Bedtime is has always had the same routine:
Bath, pajamas, brush teeth, prayers, dad's made up story (either a watered down Hercules/Greek Mythology story, or Sherlock Holmes) followed by a book or two, and then "Mommy's secret thing" (a combination of back scratch, and massage where I go through head to toe saying "Your head is asleep, your back is asleep...") and then a "made up lullaby"( I have to sing new words to a made up tune every night).
Can you tell our kids keep us on our toes? We're making up songs, stories and melodies fresh every night! It's good practice and we love it. But every so often, Ken wants a break from his made up stories (he is a history teacher, and so his days are already filled with storytelling) and so we decided about a year ago to introduce more chapter books to the routine. We have gone through most of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, Lion Witch and the Wardrobe, Charlotte's Web, and a few others. But I will be honest, and say that finding books for a newly turned 5 and 4 year old is hard!
We had to skip the end of Lion Witch and the Wardrobe...or at least paraphrase...and Kenneth decided to postpone Harry Potter after the first chapter (He got a bit excited on that one).
So, we have been on a quest to find good chapter books for Preschool age children, and we found this great book at the library this month:
Lady Lollipop by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Jill Barton.
It's about a princess who wants a pet pig more than anything else, and gets to know some really fun characters a long the way.
This was a hit. I think they read it in just a couple nights. The best part, was that it was perfect for my boy and my girl: a dirty pig, a funny pig keeper and a stubborn princess. You can't go wrong. The illustrations are great too!
Do you have other big kid books for pre-K kids you love to read? It's a narrow category for sure...and we are always on the quest for more! Please share and I'd love to put together a list to share!
Happy Weekend everyone, and happy reading!