I quickly just have to document this, and wasn't sure how or where to.
Today was my kindergartner's third Friday at school, and therefore the third day he's had "library" special class. It struck me today that having observed three library books he's brought home, a pattern, or perhaps lack thereof, more a critical mass that could be representative of his interests/personality, could be emerging.
Here are the books he's picked out in chronological order:
1. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, ill. by James Dean
This book at some point was set to music (or was it song before it was a book?), which we somehow came across and it subsequently got stuck in all of our heads. It's the kind of song/story that gives us the San Diego vibe that we miss so much (where Rajan spent age 6 months-2.5years). I'd never seen the book before, but his eagle eye picked it out on his first trip to the school library! 2. Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, ill. by Peter Brown
I'm already sad we had to give this one back. I mean, I couldn't imagine a more perfect book for Rajan to pick out. A) he eats carrots almost obsessively, B) he loves spooky silly stuff like this, and C) as I only now discovered, the illustrations are by Peter Brown, who is the author of the Number One most loved books in our house: The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes. The last fact is unbeknownst to him, but subliminally perhaps that's what drew him to it. The familiarity, the loving and silly portrayal of anthropomorphized creatures and vegetables, even the monochromatic colors and animation style.3. The Hello Goodbye Window by Norton Juster, ill. by Chris Raschka
Rajan was excited to tell me which book he brought home today. He proudly pulled this one out of his backpack with a twinkle of recognition in his eye. He knows this one already, because we read it at my parents' house this past August, where we stayed for two weeks after a long 20 month wait to travel cross country to see them during the pandemic. And it's also fun because we gifted this book, along with other grandparent-themed stories, to my parents way back when we announced our first pregnancy.It may be only me that is getting a kick out of this. But I can understand why at least I am for a few different reasons. The first is purely because of this new thing called my kid growing up and going to formal school. He is out there, in the world, on his own, making his own learning now, without me. Every day for the past five and a half years till now, I was the one guiding him almost every step of the way. But now it's all him, and this wonderful, though imperfect, institution we have in our society that is public education. The second, tough maybe it's just another way to say the first point, is how I have been dragging him to public libraries his whole life now, and bringing home towering piles of books. Books have been piled up in every room, and my addiction has only grown stronger. Each new place we live, and we've lived in quite a few in the past six years, I brandish my new library card with pride and use it the way I viewed it as a kid, as the most prolific window into other worlds that could ever exist. And now, now, he gets to do it on his own. Make his own singular selection, once a week, a book that calls to him from the shelf, and for some reason resonates with his curious, individual mind.
So I hope to keep track of this one thing, though there have been very few things in my or his life I've kept good track of. Can't wait to see what he brings home next!
Oh and P.S.:
I think by coincidence? His class created art today inspired by Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes. And I think it's my favorite piece of art he's created :-) :-) :-)
