I was really tired tonight and wanted to skip the reading session but when 3 year old looked at me with big, earnest eyes and requested soooo sweetly for,
“Only one book. Read just one time. Say, pleasssssse…”
I couldn’t say no 
He chose “The Trucks are Stuck” again, clambered onto bed to wait for me while I refilled his water bottle.
When I joined him there, he said,
“Lucas read by yourself.”
And I nearly fell off the bed when he turned to the page after the title page and “read” aloud:
“The pizza van was stuck in the mud.
The police car was stuck in the mud.
Stuck in the gluey, gooey mud.”
I laughed (out of disbelief and also because he was reading three lines off a blank page). Anyway, I praised him and then told him that’s the not the page where the words are…
This has to be one of the most amazing reading sessions we’ve ever had – I was laughing and WOW-ing at him the whole time! Unknowingly, he’d memorized practically the whole book
During our previous sessions, he’d yell out “Police car to the resuce” (or tow truck or backhoe and etc when he saw the oncoming truck).
This time, as he’s shown interest in the printed words, I decided to trace my finger along each line I read. Also, I kept quiet (and did not repeat, at his request) the parts he “read” out correctly e.g.:
“Bad luck, I’m stuck!”
“The pizza van was stuck in the mud.
The police car was stuck in the mud.
The tow truck was stuck in the mud.
The backhoe was stuck in the mud.
Trapped tight in the mighty mud.”
(he pointed out ‘police car’ in the line)“Fire engine to the rescue! ‘Quick! Get the hose,’ said the fire captain. ‘We’ll spray this icky mud away.’ ”
“The pizza van bounced out of the mud.”
“And that was the end of the sleepy, creepy, deeper-than-you-think mud puddle.”
What’s unnerving is how calm he was that he could “read” – I was *SO EXCITED* I think Hubby could even hear my exclamations and laughs during his conference call in the next room.
He was so, so adorable reading aloud parts of the book in his teeny toddler voice – I hope I can record this session on video. I bet his aunts are going to have a lark over this too!
His Dad couldn’t wait to end his call to find out what THAT was all about and he’s also insisted that we buy this book for him. I hope I can find it!
Yay, all those nights of reading to him is paying off because we now have a little bookaholic
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
interesting eh?! they do actually absorb what is read to them. i don’t diligently read to rye li like how u do with lucas but i did notice a few occasions whereby she will take the book and ‘read’ too. not exactly word for word but the gist of the story is there. yes, too cute this age to see them do such thing.
also to add, i cannot believe rye li can also converse along her barney shows like how she ‘reads’. she does this better than reading coz she watches tv alot more. when i caught her doing this for the first time some time back, i told hubby “our daughter watches too much tv already!” LOL!
Syn – Ya, unbelievable, right? I don’t read to him as often as I used to either. And I’m glad he’s starting to read ‘himself’ LOL
Sounds like Rye Li’s into books too
Hey, I used to do what Rye Li does too when I watch TV. My Mum said I could sing and speak out all the advertisement’s jingles LOL Lucas watches TV in an ‘active’ way – he literally gets off his feet and does what the TV characters do! We feel so exhausted watching him