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I'm sorry to say it, because I'm sure it's quite educational in its own way, but Curious George Learns to Count from 1 to 100 is a bit of a purgatory for the adult reader. It's not so bad at first, as you recite your way through the litany of 11 yellow hats, 16 rubber duckies, and 26 pancakes, but it's hard not to despair once you get to the 55 paper airplanes, and realize you still have nearly halfway to go. Even Older Nephew declared, after the second time through, "That's a long book." I heartily agreed, upon which he added, "but a really good one!" My assent was less whole-hearted there.
The Little Train gets a tad tedious by the fifth time through, but even I learned some things about trains from it.
Something quite extraordinary happened the first time I read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - both nephews sat absolutely still in rapt silence through the entire book. (Younger Nephew is not really so much into being read to - although he will sit and 'read' a book to himself - while Older Nephew usually interrupts a reading every few pages to ask questions about the story, as is entirely right and proper. In fact, he often asks the same questions at the same points in the story each time.) The rapt silence wasn't repeated for the second and third readings, but did prompt a quite lengthy conversation with Older Nephew about having bad days, visiting Australia, getting mad at one's friends, and preferences in breakfast cereal. I had a very difficult time explaining why Alexander doesn't like kissing on TV, though.
The Little Train gets a tad tedious by the fifth time through, but even I learned some things about trains from it.
Something quite extraordinary happened the first time I read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - both nephews sat absolutely still in rapt silence through the entire book. (Younger Nephew is not really so much into being read to - although he will sit and 'read' a book to himself - while Older Nephew usually interrupts a reading every few pages to ask questions about the story, as is entirely right and proper. In fact, he often asks the same questions at the same points in the story each time.) The rapt silence wasn't repeated for the second and third readings, but did prompt a quite lengthy conversation with Older Nephew about having bad days, visiting Australia, getting mad at one's friends, and preferences in breakfast cereal. I had a very difficult time explaining why Alexander doesn't like kissing on TV, though.
