Llama Llama

We try to read to Alex at least a few times a week. He usually has to be in a good mood to make it to the end. Otherwise, he gets a little grumpy. I love to read, so I hope he has more interest when he gets a little older.

One exception is a book he got at one of my baby showers - Llama Llama Misses Mama.  We started to notice pretty quickly that he seemed to pay more attention to this book than his others.  Success!  The issue?  Well, no offense to the Llama family, but Llama Llama is kind of a brat.  In fact, the first time Michael read the book to Alex, I heard him comment, "I don't like this Llama Llama kid."

In the book, Llama Llama goes to school for the first time.  It is a hard transition & he doesn't handle it very well.  He won't play with the other kids, he won't sit on the reading rug, he won't eat his lunch, etc...  He eventually has a meltdown (a common occurrence in the Llama Llama series) because he misses his mama.  The teacher explains that his mama will come back when the day is through.  Little Llama actually chills out & has some fun.  He finds out (as the book says) he loves Mama Llama & school too.  It's a good lesson for kids & the book is kind of fun to read (I never realized how much rhymes with "llama").

Well, the other day my sister brought over a copy of Llama Llama Red Pajama from the library.  Sure enough, Alex loved it.  Since then, I picked up the two other Llama Llama books at the library - Llama Llama Mad at Mama & Llama Llama Holiday Drama (and Grammy got him his own copy of Mad at Mama for an early Easter present!) 

Spoiler alert...  Here's a quick summary of each book:

• Misses Mama - see above.
• Red Pajama - Llama Llama is in bed & wants a drink of water, but his mama is busy.  He doesn't want to wait, so he freaks out & yells for mama.  Mama tells him to stop all this llama drama & be patient.
• Mad at Mama - Mama Llama takes Little Llama to the Shop-o-Rama & Llama Llama gets tired of shopping, so he throws out all the stuff in cart onto the floor.  Mama tells him she thinks shopping is boring, too, but they can have fun afterward.
• Holiday Drama - Llama Llama gets overwhelmed waiting for Christmas & loses it in a fit of holidrama.  Mama explains Christmas is really a time of being together - not gifts & food.

I'd like to think that Alex loves the big pages, colorful illustrations & rhyming (I mean, you gotta love all that llama drama), but I'm secretly worried that he identifies with Llama Llama.  Is he thinking, "Hmm, that llama is always throwing tantrums & never really gets in trouble"?  I have mentioned to him once or twice that if he throws out the shopping cart contents, it will involve a trip out to the car - not me telling him how I just love spending time with him even though shopping is boring.  Ha.

I'm sure I'm in denial anyway.  I know kids have meltdowns & tantrums - my Little Llama will be no different.  I just can't help but be a little freaked out that he is SO interested in these books.  J

Reading with Daddy

 Reading with Aunt Amanda