Today I was thinking about how much children's literature affect children's lives. I just recently started babysitting a group of four young boys. They range from ages 2-5 and it has been so much fun to play and learn with them. One thing I always notice is how much they love to read and connect with literature. The other day the youngest one Lane who is two got a new book. He is obsessed with this book. Every time I would try to grab the book from him to read it, he would say "No, it's mine!" It is a song book that plays music while you read along with the lyrics. I was singing the words to him, and while I was reading it I would skim the words with my finger. He then started copying me and was using his finger to read to. I thought it was so funny to watch how he mimiced me but it showed me how easily kids pick up on things. By skimming his finger, he knows you read from the left to the right. The other boy who is five still loves the Pirate Island book I got for him. He loves to pretend like he is a pirate so this book which is about a young boy who is a pirate really clicked with him. Children's literature is something that influences kids on a daily basis. Even though Lane can not read, he still understands the concept of a book. It is weird to think of a time when children and adults had to share the same literature. It is something most people take for granted, but seeing how much the kids love their books really brightens my day!