Chelsea's Bookshelf

"There's more to reading together than just saying the words."

I've escaped the Dr. Seuss, and Eric Carle genre...for now.  Chelsea has been going crazy reading Junie B. Jones books for the past week! A friend of mine gave her a ton of these books and Chelsea went crazy over them! She has been wanting to read chapter books for quite some time now, but the only ones we have are for ages 12 and up!! She's really good at reading, and feels that the Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle books can be passed on to Noah. Good idea. 

  I found this book for her at Anthropologie, and it has been her favorite book this year. I got this book for her because she seems to have the same personality as Audrey did when she was a child. 

Chelsea is vivacious, funny, very energetic, and wants to do too much at once (which is where my patience has to kick in!) When I saw the back of the cover of Audrey as a ballerina my heart melted, and I knew I had to get it for her for Christmas. I bought this book for her because of Audrey's love for dance, New York City, acting, and overall just being a beautiful person. Everyone loved her, and she reminds me of Chelsea. Everyone that I know tells me that Chelsea lights up a room, and puts a smile on everyone's face.

 We all love to collect these books  as well. Chelsea loves to know about all the cities she has visited, lived in, and would eventually like to visit. I blame it on our nomadic life! They are so interesting because it tells you a lot about each city. We can read these over and over again. All we need is Ireland, Israel, London,  Washington D.C., and Britain.

Madonna books are another favorite for Chelsea. 

These were given to Lexie when she was about six, and are now passed down to Chelsea. Her favorite book is The English Roses because of the storyline. 

The book is about four girls called the English Roses who are attached at the hip, and do everything together. They always ignored this one little blond girl who also has a lot in common with them but their jealousy prevented them from getting to know who she really is.  It's a book that teaches how one should never judge another by the way they look, and to never assume anything about how they live. They realized she wasn't as perfect as they thought, and because of her life they wanted to be her friend. It's a story about friendship, and how first impressions are never correct. Jealousy is not the way to go in this life, and this book teaches how someone should behave after they have realized why they were jealous in the first place. All my girls love this book, and it's so true. I'm so happy that they are still in great shape so that these books can be saved, and be passed on to their posterity.

I don't remember Sierra & Lexie ever reading small chapter books. They immediately began reading books like the Molly Moon Series at the age of six. Although Sierra began reading Harry Potter at age nine, she had to reread them a couple of years later because she couldn't understand some of the words in the story. It's different when you watch the movie! Now the girls can read Harry Potter over, and over, and over again!!! 

It makes me feel good to know that Chelsea reads every day. She is different from her sisters. She'd rather play with Noah and read to him more than reading on her own. She does have a talent to read without supervision. She knows her word groups and has had really good teachers in the past who have helped her reach to this level. 

After we read a book I ask her to tell me what happened in the story. I know we should start our children off slowly when they begin to read, but I want her to know that books are not just about words or pretty pictures. It is a story that can make you laugh, or cry. I know that once she truly understands the story that she will be a voracious reader like her sisters. I'm grateful for books, and feel fortunate to be able to have the resources to buy books (a luxury I never had growing up), and to build up our library. If our children can read by the time they are in first grade I know they will do really well in school. 

Helping my children learn to read has been an important part of my life as a mom. I always get flashbacks of how it was when her sisters began to read by themselves. It was kind of a relief when they began to read on their own. Still...I really enjoy the time I put in sitting down with Chelsea to hear her sound out her words, and make sure she is understanding the meaning. I never want her to be at a loss for words. I love words, and to have a vast, extensive vocabulary is important to one who loves to read. I sure look forward to Noah reading on his own. Although I don't think we will pass on those Junie B. Jones, or Madonna books to him! 

*She LOVES books, and hopes she'll get some for her birthday in a couple of weeks.  (Wink, wink)