Tomorrow is the first day of school for the kids. Cate's teacher has asked the kids to bring in a favorite book to share with the class. I think it is her way of both getting the kids talking about books, as well as learning about where their interests lie. Cate was going to bring in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" but couldn't bring herself to leave it at school for a few weeks, as required for the project. She's too deeply immersed to stop for a few weeks. The other Harry Potter books she thought she might want to bring in have been loaned out to family members. So, what did my sweet little daughter decide to bring instead? One of her "Barbie Junior Novelization" books. Ugh!

I've spent amazing amounts of time reading with my kids. It is one of the things that I have the greatest desire to instill in my children -- a love of reading, an ability to read and analyze books and an understand what you like about them. We've spent thousands of hours reading together -- mostly classic, quality, good, old-fashioned children's books. And I've been blessed. My kids love to read, both together with me as well as independently, and they are quite proficient at it. It's been one of the things that has come fairly easily to them. Cate herself is a tremendous little reader for a girl just entering 1st grade. But it just boggles my mind that her favorite book that she wants to share is on her Barbie Junior Novels. How could this be? Of all the books in all the library shelves -- why did it have to be one of these?

Ok, so maybe I'm being a bit over-dramatic. I know these Barbie books are often based on classical stories (Swan Lake, Dancing Princesses) but with Barbie cast in the starring role. They have bright, beautiful pictures. They have chapters that are just the right length for her to read to herself independently. The stories capture her imagination and encourage her to keep reading. And I know she has a sense of pride in how many of these books she has read on her own. I know I shouldn't complain. But really, Barbie?