My son read his first all-by-himself book this week. It was one of Mo Willems‘ Elephant and Piggie books, called Today I Will Fly. I am immensely proud, of course. We haven’t had this many celebratory dances around here since the days of potty training.

My daughter’s first all-by-herself book, several years ago, was Red Fish, Blue Fish.

You don’t necessarily realize, until you watch a preschooler sound out words one by one, how much a little repetition and rhyme can move things along.