Big Giant Thrill!

 My Facebook post from June 8th, 2011:

"Just stopped by the library on the way home from swimming lessons, to pick up some early reader type books. My 4-yr-old read to me the whole way home! Literally picked up a book she had never seen, and read me 3 short stories! What a thrill!!!"

She just turned 4 about three weeks earlier. Of course we have always read to her, and she is always flipping through books. She has been playing at Starfall.com, and we had started some Progressive Phonics. She was "reading" books that I really think she had memorized. But this was different. A book she had never seen before. We don't have much in the way of early readers for her to practice all by herself, so I thought I would try some. Our library had some Brand New Readers so we picked up a few. It was Ethan Out and About that she read to me on the way home that day. Obviously she has a long way to go before she can just pick a book off the shelf and go for it. We are working on consonent blends now, and still just short vowel sounds, but she is progressing and she is excited. Possibly not quite as excited as Mama! Weeks later, doing shared reading with her, or listening to her read to her brother, or as she is actually spelling/writing words. That thrill is still there. Why would I want to give this up? I want these thrilling firsts to continue to be shared with me.

(For the record, she quickly lost interest in the Brand New Readers. I think there was not enough "story" to engross her. We ALL really enjoy the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems much more!)