My Youngest Monkey

Reading, Recognition, and a Memory This Nana Will Treasure

Reading With Young Children, One Page at a Time

Watching my daughter-in-law read Coconut Crushers – Jungle Jam Champs with her youngest boy, Miles, was one of those moments I wanted to hold onto.

They were close together, the book open between them. Miles listened, looked at the pictures, and reached towards the pages.

Reading with young children can look like that—attention moving between the story, an illustration, and the person beside them.

For me, there was another layer of meaning. Miles and his three cousins had helped inspire the monkeys in this adventure. Here was one of those little boys discovering the book with his mom.

I could not help but smile.

Reading With Young Children, One Page at a Time

Miles did not need to understand every word for me to treasure what I was watching.

There was his mom’s familiar voice, the colourful pictures, and the pleasure of sharing something together. His fingers reached for the book as he explored it in his own way.

I noticed the small things: where he looked, what caught his attention, and how he responded.

As an author, I had spent time imagining how a child might experience these pages. As his Nana, I was simply grateful to be there.

Four Cousins in a Jungle Adventure

The four monkeys in The Monkey Crew Series were inspired by Wesley, Owen, Blake, and Miles.

Their different personalities, curiosity, and family connections gave me so much to draw from. The stories carry those beginnings into an imaginative world of their own.

When I watched Miles with Coconut Crushers, I could see the connection between the child I loved and the character he had helped inspire.

That made a familiar family reading moment feel especially personal.

You can explore Coconut Crushers and the children’s books here in the Children and Youth Room.

One Small Word: “Mine”

There was one moment that made me laugh.

A Coconut Crusher coconut monster truck appeared in the story. Miles pointed to it and said:

“Mine.”

Then he said it again.

That truck had caught his attention, and he was claiming his place in the adventure.

One small word held so much delight for me. After the writing, illustrating, and work of bringing the book together, here was a response I could never have planned.

It is still one of my favourite parts of that memory.

Letting the Child Lead a Little

Reading with young children gives us opportunities to notice what interests them.

Sometimes they want to linger over one picture. Sometimes they turn back, repeat a word, or reach for the same book again.

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s guidance on encouraging literacy encourages adults to follow young children’s cues, talk about pictures, and welcome familiar stories being read repeatedly. www.canada.ca

We can pause over something they point to, name what they notice, or enjoy the sound they want to repeat.

The time together has value even when the reading takes an unexpected route.

Different Discoveries, Equally Precious

Watching Miles also reminds me of another grandson’s response to a story.

When Wesley recognized himself in The Storm That Wasn’t, he wanted to begin creating stories of his own. I shared that experience in The Most Precious Gift a Nana Could Receive.

Miles’s moment was different: a picture, a pointed finger, and a very definite “Mine.”

Each child brought his own response to the pages.

That is something I want to keep making room for. Children can enjoy a story in different ways, and listening to their responses is part of the pleasure of sharing it.

The Memory Behind the Photograph

I do not know which details Miles will remember as he grows.

I hope there will be familiar feelings attached to books: someone making time, a voice he loved, the comfort of being close, and the enjoyment of discovering something together.

I know what I will remember.

His interest in the pictures. His small hands on the book. His mom reading beside him. The word that made us smile.

These are the kinds of ordinary family moments I wrote about in The Gift of Memories.

A photograph gives us somewhere to return. A few written words help preserve what was happening around it.

A Gentle Invitation to Remember

If you have a favourite photograph of a child with a book, consider saving a little of its story.

What were they looking at? Who was reading? Was there a word, sound, or question they kept returning to?

Write down what you remember, including the small details.

You do not need a polished account. A few honest sentences may be enough to bring the moment close again years from now.