Last Monday, Jennifer at Snapshot announced the Read to Me 2007 challenge. I spent last week thinking about goals for my two children. Because of the difference between their ages and listening abilities, I have separate plans for each child. However, I do plan to read for at least fifteen minutes per day with each child (I will be happy if they listen when I read to their sibling, but I want them to each have their own time).

Goals for my favorite boy:

My favorite boy just turned five, but he has been reading for almost two years. I have not done a very good job with reading to him because he spends so much time reading by himself (this is one of the only things he actually wants to do alone). In fact, I think he is going to resist me reading to him at first because he will think I am trying to do something for him that he can do for himself. However, I hope he will realize that reading-aloud with mom means a special time for the two of us, and he will warm up to the idea. I have come up with a list of books I would like for us to tackle, and I am going to give him the choice of what he would like to read first. Here is my list for my favorite boy.

Novels:
Ramona the Pest
James and the Giant Peach
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Mr. Popper's Penguins

Short Novels:
The Whingdingdilly
My Father's Dragon

Poetry (read selections from):
Side-by-Side Poems To Read Together
Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child’s Book of Poems
Never Take a Pig to Lunch and Other Poems about the Fun of Food
Where the Sidewalk Ends
A Light in the Attic

Picture Books (I hope he will listen in on his sister's picture books as well):
The Giving Tree
Casey at the Bat
Snow
Owl Moon

Bible Stories (we read from these each night):
The Big Picture Story Bible
God's Book of Wisdom for Little Boys

My best girl is two, and I usually read to her daily. I plan to read with her for at least fifteen minutes a day, but my main goal is to introduce some new picture books into her repertoire of current favorites. Because I was a teacher in my former life, I have a large supply of books. However, I would like to read some books that are new to her. Because two-year-olds like repetition so much, I do not want to overwhelm her with all new books. I plan to introduce a new book every few days. For the remaining time, we will choose books to enjoy from our collection. Here is a list of the new books I would like to read during the challenge (I hope to add to this list as we progress).

Picture Books:
Where’s Spot
Ten Nine Eight
Are You My Mother?
No Jumping on the Bed
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
Owl Babies
I Can! Can You?
Polar Bear, Polar Bear
The Gingerbread Boy
She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain
It Looked Like Spilt Milk
Silly Sally
No, David!

Poetry:
Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young

Bible Stories:
Adam, Adam, What do you See
The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers (we read from this at night)

I am so excited about these goals, and I hope to post an update on our progress each week. I would like to share what is working for us and what is not. I also hope to share our favorites (new and old). I always appreciate recommendations for books that others enjoy, so I look forward to sharing the books we enjoy as well.

If you are interested in participating in this challenge, please visit Snapshot. I think it will be a rewarding month for all of us. I look forward to reading other people's goals; I know I will find more ideas and books to use with my family. Thanks Jennifer!

Labels: Children's Books