“What will you be for Halloween?”
“PEANUT BUTTER!”

“This story is about getting ready for school, and…”
“PEANUT BUTTER!”

“Have you ever been to the zoo?”
“PEANUT BUTTER! PEANUT BUTTER!”

Now, that’s my kind of book group.

Stacy -
Thanks for the glimpse into the emergent reader group. It sounds like it’s not quite as demanding as it’s billed.

For us, I pose some questions or we do activities that mirror or come from books or we get many books on the same topic, so that the natural process of integrating information happens. But as Shannon says, about half the time my son is not interested in my questions, and that makes me wonder about the challenges of getting a group to focus like that.

It is so nice to see you posting again! And I’m curious to hear how things develop for you!

I’ve been thinking since Meg was born about a mother-daughter bookclub when she’s older. I think you’re right about the power of discussing books to foster intimacy. There’s an article in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue of Mothering magazine called “the page turners” about a group that started when the girls were 8 and which has been meeting for 11 years. It’s very much what I’d like to experience when Meg gets older. I’d point you to the article, but it’s not online. Here’s a bit of it:

Along with lengthy book discussions and a lingered-over meal, the girls have usually created something, played a game, or planned a book-related field trip. The host member would choose the book, plan the activity, and add two pages to the Page Turners scrapbook: one collage-style page decorated with words and images from the book, and occasionally a picture of the club; and a summary page taken directly from the book jacket.

We now participate in a book group with kids ages 4-8. We talk about the books, what we liked and didn’t, why, and sometimes discuss concepts in literature like setting, plot, conflict, etc. But we keep it simple and focus on the fun of reading a book and the subjects that grow organically from the topic in the book.

In our family, we have certainly read a book that has inspired us to do something related to the story….like cooking like Laura’s family in the Little House books…or writing a letter to a famous person like the main character does in A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt. You can think along these lines as a way to get kids to both enjoy a story that you all share and then relate it further to their lives.

You might also pick up a copy of Five In A Row and see if any of the activities/concepts discussed with those books gives you ideas for an activity or discussion to have with the kids about the books.

Enjoy!

Acting out stories has always been problematic for my children. I remember vividly acting out Abiyoyo read on a record by Pete Seeger with my brother when I was a young girl, but suggesting or doing the same with my children made them either annoyed or scared.

I wonder if just choosing a book and reading it aloud would be enough to let conversation happen organically. Kids have lots of opinions, as can be seen at any library storytime. They are aching to relate every similar experience or idea that comes to mind.

Have you thought about doing something more along the dramatic play lines? Getting together 3-4 preschool-aged kids and acting out “Frog and Toad” in a reader’s theater-style format can be great fun and works with a span of ages and abilities. Drama is a huge component of the preschooler’s inner life (eh, and external interactions as well). They love novel ways to express those big feelings — to be the annoying or beautiful or mean character who says beautiful or nasty or funny things. You may find that they’ll want to act out the same story many, many times (beyond your personal desire to do so. These games/reflections also build socio-emotional skills and bond the group.

Just start with Going on a Bear Hunt. Way fun and funny, particularly when done with kids you don’t know all that well.

We never established ground rules, but the unspoken assumption is that there is no “right way” to read or interpret a book. All comments are welcome, from the silly to the sublime. If the discussion gets stuck in superficiality, one of us will ask about the books themes or symbolism, then sit back and marvel at the kids’ ideas.

At home our family takes turns (all four of us) reading aloud from classics. Taken in small bites, some of the books that kids would not choose on their own turn out to be their favorites.