paper, anyway. I can't say as I blame him, but for the cost of a subscription, I haven't yet broken down.)

Maggie will listen to anything that someone will read to her, which is why she tends to get stuck with books that are maybe a bit beyond her for the joint bedtime books with James. On her own, she will read any and all picture books. (If she wakes up early on a weekend, she creeps into my room and whispers in my ear, asking for permission to turn on her light and sit in bed reading. She can do this happily for almost any amount of time. She also likes to read these books to John. If she can get someone to read to just her, she prefers short chapter books, and she is now starting to read some of these on her own. Examples of series she likes are:

  

• Trixie Belden (13-year-old detective. I also loved these books when I was a kid. Reading them as an adult, I see how dated they are, originally written in the 1950s and oddly full of stereotyped gender roles amidst the fairly liberated idea of an independent, headstrong young girl)
•  Any of various series of easy reader chapter books about fairies, such as the Jewel Fairies.
• The American Girl doll history books. Her favorites are the ones about a Native American (Nez Perce) girl from 1764 - and this is the doll she pined for for over a year: Kaya: An American Girl

John's favorite picture books change - he likes to hear the same few books over and over for a few days or weeks, then move on. However, a few favorites keep coming back. Some that he particularly likes recently are:

• the Llama Llama books (Llama Llama Red Pajama and Llama Llama Mad at Mama)
• the Berenstain Bear books (especially Bears in the Night and Bears on Wheels, which are simple enough that he has them mostly memorized and can read them to us)
• anything about Star Wars - his current biggest obsession - or about a superhero - obsession number two