Weekly Children’s Book Review: Pat the Bunny

Each week during this month, I will post a review of a children’s book that I have read.  One of the first books I vaguely remember is the classic Pat the Bunny.  The tactile aspects of this delightful book, like the bunny’s soft fur and Daddy’s scratchy face, definitely made an impression on me.  Maybe this doesn’t make for much of a review, but it indicates to me that when it comes to babies and toddlers, reading should be an experience that appeals to all five senses – the sounds of the words that are read, colorful pictures, various textures, maybe some scratch ‘n sniff features, and even sturdy pages that can withstand an exploratory bite.  Presented with such wonders, children learn from the beginning that books are their friends.

Most of my early reading memories are from when I was about five and older, which is just beyond the age group that the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy focuses on.  Even so, I know that my parents made sure I had books from the time I was born.  On the other hand, I don’t remember my parents ever reading to me.  They were always very attentive to my education in every other way, but this apparent lapse began troubling me more and more.  Finally, when I was a teenager or maybe a young adult, I asked my mother why she never read to me.  She said that I wouldn’t let her!  Apparently, I began reading at a very young age and wanted to do it by myself (imagine that…)