Repeat, repeat, it's very neat

I remember in graduate school reading an article about children and television, specifically educational TV, and the power of certain shows like Sesame Street to deliver messages to children. One of the later breakthrough shows was called Blue's Clues, which aired on Nickelodeon. The show was a mystery show with a dog called Blue, and children had to look for clues in the show to solve the mystery. This show broke the mold for children's TV shows by airing the same episode for 5 days in a row -- so on Monday, the first show would air and then every day for the rest of the week, the same show would air. The producers, who I believe had a background in childhood education, knew that one important way that children learn is through repetition; and there had been many studies showing that children would read the same books over and over or watch the same TV show over and over as part of their learning process.

I was thinking about this show (which I've never actually seen) as we've been reading to Devon. She goes through a process of selecting certain stories again and again -- so not only will we read the same book from one day to the next, we'll also often read the same book several times in one day. When we were in Sea Ranch, which was about 3 weeks ago, we were reading This Is the Tree, a book about the baobob tree in Africa all the time. Now she's not asking for that book any more and we've moved on to other books. The current favorite is Dad Runs Away with the Circus, a story about a girl and a boy whose father runs away to join the circus and then comes back to his family.

I've been fascinated, though, by the progression of books: something is a favorite for a few weeks and then we cycle over to somthing else. For a long time we were reading Knuffle Bunny, a book about a little girl whose stuffed bunny gets "lost" in the wash. This was a favorite for a while in part because it is set in Brooklyn and has a very different look for a children's book -- actual photographs of Brooklyn with cartoon drawings of the characters superimposed over the photos. It's set in Park Slope, which is Henry's neighborhood, and the characters start off on the stoop of a brownstone that looks a lot like Cass and Jim's. Right after we got back from New York, Devon really started to like this book; and when we'd start the book and saw the stoop of the house, she'd exclaim, "Henny house!" Knuffle Bunny has cycled out of the prime rotation now, but it may come back again.

As you can imagine, since we read these books over and over, the quality of the writing makes a big difference in my tolerance for them. Something like Goodnight Moon is a classic for a reason -- it's possible to read it again and again, and while I may not want to read it again for the 8th time, at least I'm not sick of it. We've gotten a few really awful, treacly books (mostly as gifts, but those aren't confined to others -- I also purchased a bomb recently that is awfully boring) and they're just unbearable to read once, let alone more than once. It's made me realize that with children's books, one should stick to the classics (like Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle and others) or use awards like the Caldecott Medal as a guidepost. Otherwise, it's prudent to read through the whole book before buying it, or you may find yourself cursing mightily as you read through it three times in one day.