Books For The Extra Brainy

(I work in the children’s section of my bookstore. We get a lot of kids with nannies, who sometimes don’t really know how well the kid reads. I often just talk directly to the kid to find something that will work for them. This day, an adorable, articulate little girl and her nanny come to the store.)

Girl: “Excuse me, where are the four-year-old books?”

Me: “These picture books here are great for four-year-olds!”

Girl: *pointing to chapter books* “Are these for four-year-olds?”

(Some families read chapter books to their young children. They read a chapter a night, then as the child learns to read better, the take turns with the child.)

Me: “They can be. Do you guys read stories at home?”

Girl: “Not really.”

Me: *to her nanny, who has been on the phone the whole time* “Can she read yet?”

Nanny: “How am I supposed to know?”

Girl: “No, I can’t read, but I want to.”

Me: “That’s okay, you’ll learn in school!”

Girl: “Yeah! But right now, I just want a book I can read with my BRAIN!”