Sing Me A Story

"Sing to me of the girl, Muse, the girl of twists and turns
driven time and again off course..." - with apologies to Homer

     During a recent short road trip up the east coast, my daughter started to become antsy and asked me to tell her the "mermaid" story, a story I'd begun to make up a few weeks earlier about a mermaid and a little girl and her baby brother - you get the idea. Anyway, I hadn't finished it and she asked me to continue. I made it up as I went along and when I stopped to think about what would happen next, she would shout from her car seat behind me, "sing me that story." It was music to my ears, a lover of oral epic poetry..."sing it to me," she said, so I did at first. I tried to sing it - to the tune of "This Old Man," but she didn't mean it that way. She meant it in the Homeric sense, for whatever reason, and I loved every minute of it.
      So I forgot to pack any books for our trip, but fortunately we were staying with my in-laws, who have collected and saved a few from their time as young parents. I was drawn to Corduroy, about the little teddy bear who goes on an adventure in a department store only to be "adopted" by a little girl who takes care of him in the end. It is a nice story, told at a good pace for a two to three-year-old who is just starting to learn about buttons and mattresses and homes. The highlight of my daughter's trip, though, was repeatedly riding the carousel (big and brave enough this summer for the first time). Fortunately there is a book about this carousel called The Flying Horses of Watch Hill, (it is a special carousel, the oldest of its kind in the U.S.), and it's the perfect companion to her experience. In this case, the author questions: what happens to the horses at night? Most of our vacation was spent explaining to her that "the horses were sleeping." We had to "wait until they woke up" before we could take her down for a ride. This made me realize that it seems to always be a great idea to find books that somehow summarize or highlight a recent experience. We spent a lot of time looking for shells, so I'll be on the lookout for books on that category next.
     Obviously every special summer town has its own traditions and activities that kids flock to, so these books are often only available regionally. Keep on the lookout for such books if you travel at all this summer. The other great opportunity to find new books during the summer (in our town) as at the local library's summer sale. This s where I usually stock up and buy way more than I need (how can you not when you're given the opportunity to fill a bag for $1 or $5? I can't pass it up. I believe it was Winston Churchill who said "books should be our one indulgence," and I certainly live by that creed. It is at these sales that you'll end up finding books out of print, tenderly worn and loved by young readers, or just ones that you wouldn't have thought to purchase on your own.
     
What we're reading: Tuck Me In 

Why: This is a nice simple story about animals going to sleep and being "tucked in' by the reader by a half-page flap that acts as a blanket for each animal. This could appeal to readers from age one on...I think my daughter was exhausted from being away and just wanted something short last night.

What I'm looking for: She turns three in a few weeks. Any suggestions??