"All the Borders are shutting down. How come people don't go to Bookstores? Because there's good books online?"- Curtis

Curtis is a huge fan of bookstores and libraries and rarely refuses a trip to either. He visits the library on at least a weekly basis and in addition to working his way through the Bill Nye video library, he also gets a book or two on each visit.
Curtis was disappointed to hear that Borders was closing its doors and was very curious about why they couldn't stay open. He gets the basic idea. There's still some local stores to visit but Curtis is a big fan of large chain stores. I imagine it has to do with the familiarity of seeing the advertising, signs, and stores in multiple cities. Here are some of the entries in his summer reading log of finished books, though he fails to record them all. As is his style, he tends to read in clusters.


Magic Treehouse Research Guide: Titanic- by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Treehouse Research Guide: Space- by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne
Magic Treehouse Research Guide: Ghosts- by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne
Tigers at Twilight- Mary Pope Osborne
Dingoes at Dinnertime- Mary Pope Osborne
Civil War on Sunday-Mary Pope Osborne
Revolutionary War on Wednesday-Mary Pope Osborne
Twister on Tuesday- Mary Pope Osborne
Corduroy- Don Freeman
Buddy: The Puppy Place- Eileen Miles
Justin Bieber- First Step to Forever: My Story

Greg, Dad

Curtis finished first grade today and his parents are naturally very proud. It was a great school year. He read all the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books in a matter of two or three weeks and began wearing a "I'm pretty much one of the coolest people I know" wimpy kid t-shirt to school. A real hit with the 4th and 5th graders. His handwriting, spelling, and other areas of academic life improved as we had hoped but it was his social growth that we appreciated the most. Curtis flourished socially this year, feeling more comfortable as his class was unchanged from the year before. This year, a small group of his friends would wait for him as I walked him to school and great him with hugs. Eventually those hugs turned to morning handshakes as Curtis hugs can be quite strong when he's excited to see someone and the "engine" starts running high.

In second grade, Curtis will have a new classroom though hopefully with more than a few familiar faces. His teacher will be different and it takes time for him to build a trust with a new authority figure. His three closest friends are joining a newly opened school a few blocks away and Curtis will surely miss them as they will him. Re-igniting or developing a new social circle is already on my mind but for now it's the start of summer. Time to have some fun new adventures with the coolest kid I know.

Greg, Dad