One Book, Two Book, Three No More

I never thought I'd say these words but, we love books around here. What's not to love? Words, vivid pictures, exciting stories with conflict, complex characters, and plots. After going through all four stages of book exploration - gnawing, banging, page flipping, and throwing - Grayson has progressed to showing an interest in what's on the cardboard page. He picks out the books he wants to read at bedtime. And read again. And again. And again. And again.

His current favorite is a little tale called Baby One Two Three. What's that, you ask? A tense story about a baby who has to learn to count, or his adorable little dog will be boiled in tomato soup and eaten by a witch? A tale of a green-haired monster struggling with Mo, Phoenix, and Growly, his multiple personalities? Perhaps an adventure epic about a race that starts with a countdown and ends with one victorious baby champion capturing a lifetime supply of cinnamon teddy grahams?

Oh, sorry to burst your bubble, Baby One Two Three is none of those things. It is a counting book with photographs. One cute tiger cub. Two wet faces. And on and on and on until you reach nine noisy farm animals and (if you are over the age of five) think plucking your eyebrows would be more pleasant than reading this book yet again.

For some reason, Grayson loves this book. It can't be for the original artwork - the pages are filled with photographs of ducks and trucks and bananas. It can't be for the witty dialog or powerful plot. Nothing happens, unless you consider the tension that develops after you see seven funny penguins and wonder what could possibly follow a page full of penguins to be something happening.

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His devotion mystifies me.

His other favorites are equally thrilling: Goodnight Moon (which has those weird, green-tinted pictures and that pesky old lady rabbit whispering hush all the time) and The Wheels on the Bus, a book version of the song that never fails to get me humming about windshield wipers going swish swish swish all night. Dang windshield wipers. This morning, he went into his room and brought Goodnight Moon out to the kitchen because, apparently, five readings at night are not enough and he needs a run through before he can start the day. These books are not even confined to bedtime overload anymore.

It's all my fault. I'm the one who decided that we should start packing (4 months ago) away the things we don't use daily in preparation for the Big Moving Day......big mistake! Grayson's books, my blender, extra sheets for the bed, lamp shades...yes, the lamp shades. What was I thinking???

Did I not foresee my son suddenly growing attached to his books, or that I would have to do laundry 3 times as much so that we could sleep on clean sheets? Did I not hear (in my mind) the awkward conversation that would take place when Kevin came home from work and discovered the lamp shades were missing??

"You packed away the lamp shades?? But why?? Why wouldn't you just pack the whole damn lamp???"

I didn't foresee the aftermath......I just saw a perfect box to pack the lamp shades in, so that's what I did.......DON'T QUESTION ME, MISTER!!!

Anywhoo.....back to the problem at hand.


We need a board book intervention. This calls for a trip to the library. So, tomorrow morning, Grayson will sit and listen to Story Time and then he will pick out a few new books to take home. We will finally have something new to read.

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Oh, and while we are out of the house, Bentley just may happen to find that Baby One Two Three has somehow been magically dropped in a vat of bacon grease and, oh no, Grayson may have nothing left but six tall flamingos, new reading material courtesy of the public library, and counting memories.


On a serious note - do they pepper the Goodnight Moon books with some sort of baby version of catnip during the printing process? What IS it about that book?