We moved a bookcase into David's room a couple of weeks ago (see photo). It enabled me to tidy up all his books and have them in one place - his room - rather than our room, downstairs, in the bookcase in the hall. As you can see, he already has a few books. He knows them all, because there is the occasional new one slipped in, which he finds as says"New book!! Read the new book!" He likes a variety every night and from night to night. The Gossie and Olly books are probably regular favouites, for the last book before bed.
I also took down the change table. this gives him more space to play. We have the duplo in his bedroom and a few toys. This is part of a broader reorganisation of the upstairs, including the office etc. A beginning, but a long way to go....
Anyway, David just loves having a bookcase full of books. He is hilarious - he stands in front of it and looks through them all. I ask him to choose a book and he says "ummm, this one, No, this one." Then when we have read it he jumps down off my lap on the chair and says "Read another book." I am lucky if we can confine it to five books before bed - he generally cries when I try to reduce it to three. Cruel mummy! They are generally short books though. Then I have to sing him a song (or three). The favourites at the moment are My darling Clementine (he thinks it is very funny when I sing "Oh my darlin..") and Leaving on a Jet Plane. This one is a bit sad, particularly with his dad flying away a lot, but he still really likes it, and asks for it. I also sing a variety of other songs, like "Botany Bay", Molly Malone", "Born Free", "You are my sunshine" and folk songs, nursery rhymes, anything else that I can think of. The funny part is that during the day he will say "NO SINGING" if I start singing, but at night he yells out "Sing another song" as I am trying to get out of the room and going down the stairs.
He asks for more books, and songs when he doesn't go to sleep, or wakes up, and calls out to me. It is often the easiest way to settle him again. In the night though (for example, last night at 9.45pm) he definitely gets only the book or a song.
