I've set aside my reading for a while,
And picked up novels favored by my daughter.
They have a fairly element'ry style,
But now and then the stories do hold water.
I never thought I'd have the patience for them.
But ever since we finished Harry Potter,
I've put down grownup stuff. I can't ignore them.
It's like I've found a magic sort of blotter,
That lets me read her thinking in the mirror.
She'd always kept her cards so near the vest
I had no chance of seeing any clearer
What might be going on; I'd only guessed,
Until I started reading what she reads.
And now it's like I'm getting Facebook feeds.
Or sort of a Rosetta Stone: translation
That gives us stuff for pleasant conversation.
If I can pick up useful bits of knowledge
I'll keep this up for sev'ral years... and then,
When she begins her freshman year of college,
I'll start back in on Jean de la Fontaine.
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Comments
If you like audiobooks, I highly recommend Harry Potter on audio (get them from the library, they're expensive). Jim Dale who reads the US editions is fantastic. It's a brilliant one-man radio play.
(Having a dyslexic kid--we have a lot of audiobooks). Fun for summer road trips.
I'll have words with anyone who doesn't consider Harry Potter literature. Such well written books. I'll throw down the gauntlet and all.
froggy, we're going on a long trip for vacation soon, the kids and I. I think I'll take the Harry Potter audio series along. I've heard the first few CDs. Jim Dale really is terrific. Thanks for reminding me.
ladyslipper, thanks for the tip. And I know another mom who went from juvenile novels all the was to Dostoyevsky. And thanks for the compliment.
Dave, thank you for the tip, too. I'm better at the reading than the play. But I'll watch, and look for opportunities.
anna1, it began more as idle curiosity than a cue. But then I got pulled in. And then poof! we had a character-in-common, outside of our lives, whose successes and failures we could talk about with absolute abandon. This is made-to-order, for anyone who wants to listen.
vanessa. I agree - pero yo, lo he leido en espanol. Para un ejercicio. But I missed a lot. Had to do #7 in English to catch up with her.
jane, aha! Now you'll have to wrap them up in grown-up book covers, to sneak a read in safety!
nola, thanks. And thanks for coming by.
Patty, I'm glad to see you around, commenting. Yes it gets very active -- when they're here I read TO them, and when they're gone I read PARALLEL to them.
That's it for now. Hey look! It's only 9:15! I have time to read!