Emma Reads

Today’s books are an eclectic mix.

First, I was excited to see that neil-gaiman writes picture books as well!! We read Crazy Hair about a week ago, which was very cute. But tonight we read Blueberry Girl.

Blueberry Girl is wonderful, because it’s essentially what every parent wishes for their child, accompanied by gorgeous illustrations. 

“Keep her from spindles and sleeps at sixteen, let her stay waking and wise. Nightmares at three or bad husbands at thirty, these will not trouble her eyes.”

“Grant her the wisdom to choose her path right, free from unkindness and fear.”

All  the things and more that I want for my daughter as she grows.

And to make the book even more special, when I was pregnant with Emma, I called her the Berry. She’s definitely my Blueberry Girl.

We also read The Obstinate Pen, by Frank Dormer and an adorable board book called Little You by Richard Van Camp.

After a rough day of parenting, I sat down to read to Emma feeling somewhat relieved.

Tonight’s books included the charming Who Says That, Cat the Cat? by Mo Willems (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite children’s authors), and DC Comics Super Heroes Book of Opposites.

Now I was pretty excited about finding the book, because hey, super heroes. I have been a fan of Batman, and I grew up loving Wonder Woman.

However, I was reaaaaaalllly disappointed in this book. Why?

Well, because 

but

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS?

It’s WONDER WOMAN. She is a warrior princess! She has an invisible plane! She’s an Amazon. She has a lasso of truth. AND SHE PUSHES THE SWING??? She doesn’t even get to do something heroic? 

Emma needs her heroines to be better portrayed than that, don’t you think?

Our local library ( arlingtonvalib ) has a program called 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. I’ve been reading to Emma pretty much since she was born (about 11 and a half weeks ago), so we’ve already made a dent in that - we’ve read about 50 some odd books so far.

I should say, rather, that I have read 50 some odd books to Emma so far, and she’s either listened, slept through them, or focused completely elsewhere.

This is fun for me because I get the chance to revisit some books that I loved as a child, and share them with my daughter. I also get to make new friends, so to speak, by reading books that have been written since my childhood.

For example, one of the first books I read to Emma was The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.

I have fond memories of the character, but I didn’t remember much about the story.

Jemima Puddle-Duck is not very bright. 

But, as I explained to Emma as I read it to her, this was an opportunity for her to learn important life skills: don’t talk to strange, foxy-looking people, always tell someone where you’re going, etc. 

It’s never too early to learn these lessons.

Beatrix Potter has a certain charm, and we’ve spent a lot of time over the last few weeks reading her stories, because one of the gifts we got was the entire Beatrix Potter collection in one volume. It’s quite a tome. I’ll have more to share about her stories as we go.