Book Worms

Anyone with little kids knows that when they get hooked on a book, you'd better be prepared to read it a thousand times or more. The twins' favorites cycle in and out, and the current must-read is usually phased out within a matter of days. But the two current faves seem to have some staying power.

For the last week or so, they have demanded several-times-daily readings of two particular books. The first is The Devil You Know, by Nathan Hale. The second is Chicken Butt, by Erica S. Perl. I have to admit, as far as kid books go, these are pretty darn great, especially The Devil You Know. Both are funny and irreverent- two qualities I prize in literature of any kind. They're clever, and Hale's story is remarkably sophisticated for a child's book. But despite all those good qualities, after approximately 200 readings this week, I'm starting to get a little tired of them. So tired, in fact, that my brain groans when they want to read "the little devil." At this point they can both recite them almost verbatim, and they start asking for them about five minutes after they wake up.

And I know that repetition is good for kids, and that reading their favorites over and over helps foster a love of books. But for the love of pete, can we get a little variety in here???? I realize that it could be worse- this beats the hell out of the time that they were hooked on Everybody Poops- but I wouldn't mind switching it up a bit. But I've learned by now that no matter how much I love a book, once it becomes a twin favorite, it's all over. They've already ruined The Giving Tree and Love You Forever to the point that I don't think I'll ever recover my former fondness for them.

But there's one thought that gives me comfort through every repetitious reading. Oddly enough, both The Devil You Know and Chicken Butt were gifts from my sister (who shares my love of irreverent humor). So I'll pass these on to Sawyer in a year or two. And then it will be her turn to hear "Hey Mommy, guess what? CHICKEN BUTT!!!" from morning till night. Bwahaha!

If you'd like to check out these literary gems for your own rugrats, here are some links:
http://www.amazon.com/Devil-You-Know-Nathan-Hale/dp/0802789811

http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Butt-Erica-S-Perl/dp/B0051BNX16/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329438305&sr=1-1

And I highly recommend last week's favorite, I Want My Hat Back
http://www.amazon.com/I-Want-My-Hat-Back/dp/0763655988/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329438359&sr=1-1

They're all guaranteed to be funny for both kids and parents for the first 50 readings. And really, what more can you ask for?