Books

"We" are a family of readers. Or at least, attempted readers.

In my family there are 4 literate members and 3 avid readers. D reads online. Usually about stuff I can't wrap my head around but I do politely laugh when appropriate. I hope.

"HA of course the library for that plug in won't load! Internet explorer has never caught up and... the script... is full of the dumb... ha... ha ha?"

"I knnnnooowwww I hate when the tables for databases are so sideways. It's obvious the code could be written a little cleaner and function faster and be more user friendly. Right?"

Fi loves fantasy fiction. If it includes funny animals all the better. She's currently reading a series years below her reading level (thank goodness... I'm not ready for issues 12th grade material might cover) about hunter warrior... cats. Yes. Cats. She loves it though.

I read because sometimes I get frustrated that I don't know something and want to teach myself or am just curious  how something works. I taught myself cribbage a few days ago after spending wayyyy too much time using my google-fu to figure it out. I also read for devotional time, entertainment and cooking needs.

G only reads if it gets him through the problem at hand. He rushes which leads to strange understandings. We ate at a local restaurant the other night and he misread part of the menu in the strangest way and didn't pause for a moment of "did that even make sense?"

The heading was something like "Recommended House Specials" and since I can't remember what he said I just asked him to read that line and he said "Reading Horse Spaces".

Right. Perfectly reasonable.

The only books the kids and I have in common and don't mind hearing over and over again are a small selection of "bedtime stories". The three in the photo above are the ones G brought to me one night. These are three of our staples. In order for a book to meet bedtime story standards it must:

1.) Be short.
2.) Be funny.
3.) Have really good illustrations or mama starts that "critique" thing that annoys the kids.
4.) Not have songs in the story that mama has to sing in order to get through the story line. (Children singing is allowed. Mama just *can't* sing with children laying on her chest and/or smothering her with stuffed animals and blankets.)

Bedtime stories are also cross generational. "Just Go to Bed" by Mercer Mayer was owned by my brother when he was G's age and purchased for Fi when she was small by my mother. It's a staple. A few others fit into this group but not many.

What about your family? If you have kids do you have staples that are favorite bedtime stories?