Reading

I am a bookaholic.  I read through books faster than my husband can buy them for me.  I read nursing, cooking, in the bathroom, when I should be sleeping, etc... basically I spend a lot of time with a book in my hand.  I love learning about others, creating imaginary worlds, and having friends who I can rely on.  Its been an interesting ride with the kids so far considering reading is so much a part of my life.

Z we were told when he was five has a language processing issue.  Basically it all goes in and gets locked in his brain and we haven't really found the key to help unlock the amazing amount of knowledge he has.  With four years of language therapy he is making amazing process.  When we had that first meeting after testing we were told he might never read.  It was devastating news for me but I knew he was a hard worker and lets show them how wrong they are.  He slowly DID learn to ready but it was frustrating.  A lot of tears and a lot of rages later he discovered Out Of Egypt which is a graphic novel about the Passover story.  He fell in love.  He found it soothing so when he felt out of control, he would take it and start reading.  Our copy has been read so many times its about to fall apart.  We have now gotten him the other two books by the company which are getting just as much love.  Still, while he was doing better he was not reading on grade level.  He also had a huge anxiety attack when a book had chapters.  So, right before Passover this year I took a gamble.  I noticed he liked the simple children's books I had put on the kindle we had gotten for Channukah.  So, for his last book report I put the book on the kindle instead of getting him a regular copy.  They were reading historical fiction so I put All of a Kind Family on the kindle and let him know it was one of my all time favorite series of books.  He was so excited as he read more and more of it because it was about a Jewish family and he could relate.  Before he knew it he was half way through the book!  Only at this point did I get a copy through our public library so he could read as well on Shabbos and at school.  It was the hammer than broke the brick wall that was stopping him from reaching grade level.  Today Z came to me and asked if I could put Harry Potter on the kindle.  He knows its a hard book but he is excited to ready it!  So I did and he is two chapters in already.  Amazing!

T took naturally to reading.  Despite what his teachers say, he has been reading since mid-K at home and loves reading.  The only thing is, T only loves reading Dick and Jane.  He is completely capable of reading harder books.  He does at home because I don't let him have the Dick and Jane books until he has read a bit of a harder book.  Who knows why he is stuck on Dick and Jane.  It could be because he does not like to work hard and it is a bit of work for him to read other books.  He is jealous of Z though reading on the kindle touch given to us by an amazing family friend.  So, I am fully taking advantage of it and made him a deal.  If he reads harder books, he too can read on the kindle.  He did follow through a bit in the car on the way back from Chicago.  We shall see if it continues.  Will he be reading Dick and Jane for the rest of his life?!

F is a completely different character.  She loves books as much as me.  She never can get enough when I read to them. Since she was  tiny she would take books in her room and look through them pretending she is reading them and making up stories.  When she got a little bigger and knew some letters she would sit and point out the letters.  Now that she knows all the letter sounds she is desperate to ready.  So, Passover I took one of T's Dick and Jane books despite his screaming and crying and sat down with F.  She rocked it. F though has a tic where she gets stuck on words she has heard or is saying and repeats them over and over.  Never in a million years did I see what was coming next.  She was sounding out a word- c-o-m-e, come, and repeated it.  I told her F, its good, you said it correctly.  For over half an hour over and over c-o-m-e, come.  When she finally got out of the tic she still kept going.  Until the next time it happened.  She has tried reading a number of times and this tic is front and center.  She is frustrated beyond.  She is determined though- she loves books way to much.  For now, the text to speech on the kindle is her new best friend.