A Child's Point Of View

After numerous nights of leaving the kids home to attend my "book club," a revolt was in the air.  They always wanted to come with me (request denied) and required a detailed report the next morning.  Rather than risk a full-blown revolution, we decided they needed their own book club.  They scanned the bookshelves, chose a book (Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems) and read it to each other.  I brought the treats.

I wasn't expecting a gripping discussion from my toddlers, however I was pleasantly surprised by the favorite things each child pointed out.  They found the hidden pigeon (a must-find in all Mo Willems books) and showed off their favorite pages.  We discussed the pronunciation of the title (my 6-year-old wasn't entirely convinced it was Ku-nuffle - after all the k is always silent before an n, right?), and practiced our own version of baby babbling to mimic Trixie.  Then, after talking about how the pictures were made, we even decided it was time to schedule an art project of our own to mimic the book's pages.

Overall, they were thrilled and have a much deeper connection to the book.  Who says book clubs are just for adults?  This will be a new tradition and I can't wait for our next discussion.  Enjoying a book is more than just reading it, and even a child will appreciate a detailed examination of their favorite story.  Not only will they inspect the pages more carefully, but their analysis will tie them to the book in a way a casual reading never could.