One of the best parts of Brother Reader is being treated like a rock star. Today it was just me and Liam, but when the boys came in from recess, it was like Santa Claus had just arrived.  We grabbed our group of boys and settled down in a corner. I couldn’t help but notice that the other kids, even some of the girls, we looking over with jealous eyes. It looks like we’re a hit.

Our first book was “Once Upon a Royal Superbaby,” by Kevin O’Malley. The boys absolutely loved the butt-kicking toddler and his motorcycle, and actually liked the girly segments too. Their one complaint? “The superbaby needs a puppy.” So there you go Mr. O’Malley; ball’s in your court.

To be fair, that is a pretty sweet motorcycle.

Next, Liam read “Cat Secrets,” by Jef Czekaj. The book required our boys to meow, purr, and roll around the floor on command; in other words, what they do for fun already. The looks from the kids on the other side of the classroom seemed to be a mixture of “What are they doing?” and “Can I do that?” The boys were also spellbound by the little mouse continuously trying to steal the book of cat secrets (when they weren’t rolling around the floor of course).

Finally, I read “Punk Farm,” by Jarrett Krosoczka. We followed concert preparations for the barn’s most happening band, which is led by a sheep and features a goat on bass. The kids loved singing screaming EE-III-EEE-III-OOOOOOO, which generated more confused looks from across the classroom. All told, we had a pretty good day, and kept our rock star image afloat.

How does the goat play bass with no thumbs?

We also have an update from the guys at Yates. Dylan and Will were there today reading to a few guys. “Dot,” by Patricia Intriago was a big hit (it always is), as well as Liz Rosenberg’s “Tyrannosaurus Dad.” Dylan finished with one of my favorite books as a kid, “Casey in the Bath,” by Cynthia DeFelice. “Yea, it was pretty awesome,” said Dylan; high praise from a guy who once described the Homecoming Dance as “sleep-inducing.”

We’re also applying for a grant from Innovations in Reading to expand our program. We’re hoping to hear back from them in a month or two, but we’ll keep you posted. In the mean time, keep reading!