Tiny Reader
When I became a mother, I imagined many things — sleepless nights, tiny socks disappearing in the laundry, and the overwhelming love that people always talk about. But today, I see magical things about book reading that I never imagined before, with my one-year-old baby.
At one year and three months old, my little boy cannot read words, of course. Sometimes he doesn’t even sit still for more than a few seconds. Within those few seconds, he turns pages too fast, occasionally chews, and sometimes the book ends up upside down. And sometimes he keeps spinning the book around. so funny!!
But somehow, those moments have become one of the most special parts of our daily life.
Every evening, before bedtime, we have a small ritual. I bring a few of his favorite board books, and we sit together — sometimes on the couch, sometimes on the tatami mat surrounded by toys. The moment he sees the colorful covers, his eyes light up. He reaches for the book with such excitement, as he has just discovered a tiny treasure.
He doesn’t follow the story the way older children do. Instead, he points at pictures. A dog. A moon. A tiny duck. Sometimes he babbles something that sounds like he is trying to explain the story to me instead. I read the words anyway, but more often I describe the pictures, make funny sounds, or exaggerate my voice. His first-year birthday book is one of his favorites.
Then comes the vehicle book.
I’ve already had to fix these books two or three times because when his tiny legs land on the pages, some of the soft pages tear. So this mom keeps putting them back together.
What surprises me the most is how attentive he can be. For a few minutes, the world disappears for him. His little fingers slowly turn the thick pages, sometimes pausing to tap a picture over and over again as if he is studying it. What is he thinking of!!
Of course, not every reading session is peaceful. Some days the book becomes a drum. Other days he crawls away halfway through the story. And sometimes he just wants to flip through pages as fast as possible, like he’s speed-reading the entire library.
But I’ve realized something important: at this age, reading is not really about the story, it’s about connection. He builds his own world with these little picture books.
It’s about sitting close, feeling his small body lean against me, hearing his giggles when I make silly animal noises. It’s about the quiet moment when he rests his head on my shoulder while I turn the pages.
Experts often say reading early helps babies develop language skills, imagination, and curiosity. I’m sure that’s true. But as a mother, the benefits I notice first are much simpler and much deeper. I don’t know if he will grow up to be a big reader. Maybe he will love books, or maybe he will prefer other adventures. But I hope he always remembers the feeling of stories being warm and comforting. I love that feeling.
For now, our library is small. Mostly colorful board books with animals, shapes, and bedtime stories. The pages are thick, the stories are short, and some of them already have tiny bite marks.
But to me, they are priceless. I always believe in that books are miracles, eventhough we are very much advanced with technology the miracles done by the books cannot be replaced by anyother.
Because inside those little books are not just pictures and words — they are memories in the making.
One day, he will read the words himself. Sometimes he will probably read faster than I. One day, he might even tell me stories instead.
Until then, I will happily keep reading about cows that say “moo,” ducks that say “quack,” and moons that say “goodnight.”
And my tiny one-year-old reader will keep turning the pages — sometimes carefully, sometimes wildly — discovering the world one picture at a time.
How about your Tiny Reader?
