Chapter Book Party

This year we've been trying to encourage Sophia (1st grade) to read more.  While the Pizza Hut Book-it program was always enough of a reason for me to read as a child, it isn't quite inspiring Sophia as much as I would like!  Honestly, free pizza still works for me...sad, but true!!  Sophia has really transitioned into a great reader this year coming a long ways from Kindergarten where she would cry when I forced her to sit down and read.  I have spent months slowly buying her "Junie B. Jones First Grader" books in preparation for when she was ready to read chapter books. 

She, on the otherhand, has spent months nicely stacking the books on her desk in her room.  She can read them.  She has read the first 2-3 chapters of most of the books.  They just don't capture her attention the way non-fiction books do, specifically, animal books.  She LOVES reading the facts about the different animals and is constantly asking me to find pictures on the internet of very specific critters.  Needless to say I did not enjoy her short interest in all things spider-related.  We're currently interested in sharks, which somehow, I don't mind as much!  But someone please explain to me how to Google "the shark with teeth that look like hair." 

This last week she started reading one of her Junie B. books.  She'd read a few chapters at a time and was getting past her normal cut-off point of chapter three.  So I told her if she actually read the entire book and saw how the story ended, then we would throw her a party.  That was all it took!  She suddenly couldn't put the book down.  And I'm proud to announce that Sophia finally finished her first chapter book, cover to cover.  "Junie B. Jones, Boss of Lunch" we'll always remember you! So, we had cake to celebrate.  (Please don't judge the way I frosted it.  I know I should have put more effort in, but it was a little last minute!)

Update:  A few days later she has finished her 2nd book and started on her 3rd.  Who knows how long this will continue....but I'm excited!  Not to mention we finished her Book-it requirements again this month and now get to head to Pizza Hut.  Happy first grader, happy mom!