Reading and Writing

We love to read and be read to in our home. Eamon devours books. Aine brings bags full home from the library. Benton pulls books off the bookshelves and flips through the pages. Dave and I both read or listen to audiobooks. We listen to books whenever we are in the car. Books are really important to us.

I have struggled to find a way to keep track of the books we have read or want to read. Recently Molly posted about getting a commonplace for her daughters to record the books they had read. I loved the idea and set out to get a set of books for Eamon and Aine. I told them about the books. Eamon was not very excited about it. Aine, however, loved the idea.

We decided together that we would use them for the bigger books we read. Later, Aine and I sat down to read. I was reading Jenny and the Cat Club to her, and wanted to finish the story. When we were done, Aine set to work recording her first book in her journal. She then asked what the various quotes said throughout the book as well as the instructions for other pages. She quickly recorded the first book she wrote, which is entitled Aine. I suggested perhaps she needed another book to jot down her ideas before she filled up this one. I found the small notebook her aunt gave her whih had been placed aside in a drawer. Aine quickly made more notes in her journal asking how to spell words. She put both books in her purse and was quite satisfied with her accomplishments.

In addition to recording the books Eamon and Aine read in their book journals, I am trying to record our reading online at Goodreads. It seems to be working fairly well. I want to make sure we have a record of what we loved reading from picture to chapter books. It also helps to have one place to record what books others recommend or ones we want to read in the future. So far it seems to be working.