Max's Book Club

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Max doesn't have a book club, but he wishes that he did. He loves to read and needs a group to discuss the intricacies of each book's highly complicated plot and symbolic meanings. This picture of him with his books torn off the shelf is a daily occurrence. I love to just sit and watch him read the books to himself. He reads out loud and points to the pictures that capture his interest. Blake and I even like to test Max by starting him at the couch, then reciting a few lines from a book (of course we have his favorites committed to memory) and setting him loose to see if he can come back with the correct book. And he does! I know, my baby's a genius!

So, if Max DID have a book club, these would be his recommendations--

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault. This has been one of Max's favorites since the beginning. It has been torn and taped back together countless times. The front and back cover pages have the alphabet on them and Max loves to sing the ABC song and point at each letter. If you get it, don't get the board book, it doesn't have the complete story.

There's No Place Like Space by Tish Rabe. Blake got this for Max while he was traveling in Washington D.C. visiting the National Air and Space Museum and it is surprisingly one of Max's favorites. He's liked it since he was little and still loves it. It's written in Dr. Seuss style and I think he likes the sing-song of it. He also loves when we get to the page with the rhyme to remember all the planets. We say it over and over and over.

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. A classic, how could he not love this one? I think initially he liked it because the pages rotate between color and black and white pictures, but now he likes to point out all the different things in the room. Plus, it's always fun to imitate the "quiet old lady who was whispering HUSHHHHH..." We used to have the board book as well, but it got left on the plane, so our paperback version has also been taped back together too many times to count; in fact, I think it's in need of repair right now.

Ocho Monitos Illustrado por Steve Haskamp. Our best attempt at trying to bilingualise Max. He likes to knock his cabeza and help "Mama llamo al doctor." One little monito disappears each time you turn the page and now Max likes to stick his finger through the hole and look at it on the other side. So, this is probably as far as Max's Spanish is going to go before he actually becomes lingual.