Ava wanted me to read a book with her this evening. Lately I’ve been lying down on the floor in her room with her next to me as I read the book, which she seems to enjoy.
Tonight she pulled out good ol’ Pat the Bunny, which is a pretty popular children’s book that I just can’t stand. But I read through it, front to back, like a good daddy. When I was done, I asked Ava if she wanted to read another book. She did. She walked up to her overflowing bookshelf and stood there, looking. I said, “Why don’t you get Barnyard Dance?” She just stood there. And she stood there some more. Then, to my amazement, she grabbed Barnyard Dance and brought it over to me.
How did she know which book was Barnyard Dance when she was presented with only the small spines of four shelves of board books? The color? Is it possible she recognized the words? Maybe she just associated the visual patterns of the letters on the spine (which are the same on the front cover) with the sound of “barnyard dance.” I just don’t know. But it’s really cool to see her making these connections, however it is she does it.