Shirley Hughes is an author we like a lot around here. She also one that we did not know about for a long time. She is British and some of her work is out of print, never the less, her drawings and stories capture childhood development in a visceral way and our kids love them.
One of her books entitled Don’t want to go coincidentally about a young girl named Lily who does not want to spend the day being cared for by a neighbor when her mom has the flu and her dad has to go to work.
Ultimately Lily has a great time and when her dad picks her up from the neighbors, she intones “Don’t want to go”
This episode is one that has been played out over and over in many households, and we had what I hope will be a winning moment in preparing Lily for preschool in the fall.
I played my guitar for the kids at Luke’s preschool last year. To my great joy and satisfaction I am now playing there again as a way to get Lily used to the environment and keep a connection for her upcoming attendance. The first day she was not at all interested and said over and over “me no like that!”
But low and behold after 20 minutes of singing and Lily finally getting up and joining in the dancing of her own accord, what do I hear, but “me no want to leave”
That translates a week later to her leading the charge, basically running into the school for our next “concert” she even had a request, one of Luke’s favorite songs:
Go figure.