Every parent knows this book. The one you could recite with your eyes closed. The one you've tried to hide, gently, behind the others on the shelf. The one your child finds anyway.
Should you keep reading it? Almost always, yes.
What rereading does
The first reading is about finding out what happens. Every reading after that is about something else.
- Confidence. Knowing what comes next makes a child feel clever and safe
- Language. Each time, they hear words and rhythms they missed before
- Prediction. Saying the line before you do is the beginning of reading
- Comfort. A familiar story is a calm place at the end of a busy day
A child who asks for the same book again isn't stuck. They're practising being a reader.
The adult side
It's boring for us. That's allowed. But our boredom isn't a reason for them to stop. If it helps, change your voices, pause before their favourite line, get it wrong on purpose and let them correct you. Children love catching a grown-up making a mistake in a book they know by heart.
Adding something new without a fight
- Read the favourite, then one new book, every time
- Find another book by the same author or with the same feeling
- Let them “read” the favourite to you, from memory
- Put a new book next to the old one and say nothing
When to worry
Rarely. If a child only ever wants one book for a very long time and becomes distressed at the idea of anything else, mention it to a teacher or doctor. Otherwise, enjoy it. One day they'll stop asking, and you may miss it more than you'd think.
Looking for the next favourite? 15 Books to Read Before Your Child Turns 7
Which book has your child asked for a hundred times? Tell me below. I suspect we'll see the same few titles again and again, and that's the point.
I read, I choose, and I write about the books that stay with me. I also write The Keeper Chronicles.
Raising readers, one week at a time.
Once a week: a short personal note, one article about reading or family life, one practical idea to try, and a question you can answer just by replying. One email a week, never a sales pitch.
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