Reading Ritual

After last night's post about the lack of picture books at our before bed storytime, my peaceful girl showed me  just how 21st Century she is using this cool tool,  Screen Actor's Guild site, which  streams videos of SAG members reading favorite picture books.  We listened to Guji Guji, The Night I Followed my Dog and My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother by Patricia Polacco.  It wasn't exactly the cuddly time (the videos did not stream well on my new computer?) I was longing for but she loved sharing it with me.

After psycho-analyzing myself I realized I'm just remorseful over the facts; she is growing up!  Soon our bedtime reading ritual will be a thing of the past and it makes me sad.  She's my last baby and I'm not ready for this major change.  Luckily, I think we still have a few years left before she dumps me but I will have to be prepared for the inevitable "I'm just reading this chapter book on my own, mom."  It happened with her two older siblings as well.  The three of us read together, taking over the living room sofa.  The last book we read was Summerland by Michael Chabon.  Oh, that was a great summer!! 

I'm glad my girl was able to share her new way of looking at/reading picture books.  I didn't bother to mention that I have this site on my school blog and have used it with classes-I didn't want to spoil her excitement to share.  What other sites are out there like this and do they always stream slow??

In the meantime I've mentally promised to enjoy all the storytimes I have left with her and to make them as exciting as I once did-reading under the covers, flashlights, etc. and I guess I will have to be on the lookout for thrilling picture books, websites and beginning chapter books to keep her interested.