Ramona

I have been reading aloud to Caroline since she was in the womb. Literally. I was one of those pregnant moms...

From the time she was born, reading would soothe her and make her happy. This year has marked a big change in our reading lives. Caroline is beginning to read on her own. It seems like everyday she is reading something new. She will look in the book we are reading, the newspaper, a menu and suddenly surprise, even herself, with the words she can read. She also writes constantly- names, words, descriptions. For months, she would insist that I spell every word she would write. Amazingly, she is now taking big risks, inventing spelling for herself.

While reading and writing on her own are obviously monumental steps, we are also moving into a new world of read alouds. I have been trying to move Caroline to novels for ages and she is just becoming interested. We have found some fantastic new titles but this week she has settled on a book from my childhood- Ramona and Beezus. While some of the book is a bit outdated, Ramona's personality is timeless. And so much like Caroline.

I'm starting to think that we have found a nickname for Caroline- Ramona perhaps?