Are You My Mother?

Today I read the book "Are You My Mother?" by P.D. Eastman to my five year old class. I chose this book for several reasons. The first is that is was a favorite of mine as a child, and I have probably read it over a thousand times. I like reading books that are familiar because then I can be much more dramatic.

Another reason I like this book is because it presents an issue that the children in my school must deal with every day. Namely, the sadness of longing for their parents who are away at work. In the book, when Mother Bird realizes that her egg is getting ready to hatch, she goes out to find some food for her baby; low and behold, the egg hatches while the mother bird is gone. The baby bird immediately misses his mother, and goes out looking for her. He goes on an adventure, meeting several animals and things that are not his mother, for whom he is fervently searching.

The children in my class were enthralled by my reading of this book. When the story reached it's climax, and the poor baby bird found himself lost, alone, scared and in terrible danger, one little girl right in front of me said "I think I'm going to cry," which made me think I was going to cry.

Joyfully, the baby bird was reunited with his mother, and all was well. Still, at the point of this happy conclusion, the same little girl said "I still think I'm going to cry," which brought a feeling of tenderness to my heart. That moment embodied all of the reasons I love teaching young children. My class and I all lived that story and we all loved that book and we all experienced it together.

As happens in preschool, the event concluded far too quickly. Once the book was over, there was no time to linger. We were already late for outside play, and there is a certain danger involved in not allowing a large group of preschoolers to have their full playground session. So, the moment ended, but the feeling held on. I am looking forward to another day of teaching.