“Again, again!”
There's a new book obsession in my household and I bet you'll be able to relate. My husband and I kicked off the summer by signing the kids up for the TD Summer Reading Club (which now has a preschool component!) and heading north to a cottage for a week with a whack of books. One of the books we took with us was Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. My husband thought our 2 1/2-year-old daughter might like it and he was right—she fell in love, asking to read it over and over again. She and her 5-year-old brother, who is currently addicted to Roald Dahl, quickly learned all of the words and began completing our sentences as we read and then reading the entire book to us, and each other, repeatedly.
What is it about this book first published in 1939 that has a little girl in 2012 and her brother so intrigued? Is it the child-like drawings? The repetition and rhyme? The order and routine? The breaking of bread? Madeline's spunk and bravery when she frightens Miss Clavel and says "pooh-pooh" to the tiger in the zoo? Her trip to the hospital in the middle of the night and the scar she wears like a badge of honour on her belly? It's hard to say, but it's simply amazing that nearly 75 years after its publication, this book, featured in TPL's 100 Books for 100 Years of Children's Services (see part 3), continues to dazzle and delight.
This isn't the first book obsession my family has experienced, and it won't be the last. Other books on heavy rotation have included the Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, Night Cars by Teddy Jam, Mysterious Thelonius by Chris Raschka and Knuffle Bunny by Moe Willems. Sometimes the books the kids obsess over take me by surprise and I'm not always wild about them, but I'm always happy to indulge them while continuing to introduce them to something new. The gleam in their eyes is irresistible, and I remember that feeling of hanging on my mother's every word as she read to me and the reassurance I felt when I could predict those words. Interestingly, when I revisited one of my own childhood obsessions, the Pokey Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey, with my son when he was a toddler, I found it lacking in magic. But I know I adored it as a child. I identified with that rascally dog and I couldn't get enough.
Repetition is reassuring to children. Being able to anticipate what comes next helps build confidence in their abilities and a sense of security. Reading the same books over and over again to children is thought to be one of the best ways to develop their vocabulary and help them improve their reading skills. Research conducted at Sussex University shows that it's not the number of books read but the repetition of each book that leads to greater learning.
What books do you remember loving as a child and what books do your kids return to over and over again? What makes these books so appealing? Please share your favourites in the comments below.
4 thoughts on ““Again, again!””
I was also a huge Pokey Little Puppy fan! And yes, when reading it to my daughter, I also found myself wondering why I liked it so much.
A new obsession in our house is Jenny Linsky and the Cat Club, by Esther Averill. Published in 1944 and set in Greenwich Village, the book has an enchanting quality to it. The title character – Jenny Linsky – is an orphaned black cat who is adopted by Captain Tinker. She lives in his rambling old house and discovers a club of cats who meet regularly in his back garden. She is a sweet, curious and calm character who is so very different from the kinds of children’s characters that are popular today. We love Jenny Linsky!
My favourite childhood book was In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord. It appealed to me as a young immigrant kid who felt very isolated. Later on I loved The Sky is Falling by Kit Pearson. But I read just about anything I could get my hands on! I’ll be sure to read these two to my children in the future.
I remember my mother reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to me repeatedly, to the point where I learned most of it by rote. Due to my inability to read and my limited grasp of language, I would say the line as “just settled down for a long winter SNAP”, instead of the much more sensible “long winter’s nap”. My original interpretation is now the stuff of family lore!
I read The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings over and over. While it’s all about being OK with who you are, it may have subconsciously sparked my interest in cryptotaxidermy. The bunny’s red eyes contributed to that outcome, I think. It has been republished, as recently as the 1980s.
Available online: http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/Little_Rabbit_Who_Wanted_Red_Wings/pages/01_The_Little_Rabbit_Who_Wanted_Red_Wings.htm
Also a fave were the admittedly bizarre Perlorian Cats books from Japanese photographer Satoru Tsuda and author Suzanne Greene.
Images online: http://www.catsparella.com/2011/04/kittens-enjoy-busy-day-in-vintage.html