Reading is Fun

I love it when I can find a book that my son Ethan enjoys so much he doesn't want to stop reading it. I found one at the library last week, called Oops! poems by Alan Katz that had him howling with laughter and pausing to read poem after poem out loud to me. After he finished the book (it has 125 pages of poems), I read it. I will share two of my favorite poems here. And, of course, they both have particular meaning in my life right now.

Over the weekend, Aidan asked me, "Mom, can I watch a movie?" I said, "No, we have other things going on right now and we don't need to turn on the tv." About five minutes later I heard him ask his dad, "Dad? Can I watch a movie?" I said, "Uh uh...if Mommy already said no, you don't ask Dad if it's okay." Tricky little boy.

So here's the poem, called "Worst Things First":

Mommy said no,
and then I asked Dad.
Daddy said yes;
now Mommy is mad.
So Daddy said no,
and Mommy agreed.
Them working together's
the last thing I need.

The backstory on the other poem: We bought a new couch and chaise longue a couple of weeks ago. We got a really good deal, and they are beautiful. And I love them. And at least 15-20 times a day I have to ask my kids to not jump on the couch and to not eat on the couch and to please just sit down on the couch. So here's the poem, called "Auto-matically Problematic":

Mom got a new car,
so no drinks in the back.
No markers,
no crayons,
and no crunchy snack.
No ice cream,
no pudding,
no putty,
no clay.
No feet on the seats
and no silly horseplay.
No toys filled with liquid
and nothing with chalk.
Good luck with the car, Mom,
but I'd rather walk.

Of course, these were my favorites as a mother. Ethan loved the one about the washing machine, and the one about the underwear, and the one about Grandpa drooling, etc, etc, etc...

For those of you familiar with kids' books, are there any your kids love or you loved growing up (either picture books or chapter books) that I need to check out at the library?