Help Regarding Books.....

C., the library is the best place for you to go. Don't buy so many books - they are expensive and you don't need a house full of books. There are libraries everywhere - plenty in Texas.

I assume that everyone in your house speaks English as their second language. If he has trouble with English, make sure that he is around other English speakers often. Find out if there is a program for preschoolers that you can take him to after you move to your new home - even a Mother's Morning Out program would be good.

Your post is a little hard to read, so I'm not sure I understand about your husband and memorizing. If you are worried about your son's development, ask the doctor for someone to evaluate him.

Please allow your son to have MANY interests - not just books. He needs to move and to play, not just sit with books. Night time or just before naps are a great time to sit with him and hold him to read a book. He will be interested and then lose interest and then be interested again as he gets older. Don't try to force it on him.

Dawn

If he likes rhymes, what about Dr. Seuss? I discovered Good Knight books at the library in the early reader section. Not that DD can read them, but they have a pattern she likes. She also likes If you give a....books (give a cat a cupcake, give a mouse a cookie), etc. Does he have Chicka Chicka Boom Boom? Try to find books where he can participate, or they have moving parts (pop out books, for example). I also sometimes read to DD while she's in the tub. She likes Robert Lewis Stevenson's poems for children. I think it's called A Children's Garden of Verses. Or Sandra Boynton. She has a slew of little kid board books that are very silly. And Philadelphia Chickens is a book/CD combo he might like.

My friend's son is bilingual English and French. The kid used whatever word he wanted from whatever language for a while. He understood both, but spoke "franglish" when he was 3 or so. And that was fine. I assure you, he's a normal 10 yr old now, and fluent in both languages.

The problem with comparing kids is that everybody is different. You aren't exactly like your sister, brother, or friend. And that's fine. We can't all be rocket scientists, teachers or bakers. We need variety to have a productive society.

It also sounds like he has an auditory memory, so what about kid songs? They Might Be Giants, Choo Choo Soul, etc. Educational AND fun. Load your ipod and play music for a while. Don't give up on books, but interests wax and wane and maybe right now he's just more active and needs a more mobile version.

Dear C.,

I'm so glad to hear that he loves rhyme and transportation, because I've got a great book to recommend! It's called "Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site." It's filled with great big exciting vehicles, and it's all set in rhyme.

My son also used to like the Richard Scarry books at that age. They don't rhyme, but wow, transportation galore.

And, as others have said, you can't go wrong with Dr. Seuss.

Best wishes,

Mira

just go to the library and load up. there's no need to spend a fortune on books that your son may not love. i recently went through all the beloved books from their childhood with my boys and weeded out the ones they still remember with affection and want to share with their kids one day, and passed on the ones we loved then but don't feel the need to crack open again.
your son may be losing interest because you're pushing too hard. let the books be a choice, not a chore. he's only 3. he's not supposed to be a bookworm *yet*. he's got lots and lots of lots of playing and exploring and discovering to do, and a world full of opportunities to do that. help him do THAT and let the books be just one of many ways you do so.
and if you're moving, you sure don't need to lug a butt-ton of heavy books with you!
khairete
S.

Morning
they aren't necessarily rhyming books, but they are so great.. books by Peggy Rathman... she tells a GREAT story and her pics are good as well!! give her a try.. We loved, ten minutes til bedtime.. officer buckle and gloria.. the day the babies crawled away (not scary) it's about a little boy who saves the day.. Also, Berenstain Bears.. those are good..
they have different levels..
Keep in mind, it doesn't just have to be books.. when my son was little and even today, we read the license plates of cars and then he names the state's capitol.. it's a fun game while on the road.. and we have placemats that had maps on them.. he knows a lot about Geography because of them...
also, as your son matures, notice all his likes. my son LOVES cookbooks.. so he reads a lot of them... they are good for word recognition..

my best to you!

I like to build a home library of gently used books from websites like BetterWorldBooks and Thriftbooks and Amazon used books. Dr. Suess books are great! The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, I wish That I had Duck Feet. There are SO many Dr. Seuss books! If he likes Transportation, your son would prob like books by Richard Scary. Sometimes you can buy books at rummage sales, thrift stores, yard sales, and my library often sells cheap used books. The only time I can get my son to sit and listen is right before bed!