A tale of two readers

With apologies to Charles Dickens, I'm here to write about our two readers.

First, we have Reed, who seems to have been born to read. I often say that for him, reading is as necessary as the air he breathes...and that is not much of an exaggeration. I cannot think of one single day since he learned how to read, when he has skipped it. It's a necessary part of his day – sometimes he even gets up early so that he'll have extra time to read. He also checks out the Washington Post newspaper each day over breakfast...mostly he reads the comics, but he'll also check out the sports section, and sometimes the front page.

Reed reading with Dad

Other parents, especially those who have sons Reed's age, always ask "How do you get him to read so much??" as if our situation is foreign - well, for us, their situation is foreign. They want to know how we "made" him so interested in reading, since they can't get their sons to read at all. I just tell them we didn't do anything other than read to him each day at bedtime since he was very small. The continuing interest is all his. How great is that?!

Reed is so in tune with books, I swear he has a sixth sense to know if new books have come into the house. And when I order Scholastic books through his classroom (which I do, entirely too often), the teacher has to leave them in the office for me to pick up, lest Reed have every single one of them read before he even arrives home that day.

He also has not slowed down in the speed of his reading. From when he was 4 years old and taught himself to read, he has been a true "speed reader". He read so fast that we would quiz him on what he'd read, to be sure he'd really read it all. When I read a book that he's recommended to me, he can't believe how slow I am!

Amy reading in her room

And Amy...her emergence as a reader has come at a slower pace, but I suspect ultimately she's going to be every bit as avid a reader as Reed. She has always enjoyed being read to, and loves that part of our day. This school year, Amy has gained so much confidence in her reading ability. She can read longer chapter books now, moving beyond titles like the "Magic Tree House" series. Amy takes her time with books, and more and more she likes to take time to herself in her room, with a stack of good books.

She is currently obsessed with a series called "Puppy Place," which is about a family that takes in puppies that need a home. We're both glad she's (mostly) moved past the "Rainbow Magic" fairy series, which was just so very formulaic, repetitive and awful! She comes back to the "Magic Tree House" books from time to time, too, sometimes listening to the ones that we have on CD.

Amy is taking great pride in the "Accelerated Reader" program at school, where she can take online tests on the books she reads. She's so happy to tell us that she's done well, and she does great at them.

We hope that we're raising a couple of life-long readers...I think they are well on their way!