When I was a kid, these books were my favorites. I think at one point I owned the whole collection. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Ryder loves them too.
There are two things Ryder asks for every night now. "Mama read Me Too?" being the first. We traipse up to his room where I somehow manage to fit into his toddler bed with him. We read the book. Then when I say "The End" he says, "More?". So I tell him, "Ok, I'll read this one more time" while holding up a finger to indicate one. His response? "No, 2!" where he dutifully holds up two fingers to show me. What ensues is a kind of back and forth giggling battle where I try to fold one of his fingers down to show him ONE more time, not two.
Whether it's one more time or two more times that I end up reading it, I always end up giving in to his other request. "Twinkle Twinkle?" We shut the lights off for the night and I sing or hum twinkle twinkle, little star to him until he falls asleep. Usually I do too, either waking up on my own or to my husband telling him it's time for bed.
If there's one thing I've learned from being a mom it's this. It all goes way too fast. No matter how cliché that sounds to you all. But I also know the parents reading this know all too well what I mean. They move on so quickly. One day it's Dinotrux and the next it's a story about being a big brother. But regardless of the subject matter, it's our job as parents to make it fun. Whether it's doing silly voices or making dramatic shows of emotions like the characters making it fun is what will make it a habit. And as we all know, the joys of a healthy reading habit are endless.