Jake is the only child I babysit for who loves to read, and at his request, we go to the library every day. We both pull books off the shelves, then he decides if they're worth examining further. We put all the books that pass the first test on the table, and read the first few pages--then they go either into the Yes pile or the No pile.
He loved Ling and Ting, even though it's about people he normally refuses to read about: GIRLS. He got all the humor -- I could tell by his pleased, amused smile at the end of each little story. And I know he loved the book because before we'd even left the library he'd had me read it all twice.
He didn't comment on the characters being Asian, and my guess is that he didn't notice, and I KNOW it wasn't something that had anything to do with whether or not he wanted to read the book. He's three, almost four; maybe when he gets older, this will change; but maybe -- and books like Ling and TIng may have something to do with how it all comes out, for him and others? -- it won't.
