So, last year, I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone out-loud to my kids, complete with character voices and accents. It took us awhile, as my life is busy, and it seemed to go a chapter a week there for awhile, but they were hooked. Afterward, Joshua plowed through book two and three and this past summer, book 4, and stalled, getting caught up in the Eragon series, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings, and a few others. My plan worked. He was finally reading.
School began and the kids began bringing books home from school, except for Hannah. She couldn't figure out what she wanted to read. One morning, on her way out the door to school, she said, "I need a book for Silent Sustained Reading! QUICK!"
I didn't think about her being eight years old and in the third grade. I just grabbed the first thing I could find on her brother's bookshelves: the second book of the Harry Potter Series. Within two weeks, she had it devoured and moved on to book three. Before I knew it, she was looking for book four. I pulled it off Joshua's shelf and handed it to her.
"Whoa!" She said. "THAT'S HUGE!'
"Yeah," I said, "And this is in paper back. Imagine what the hardcover looks like."
"I hope I can get through this," She said.
"I have faith in you," I said.
About a week ago, she finished book four. "Where's book five?" She asked.
"We haven't bought it yet," I said. "Maybe you could look for it at the school library?"
"What am I going to read for SSR?"
"How about Eragon? Josh seemed to like it." I said as I grabbed yet another book from the Library of Josh.
"Oooooh...kaaaaay," She said resigned.
Later that afternoon Hannah bolted through the back door triumphant. "THEY HAD BOOK FIVE AT THE LIBRARY! LOOK! The kids in my class are like 'are you really going to be able to finish that book?' and i was like "yeah, sure. No problem" and they were like 'That's a big book' and I was like 'That's cuz it's hard back. Book four was just as big' and they're like, "yeah but it's so heavy' and I was like..."
I had tuned her out a little bit, I'm ashamed to say, because I was in the middle of a task, so I uh-huhed and nodded as if I was paying attention. Eventually I turned around and looked at the book. Taking up her entire torso and as thick as two college text books put together, Harry Potter, book five looked like a gargantuan next to Hannah's dainty petite frame. "WOW," I said. That's some book!"
"I know!" Hannah said, eyes and face all aglow. "I'm going to start now!"
"You do that. I'm heading upstairs to work on the website, now. Ok?" I tousseled her hair as I leaned down to kiss her cheek. I watched her climb up on the couch and situate the gigantic book on her lap.
About fifteen minutes later, I heard a crash, bump, and a loud "OOOOWWW!! Ooohhh!!!!" "Are you ok?" I called downstairs.
Hannah answered me in a watery voice as she held back tears, "Yes. I'm ok. I just dropped Harry Potter on my foot."
Ah the perils of reading! Who knew it was such a hazardous activity?
School began and the kids began bringing books home from school, except for Hannah. She couldn't figure out what she wanted to read. One morning, on her way out the door to school, she said, "I need a book for Silent Sustained Reading! QUICK!"
I didn't think about her being eight years old and in the third grade. I just grabbed the first thing I could find on her brother's bookshelves: the second book of the Harry Potter Series. Within two weeks, she had it devoured and moved on to book three. Before I knew it, she was looking for book four. I pulled it off Joshua's shelf and handed it to her.
"Whoa!" She said. "THAT'S HUGE!'
"Yeah," I said, "And this is in paper back. Imagine what the hardcover looks like."
"I hope I can get through this," She said.
"I have faith in you," I said.
About a week ago, she finished book four. "Where's book five?" She asked.
"We haven't bought it yet," I said. "Maybe you could look for it at the school library?"
"What am I going to read for SSR?"
"How about Eragon? Josh seemed to like it." I said as I grabbed yet another book from the Library of Josh.
"Oooooh...kaaaaay," She said resigned.
Later that afternoon Hannah bolted through the back door triumphant. "THEY HAD BOOK FIVE AT THE LIBRARY! LOOK! The kids in my class are like 'are you really going to be able to finish that book?' and i was like "yeah, sure. No problem" and they were like 'That's a big book' and I was like 'That's cuz it's hard back. Book four was just as big' and they're like, "yeah but it's so heavy' and I was like..."
I had tuned her out a little bit, I'm ashamed to say, because I was in the middle of a task, so I uh-huhed and nodded as if I was paying attention. Eventually I turned around and looked at the book. Taking up her entire torso and as thick as two college text books put together, Harry Potter, book five looked like a gargantuan next to Hannah's dainty petite frame. "WOW," I said. That's some book!"
"I know!" Hannah said, eyes and face all aglow. "I'm going to start now!"
"You do that. I'm heading upstairs to work on the website, now. Ok?" I tousseled her hair as I leaned down to kiss her cheek. I watched her climb up on the couch and situate the gigantic book on her lap.
About fifteen minutes later, I heard a crash, bump, and a loud "OOOOWWW!! Ooohhh!!!!" "Are you ok?" I called downstairs.
Hannah answered me in a watery voice as she held back tears, "Yes. I'm ok. I just dropped Harry Potter on my foot."
Ah the perils of reading! Who knew it was such a hazardous activity?
