Try This! Book Buddies

This past summer Hadley and I were book buddies, an easy, no fuss activity that allows you and your child to discuss (via writing, of course) a book together.  Here’s what you need:

– A book that you agree to read together (Hadley and I agreed to alternate the book choices. So I’ll see her Captain Underpants and raise her some Kate DiCamillo).

– A journal (I’m pretty sure the one we are using was purchased in the dollar section of Target a couple of years ago)

– Pens or pencils.

I taped some reading prompts from our school’s newsletter inside the journal so we had some direction to our notes back and forth, but I don’t think it’s necessary.  The point is to model good writing, and connect with your kiddo over a story.

For my first letter, I asked Hadley if she would like to be book buddies and she wrote back and said, “YES! I think being book buddies would be a GREAT idea! Do you have any other ideas?”

Oh yes, Miss Hadley.  I am full of good ideas.

The only rule Hadley and I made for ourselves was to write about the pages we read. I would try, now and then, to encourage Hadley to write a little more, but I paid attention not to sound “too like a teacher” because I wanted to keep the project fun.

For the most part, Hadley and I continued our book buddy project throughout the summer, but stopped once school started.  Last week though, we went to the library to look for more Nancy Drew books (Hadley’s latest series endeavor).  She is on the eleventh book and the library didn’t have that one, so she wandered around a bit looking for something else (she likes to read them in order). When she found Captain Underpants, I said, “C’mon, Hadley. Not that one.” But you know that’s just going to make her want to read it more, so my second attempt was this: “You can get that one if you get one I pick out.” So she picked out the book about a guy with underpants on and Beverly Cleary’s Ramona Forever.

On the way home, Hadley started reading parts of Captain Underpants out loud and much to my surprise (and I’ll admit, delight) I was laughing so hard I had to stop walking and catch my breath. Hadley was thrilled and kept reading while Harper and I giggled away.

Right before bed that evening, Hadley handed me the Captain Underpants books and said, “I’m done with these but you laughed so hard while I was reading that I thought you’d like to read them. Maybe we can do book buddies again.”

So we will.

(Hadley’s trying her hand at cursive.)

I’m trying it with Harper, too.

**New on the blog!** I’ve compiled all the reading and writing activities in a nice, neat list for you. Check them out here.