Obsessed with Reading Two Books

My mom can still recite my brother's favorite book as a child.....he's 34 years old. Personally, I would put a boundary at certain times. I would do this by giving her 2 other options to choose from; "we aren't going to read anymore but you can either do this or that (things that she used to enjoy for example. At bedtime, 2 books, end of story. Other times that work for you, read more.....

Just an opinion....

Hi, C..

My daughter was like this, too, wanting to read the same books over and over again. It can be really tiring for us, who know how much other good stuff out there there is to read. But perhaps she's really connected with these two stories, and I've found with my daughter, after a while she would start to pretent to read parts of those books to me or to herself, and then she would be so proud of herself when she "read" a whole book by herself. Because she knew the story inside and out and which words went with which pages, it really seemed like she was reading it herself. She then wanted to read it to other people, too. Now she is 6.5 and she's reading at a 3rd grade level and loves reading. And she did eventually pick other books. ;)

The one thing I always try to remind myself is that things always change. That's the one thing I can rely on is change. ;)

Peace,
K.

Totally normal. With many things, the more I resist it, the worse it feels or seems and sometimes the longer it lasts! Think of it as your daily meditation! [Try to] have fun!

R.

Yep, it sure is normal. Just try to grin and bear it. Doesn't hurt to try and throw in other books also every once in a while... :) Even at 4yrs my daughter for the last two weeks has wanted me to read the same story before bed at night. I remember her doing this when she was younger also. I guess they just love repetition and get attached to certain stories. Hope you don't go insane! :)

Your message makes me laugh because my son (who will also be one in December), also has 2-3 favorite books, and he only wants us to read those books to him. I think it's normal, I'm not sure why they like certain books over others, but oh well. I know it drives my husband and I nuts too, and we have those books memorized by heart.
You're right when you say, at least they love books.

Good luck,
A.

LOL, as you've already heard, you're daughter is perfectly normal. And you will memorize MANY books over the next few years. And not just books either... Songs, hand games, the words to her favorite cartoon... My son even has me repeatedly read cards that he gets for birthdays, holidays, etc. I think I've already listened to Frosty the Snowman over a hundred times since Thanksgiving and that's just in the car! Kids love familiarity!

My husband and I laughed just the other day because it's gotten to the point now that our son "reads" us the books, and I mean word-for-word. You'd think they'd get bored, but you won't get so lucky, LOL! Enjoy it, hard as it may be, because we'll look back on it and miss it one day...

Kids are such a kick in the pants! Try a glass of wine with those books, (for you not her)slow calming breathing, draw from your sense of humor, and trust me on this one - you will have far bigger issues when she is a teenager. This too will pass...

Hey Mercer Mayer is my fav too! However, I like them all not just a specific two. But when my son was 18 mos he loved the day at the beach & to get away from reading it constantly, we bought the interactive CD ROM version. It was easy for him to use, we just took the keyboard away and let him navigate the mouse. All the pages have cute things that happen when you click on various areas and It reads the story to you in Critters voice.It's super cute and only about $10.00 at Office Depot. Also it was good for eye hand coordination skills, now he is super smart and every once in a while still likes to play this game he is 7 now so it was well worth the $. Plus we have a doughter who came along after him and she loves it as well.

I dont know if its normal, but it was normal in our family, my son loved me to read the same book over and over again for like a year, then it was on to another book for a long time. Kids are so cute.

Most library's have a bord book section, take her and let her pick out a few new books.
Wipe them down w/ a bleach wipe and let it dry before you let her play w/ them.
The experiece of getting to pick the book, will just blow her away.
While you are there ask about story times!

this was normal for us. i had to read this one animal book over and over every night. this went on for months. gradually i introduced different books that we added to the one book he loved. his choices have changed in the past couple years(he'll be 4 in january and my daughter just turned 3 in november) and they both have ones they want us to read to them but now it's more like just a few nights in a row or for a few weeks. then they go onto a different obsession..lol lol

but it is normal and it's a way for them to feel certain about things. routine routine routine.. kids need it and thrive on it..

Kids this age need structure and they get that by being repetetive. They do things over and over because they know that they will get the same response and they feel safe with that. That's also why kids wear the same costumes over and over or the same shirt, or lovie. They know that those items will always be there and will never change.

In regards to her crying over and over about wanting you to re-read the book, at the beginning of story time, tell her that you can read three books (or four or two, however many you choose) and then say she can choose which ones. If she wants the same book three times, that's it. BE CONSISTENT. Don't let her beg for more. Make sure you don't ignore her wishes that you read the book three times but stand up for when she says More more more! :D

Good luck!

This is normal. I would choose a book and then read the "required" book(s) chosen by my child. It will pass, but I know it's painful for you as a parent. I can't remember the specifics, but I know it's a good thing to have a favorite book or two, intellectually speaking, for your child.

The other thing you should know is that she has figured out that if she cries, you do what she wants. Also normal.
:)

As my sister in law told me when we went through this, This too shall pass. It is a phase. I want to tell you be happy it is two books. FOr us, it was one book, "Playful Puppies." I still have is memorized. We now have 5 books we cycle through, and she is now two. I am still "allowed" to read only one story at night, "Good Night Dora." I have that one memorized also. So, my advice is, this too shall pass.

Also, a friend of ours that writes childrens books reminded me, the fewer words on a page the better at this age. It will keep their interest. Are the other books you have tried reading to long and busy with words?

Just hang in there, it'll pass.

And I leave you with, See the puppies play, they love to run and jump...

Hi C.,
As everyone else told you, it is normal. My first son loved the book "Goodnight Moon". He is now 4 and reads(memorized) it to his brother who is almost 2. My 2 year old loves the bood "How do Dinosaurs say Goodnight". With both of the boys I let them bring a book to bed with them. They love to look at the pages while winding down for bed. Have fun. The stages do change.
Chris

It's very normal for toddlers to have one or two books that are their favorite, and yes, you'll be reading them repeatedly. My son is 6 1/2, and I can still recite Guess How Much I Love You from memory. Just keep reading her two favorites, and try to throw in a third one every once in a while to give yourself a break. After a few months, my son started getting attached to new books, so it was a nice change of pace. Keep it up. :) Reading to your kids, even at this young age, is SO great for their verbal and reading skills. I wouldn't be surprised if your little girl is an early reader. :)

So totally normal. Kids love repitition. It helps then feel secure. It's annoying, but keep doing it. You can keep trying to introduce new books, or take her to the library or bookstore and let her pick out a new book. But she'll move on to something else. My son has favorite books that we read over and over again, and a few favorite movies that he'd watch on repeat all day long if I let him. And he's 4. So the obsession with something will probably always be there as she grows, but it will change as she grows. You don't have to just keep reading it over and over again, tho, you can tell her "all done" after you're tired. She may get upset, but that should only happen a few times before she understands that mom can't just keep reading all day.

Yes, your daughters behavior is very normal. Children that age love repetition and they LEARN so much from it. They also love things that are familiar so try to be patient and hang in there and believe she is learning every time you read. She is learning about expression and how to make reading fun, and tons more. My guess is that if you can truly enjoy that time with her with her 2 favorite books she'll more quickly want to read 2 other books. Maybe AFTER you read her 2 favorites you can introduce one of your favorites and let her know you are going to take turns. Another thing I think is really fun when you read is if you have the pieces that the child can play with or put on a felt board as you read or tell the story. I am a little biased because I sell these LOL but I truly think they are awesome. For example, for the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? we have the felt pieces for it! Another popular one is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I also love The Wheels on the Bus. Anyway, we have 20 different figures to tell that go with a book AND have 2 extra stories with them. That may be a fun way to get her interested in something else, but beware, she may want one of those stories over and over too!

The best is really be patient. Try to introduce new stories but just let her love the books she does. I know it is hard, but just hang in there and think of the rest of us reading the same book over and over. :)

Anyway, feel free to check out my website to see the awesome products I mentioned. They are called Figures to Tell.

D. Edmondson
www.funfelt.com/D..html
Let your influence be FELT!

Ha ha ha...yep, my son went through that phase too. After a while, my husband and I started making up different stories to go along with the pictures. We eventually progressed to, "OK, now YOU read me the story." Our son cracked us up with some of the things he came up with :)

He still has his handful of favorite books, but at least it isn't just "Elmo and Friends" every single night anymore! Good luck...

A.

In a short answer...Yep! Kids love repetition and it can test moms patience for sure. My son never let me get through one book before he wanted me to switch to another. I finally had to (HAD TO!!!) tell him that if he interrupted the book I was reading, I wasn't going to read anymore. It's just a phase and it will pass, I promise. Your sanity, on the other hand, might be a little longer in getting back to normal b/c there is sure to be another phase on the heels of this one! LOL

~L.

It is so normal, it will drive you crazy,my know 3 year old has always LOVED books but in the beginning it was always a select few over and over again, I remember this being true w/ all my kids, but nothing like it was with her what I finally had to do was say Ok I will read you those books but first mommy really wants to read this one, so if you want me to read those ones, first you have to listen to this one, she would balk a little but in the end she would listen to the other book, we have 3 shelves full of books know, and if books were the only things she got for x-mas she would be very happy she loves to go into stores and look at toys but almost always wants to buy a book, most of my girls are good readers even at 16, my boys not so good, so enjoy her love of reading and know that it is so very important for children to love to read and be read to, even if you know all the words to the same story by heart.