My sister-in-law went to the library and borrowed a special tie-in edition of the Annie Proulx story that became the Oscar-winning film (note: it did not win Best Picture but it did win several Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay). And my wife borrowed it from her, and both of us read it, and since it’s been sitting in our pile of library books, which we keep from our own stuff, both our girls love to “read it,” especially the little one.
No, of course they are not reading it. And, no, there are no pictures of tents or hotel rooms or anything. I have no idea why they get so hooked on certain books that they obviously can’t read or color in even marvel at pretty pictures. With my nephew, it was a Spanish-English dictionary that was pretty visible on the shelf in our old apartment. Both our girls have loved to look at all the “adult” books – please don’t misconstrue that!
Children love the stuff that belongs to grown-ups. Plastic toy keys rarely appeal to babies and young toddlers as the real ones that actually open doors and start cars. Books are always fascinating, even without pictures. I am amazed at what my daughters can do just sitting on the floor or couch, holding books they cannot read, making up stories of animals and princesses, or even inventing recipes! Indeed, my oldest has made up food recipes from her “reading,” and my wife has managed to find some equivalent by searching the internet, and has attempted these concoctions (most of which my daughter finds disgusting, naturally).
They seem to sense the power of books, at such a young age – how books give us doorways to new worlds, other lives, fresh ways of seeing. I wonder if it’s because we are pretty avid readers, my wife especially (I’m too busy grading words to read many professional ones). I wonder if it’s their natural curiosity. But I love watching them as they wind their way through stories, combining elements from those they’ve watched on TV or perhaps ones from other books we have shared.
We don’t really have a ritual of book-reading; we just sort of do it when we can, but I’m glad they seem to enjoy the act – and they see it as one of creating, inventing.
There will be a time I suppose when we actually have to make books for grown-ups less accessible, but we’re pretty happy they like holding them – and that they are past the stage of eating them.