Reading in the Rain

All the rain this week has been good for the garden and wonderful for our reading habit. I have read the kids at least thirty different books 5 to 70 times each.

I will spare you the laundry list and describe our four new favorites.

As expected, If You Were My Bunny Board Book has been a big hit. Each of six animal mothers comforts her baby with a lullaby set to the tune of a familiar classic. For example, the mother bunny sings

Hush little cottontail, don't you hop.
Mama's going to bring you a carrot top.
If that carrot top should wilt,
Mama's going to bring you a clover quilt.
If that clover's buzzing with a bee,
Mama's going to bring you some dandelion tea.
If that tea spills on the ground,
You'll still be the sweetest little bunny around.

On a similar note, the Agents love Daddy's Song. Their affection may be due in part to the fictional father's similarity with their own Papa -- a geeky bespectacled man who sings his children to sleep every night. The book is told in easily singable verse. The illustrations are an amazing blend of realistic and ridiculous.

With our new tenants and our neighbor's new chickens, the kids have been talking about oviparous animals all week. Always eager to latch on to the kids' interests, I pulled Leo Lionni's An Extraordinary Egg off the shelf. The illustrations are as wonderful as you would expect from Lionni, and the story is very funny. Agent 004 has a new favorite book.

Mr warillever and I have both enjoyed reading Bedtime for Frances this week. Probably more funny to the parents than to the kids, the story is about a badger (Frances of Bread and Jam for Frances fame) that has a difficult time falling asleep one night. Father Badger might just be my new parenting role model. Julie, I think you may agree with me on this one.