Read It Here First!

Boldly going where no kindergartner has gone before.

Madeline just came home with an award from her kindergarten teacher. And a new book. I like the award, but the new book really makes me proud.

All year long, Madeline has been bringing reading books home. At home she reads the book to one of us; we sign a paper to say she read it. At school, she reads the book again; a parent from school signs the paper if she reads it perfectly. All the kids do this. Those that get it down faster move on to the next books first.

The teacher uses the same books for her class that she's been using for years. And the early books in the series show their age. Each of them has been pawed, bent, and scrapped by each kindergartner over the years. Over the course of the year, the books Maddy brought home have improved in condition, reflecting progressively less and less historical circulation. And, now, she's run through them.

Madeline's certificate tells me that she's completed another series. That's great. But the brand-new book puts her achievement in perspective. She's turned into a reading machine without peer. Pretty sweet.