Tobey: Wordless book

I happened upon this book and borrowed it from the library last week. I thought it was interesting because it has no words and therefore encourages or forces kids to make up their own story with the pictures. After talking to Angela on Monday, I'm glad I got this book. She said it's good for this age so that kids don't get "paralyzed" by not knowing how to read the words.

So I tried it for the first time tonight with Tobey. I wasn't sure if he was going to go along with the program because he often plays shy when asked directly to do something or to "perform". But I was pleasantly surprised that he was willing to make up and narrate his own story and do it through the entire book, not getting bored or giving up halfway through.

The pictures have an obvious intended story and me, ever the there's-always-just-one-right-answer kind of person, tried real hard not to influence or guide him to that intended story. I was as much proud of myself as I was of him for doing just that. His "story" was more of a non-fiction narrative, which probably is a result of us reading more informational firefighter and space shuttle books to him than made up stories. Instead of something like:

"The little boy bent down to tie his shoe but when he looked up, his school group was gone."

And more like:

"When you go to a museum, you can bend down and tie your shoe!"

I can't wait to "read" it with him again and see if he comes up with a different story and/or a different voice. And of course I want to find some more books like it.