Hop On Pop

Two weeks back while dad was busy finding running shorts; the preschooler and me were in the books section of a small department store. Can we buy this one, let me see, errr, no. Can we buy this one, see it has princess on it! Please?No Honey, we buy a book which is fun to read and not because it has a picture of a Princess with perfect blond hair and practically no waist! I have an aversion towards these Disney princesses that are being thrown at my girl everywhere we go. They are nowhere close to the reality she is facing everyday. The fictional world of kid’s television exasperates me to the brink. Dora's backpack talking to her, girl going into the coloring book; What are we trying to achieve by pulling the young intelligent human mind away from the factual world? Some argue it's all fun. What fun could it be when you are trying to make your way through the maze and every so often are presented by these phantoms which befuddle your path? Many of us think that kids love to pretend and I beg to differ. They seem to be enjoying the pretend work, for lack of trust and responsibility vested in them, that's the only way for them to be like us. Try giving them age appropriate real work like making lemonade in a real kitchen or pretending to make lemonade with all the fancy toys and your doubts will be cleared! A make believe world which children create themselves where they let their imagination run wild and change roles every day helps them understand the world around them but the Disney or Nickelodeon super imposed fantasy world doesn't do more than creating confusions. Oh well, sometimes venting is good for health. Getting back to the books, after rummaging through about 10 - 15 books, we hopped on pop, oh not on the one who was looking for running shorts rather we spotted the book Dr.Suess's "Hop on Pop” for the youngest readers. All I have to say is if you have a preschooler at home GO, Grab this one! It's a perfect companion for those who are on the threshold of reading. The rhyming phrases are hilarious like "Three fish in tree / Fish in tree? / How can that be?" The reader not only learns words but also gets introduced to the enjoyment that only reading can bring. Last night our daughter read more than half the book all by her self! The exuberant expression on her face and the twinkle in the eyes was priceless and invincible.