Five of Faith's All Time Favorite Books

-
We've been reading books to Faith ever since she was a baby. When she was little, she had to wear an eye patch for 30 minutes a day in the hopes it would help strengthen her eye muscles so they would no longer turn inward. 

Reading a book to her while she was wearing the patch was a great way to keep her distracted from having to wear it. Even after she no longer had to wear the patch, she continued to love being read to.

Reading to Faith when she was little

As Faith got older, we had hopes she would learn to read on her own. She is ten and that still hasn't happened. We continue to pray and try to find ways to help her be able to read. Her music therapist is trying to do all she can to help us with this endeavor. We know her vision is fine, but we think her eye muscles might not be working properly to enable her to focus on seeing a word long enough to read it.

Instead of reading, she spends a lot of time memorizing. For this reason, she likes shorter books and even though I've tried to read chapter books to her, she quickly loses interest. She even memorizes the name of the author and the illustrator which is handy when we go to the library to look for books!

Daddy reading one of Faith's favorite books to her

Through the years, she has especially liked these five books:

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish - Even though there is a younger and more modern Amelia Bedelia, Faith still likes the old-fashioned funny housekeeper who works for Mr. and Mrs. Rogers and has a habit of taking things way too literally. There are a lot of times I roll my eyes at Amelia Bedelia's silly antics, but I must admit, she is pretty hilarious.

The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone - I was amazed to see that this Sesame Street book featuring Grover was first published in 1973. That means the story is older than me! One of Faith's former respite care workers loved this book as a child and I'm glad she recommended it to us. Ever since Kimberly came for a visit last month, Faith has been wanting to read this book again almost every night.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen - This modern classic is not only a book but a video as well. There are a ton of videos on YouTube where kids do their own rendition of this popular book. I must admit when I first read it to Faith, I wasn't overly impressed but she absolutely loved it. It started to grow on me through and for as many times as we've read it, I'm still not tired of it.

Curious George's First Day of School by H.A. Rey - Curious George is a cute little monkey "who's also very curious." Faith loves most of the Curious George books but the one where he goes to school to be a helper is one of her favorites. She also likes to watch Curious George on DVD and Netflix. It's also on PBS at 7:00 a.m. but that's a little too early for us!

Franklin Makes a Deal by Paulette Bourgeois - Franklin is a cute little turtle who has lots of animal friends. There are lots of Franklin books, but this one is Faith's favorite. I think it's because we're always saying to her, "OK Faith, here's the deal..." She also likes to watch Franklin on DVD.

I'm curious to know what some of your child's favorite books are. Also, if your child has special needs, what are some things you are doing to help them learn to read? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Some Thoughts on World Prematurity Day

-
Image
November 17 marks World Prematurity Day . One might wonder why awareness needs to be raised about premature births. Well, I can tell you firsthand that it is a really good thing when more people are aware of the risks and complications, not to mention the emotional toll, of having a baby born too early. Having a baby born prematurely is not something most expectant parents think about until it happens to them. Most moms-to-be who first learn they are pregnant automatically think they have seven or eight months to prepare for one of the biggest days of their life. Expectant parents usually have one response when asked if they are hoping for a boy or a girl - "As long as the baby's healthy." But sadly, sometimes that's not always the case - especially if the baby is born too early. I will never forget the book I was reading shortly after finding out I was pregnant with Faith - "What to Expect When You're Expecting." It was a great resource that o
Read more

My Little Vacay to Nebraska

-
Image
When one thinks vacation, they probably don't think about Nebraska, especially in November! But when I heard that a friend of mine was going be having surgery in Omaha, I began thinking about how great it would be to go down that way, especially since my sister, Tesa has lived in Lincoln for 17 years, and I have never had the chance to visit.  Lo and behold, my dad had also been talking about heading South to Texas in November to hunt wild pigs. My two respite care workers were available to look after Faith starting on a Friday morning through Tuesday evening. All I had to do was book a flight so I could get back home.  Despite all the details falling into place, I was still anxious about it. I haven't flown since Faith was a baby, so I was especially nervous about that part. I prayed about it and believed that everything would be okay.  On the morning of my departure, Faith woke up just in time and her respite care staff was able to get her dressed and take her to her day prog
Read more

Faith Turns 21!

-
Image
 Faith's 21st birthday was on Friday the 25th and it ended up being an all-day celebration! She didn't sleep well the night before, so I was a little concerned she would run out of steam, but she just kept going! It ended up being a beautiful fall day, so I didn't even need to put a jacket on her, which is rare for the end of October.  Faith in her new birthday shirt!  This year, she was able to bring cupcakes to HIT. Last year, due to the dietary restrictions of her peers, she didn't bring any treats. This year, however, she is a new room, where they truly love their snacks! After I dropped her off, I raced around like a maniac getting her ballons, presents, and everything else ready for the surprise party we would be having at the end of the day.  Faith with some of her staff making a cupcake delivery.  When I picked her up from her day program, I informed her that some friends of mine that I worked with wanted to give her a special birthday treat. So, we made our way
Read more

Goodbye to Our Special Tomato Adaptive Car Seat

-
Image
Today we said goodbye to our Special Tomato adaptive car seat. And special it was. It helped Faith stay safe and secure in our Hyundai driving her back and forth to therapy appointments, shopping excursions, and many other activities. It also helped us through our time of not being able to afford an accessible van. Like all adaptive equipment , the special car seat was expensive and although it is the law that a child is secured in a car seat while traveling in a vehicle, neither health insurance nor Medicaid would pay for it.  Thankfully, we were able to receive funds from the fundraiser, the Great American Bike Race ( GABR ) which helps families pay for services and equipment that insurance doesn't cover for kids with cerebral palsy and related disabilities.  After doing research on the Internet and talking to Faith's physical and occupational therapists, we decided to go for the Special Tomato adaptive car seat. You would think something with that name would be
Read more