Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the products you purchase.
I would like to welcome you back to our 30 Minutes of Reading Challenge — Day 7: Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm. For my family there is some books that make you want to sit down and read them to yourself, and then there are books that make you want to read them out loud because you already know somebody is going to laugh.
That’s how I feel about Amelia Bedelia and in our reading challenge today I’m picking up Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm. I chose this book for a very personal reason. My dad was a bookworm. Suzzane was a bookworm. And I am a bookworm. Suzzane and I’ve always had that love of books in common, and I think that’s one of the reasons I enjoy sharing books here so much. There is something special about finding a story you love and then being able to share that love of reading with somebody else.
I just wish David and Charlie were bookworms too. Maybe one day they will be. That’s actually part of why I love doing this 30 Minutes of Reading Challenge. I’m hoping that by making reading part of our everyday routine, maybe David and Charlie will discover that they enjoy reading more than they think they do.
If your like Charlie and David and you don’t like reading I would like to remind you don’t know if you love something until you give it a chance. And if it takes 30 minutes a day and the right book to turn someone into a reader, I’m willing to give it a try. I hope you will come and join us in this challenge and find a book you love.
Amelia Bedelia has been making readers laugh since her first book was published in 1963. She’s famous for taking things literally, which is exactly what gets her into trouble. In Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm, Amelia is helping out at the library. And if you’ve ever spent time in a library, you already know that sounds like the perfect place for Amelia Bedelia to get herself into a little trouble.
She may not know the difference between a stegosaurus and a thesaurus, but she certainly knows how to make reading fun. This is a Level 2 I Can Read, which makes it a good choice for children who are beginning to read independently but may still need some help along the way. That’s something I really like about choosing books for a reading challenge.
Not every book has to be difficult. Sometimes the best book is the one a child can actually finish. A child who is still learning to read needs to experience that wonderful feeling of saying, “I read this book myself.” And Amelia Bedelia makes that experience even more fun because there are so many opportunities to laugh at her literal interpretation of words.
It can also become a little language lesson without ever feeling like school. You can stop and talk about what a word means, why Amelia misunderstood something, and what the person actually meant. For homeschool families, parents, grandparents, or teachers, those funny moments can become wonderful opportunities to talk about language and reading comprehension.
But for our reading challenge, I don’t want to make it complicated. The goal is 30 minutes of reading. Grab your book. Find a comfortable chair. Read with your child, let your beginning reader read independently, or simply sit down and enjoy the story yourself. Set your timer for 30 minutes. And read.
If you finish the book before your 30 minutes are over, pick up another book. Read another Amelia Bedelia story. Talk about your favorite part. Or simply enjoy the extra time with a book. The goal isn’t how many pages you finish. The goal is creating the habit of opening a book and spending time with it.
Today we’re wrapping up our Amelia Bedelia portion of the reading challenge. I’ve really enjoyed bringing these books into our reading challenge because Amelia Bedelia reminds us that reading can be funny, silly, and something the whole family can enjoy. And now we’re getting ready to turn the page.
Tomorrow we begin Henry and Mudge. So if you’ve been reading along with us, don’t stop now! Come back tomorrow and join us as we begin another seven-day reading challenge with a new book series. Maybe one of these days David and Charlie will become bookworms too. I’m still hoping.
After all, I became a reader because I had people in my life who loved books. My dad was a bookworm. Suzanne was a bookworm. My mom would read and my Aunts and Uncles were bookworms. And I’m a bookworm. Along with David’s mom and my friends who I share books with at different times.
Maybe we’re just waiting for the next two bookworms in the family to discover their books. For today, though, let’s give Amelia Bedelia one more round of applause and spend our 30 minutes reading. One more book. One more chapter. One more day of building the habit. And tomorrow, we turn the page again.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates