It was a wild wild wood…
Here’s a little moment in time. Right after I read The Little Fur Family to Huck (for the first time!) the other day, he wanted to read it himself. This is one of my favorite picture books to read with very young kids, and I can’t imagine how it slipped past Huck until now—I found this copy of the book at the bottom of a box of toys earlier in the week. Of course the very best edition is the tiny one with the faux-fur cover. It’s around here somewhere, but I don’t recall seeing it in ages. It’s probably under a bed.
Anyway, when I grabbed my boy for the read-aloud, he was reluctant to listen, as he very often is right at the beginning. And then, as nearly always happens, before I finish the first page, he’s hooked. It went double this time around. He fell hard for the little fur child in the wild, wild wood, like so many before him.
I caught a good chunk of his reading on video. There’s background noise from his big sisters and brother, but you can hear him pretty well. I love watching the leaps kids make at this age—the substitutions where they think they see where the word is going and plug in one they know, like his “fun children” for “fur child” and “mom” for “mother.”
I don’t know if I caught this stage on video with any of the other kids. I have a pretty young Rilla reading an Ariel speech from The Tempest—you can’t hear much in the recording but it melts me to see the confidence with which she attacks some quite challenging text—but nothing, as far as I can recall, of the others at Huck’s stage. I’m glad I captured this much. Those sneezes!
beginning readers, Garth Williams, Huck, Margaret Wise Brown, posts guaranteed to make his godmother melt, The Little Fur Family
Leah H says:
Oh my! What a treasure!
On April 16, 2014 at 6:33 pm
Jessica says:
Those chubby grubby fingers! The manners! “I read half!” Thanks for making my whole evening.
On April 16, 2014 at 6:35 pm
Melanie B says:
Oh my goodness. So cute! I love his sweet little voice.
On April 16, 2014 at 7:52 pm
Ellie says:
Oh Lissa, the wee little voice! His hands! I love how mindfully he read, really studying each page, slowly turning pages. What a treasure to capture on video. I have few videos of my kids, but my parents filmed many, back when the children were tiny and being babysat by them when i was at classes. Now, at 12 and 14, they still delight in watching them, and hearing their tiny voices.
(Plus: this boook!! I can still recite it!).
On April 17, 2014 at 5:40 am
mamacrow says:
OMG his hands! Oh still so delighfully pudgy!
Also – new book to me, I will have to seek it out!
On April 17, 2014 at 6:49 am
Jen Robinson says:
So glad you were able to capture that on video. I adore the Little Fur Family. Will have to bring it out tonight now 🙂
On April 17, 2014 at 2:51 pm
jep says:
This just makes my day…thank you for sharing!
On April 17, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Mama Squirrel says:
Our oldest loved that book so much, we had it memorized. Sometimes we still say, “bless you my little fur child” when someone sneezes.
On April 18, 2014 at 12:20 pm
Anne V. says:
Lissa, that is beautiful. He is so sweet.
On April 29, 2014 at 7:14 am