Friday, July 15, 2011

"Mom, I want the big blue book!"

So, here's a closer look at those bookcases I posted yesterday.  All nicely arrange by reading level.
Picture books on the bottom:
 Easy-ish readers, or books I wouldn't mind Boo reading kind of in the middle:
 Books I'm not sure she's ready for (or I know she's not ready for) on top:
 Which leads me to the title of this post.  Boo informed me a couple of weeks ago that she needs a stool in there to reach the top shelf.  Naturally, this gave me pause because I'd put the books up that high for a reason.
"Why?" I asked her.
"Because there's a book on the top shelf I want to read."
"What book is it?"
"I don't know, but it's a big blue book and it looks good and I want to read it."

Do you see the big blue book?  Know what it is?  Let's take a closer look:
"Boo, you can't read Harry Potter 5."

Crazy child.

Anyway, I told her we could read the first Harry Potter together after we finish what we're reading.  She didn't love that answer, but whatever.

How old would you want a child to be before reading Harry Potter??  I figure I don't mind her reading the first one or two with me at this age (she's going into first grade), but I don't think I want her to read 3 for another couple of years!  Let alone 4-7!!
(And, no, she's never seen the movies.  Never expressed an interest.  Should I have her watch the movie first or read it first?)

3 comments:

  1. I think this is a great article and it is how I have decided to expose my kids to all things HP: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/growing-harry-potter
    So far it is working well for our family.

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  2. my daughter was 11 when she read the first Harry Potter. Being only a year younger than Harry she kind of grew up with him--so spacing the books a year apart (as they were released) matched her maturity level. She totally loves the wizarding world of Harry Potter and has re-read the books several times. I think the stories are enchanting, and have never understood why some people see Harry Potter in a negative light. It is after all imaginary--and kids understand imaginary very well.

    and you should always read the books before viewing the movies, this allows the child to imagine their own version and avoids having their imagination dictated to them.

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  3. Tricia, that is a great article. Thanks!

    Kaye, I don't have a problem with the stories, I just think they're too scary for my kids right now. I love the idea of kids reading them when they're about the same age as the characters but I'm not sure I can put Boo off for that long, lol.

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