Shiko Nguru : Reading with My Daughter

I am SO happy that Ella loves reading as much as I do. I’ve been reading to her from the moment she was born and to this day, it’s still one of our favorite bonding activities. Her nap and bedtime routine has remained the same since she was an infant: bath, book, bed. She even has her very own bookshelf full of wonderful little books that she reads over and over again

So yesterday when Ella came home with reading homework for the first time, I was thrilled! Having some new reading material would be perfect, right?! My excitement vanished the second she produced the reading book from her school backpack. Ladies and gentlemen, see exhibit A. (seemingly from 1983):

This book looks like it has been around since pre-independence. In fact! It was probably left behind by little “Peter and Jane” when they had to leave in 1963. But that’s not my only issue with this book. Take a gander at the content.

Listen, this is Kenya. We do not beg dogs to come swim with us. “Pat” the dog would remain at home because swimming is for people. And fish. Also, Pat’s name would be Simba or Chui or some other name that doesn’t sound like it belongs to an elderly librarian.

At the end of the day however, reading is still important and so is homework. So I sat Ella down and she effortlessly breezed through the assigned reading. We even read a bit more because it took her less than a minute to read through the 3 pages introducing us to Peter, Jane and Pat (the swimming dog!). She is a great reader and I couldn’t be prouder!

I do wish her school would get a better selection of books for early readers, even if it’s just to supplement what we already have at home. Maybe I’ll make that suggestion to her teacher. Oh gosh, I’ve become one of those moms, eeek!

Guys, my dream one day is to write a children’s book. And if this is what our kids have in school to read, I’m more motivated now than ever!

More about parenting from Shiko’s Blog.

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