The Lovely Magic of Reading the Same Book Every Night
By: Krystal Keagle
If we were counting repeats, Maya would have completed 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten this year with just a single book: Baby Beluga by Raffi.
We checked out a copy of it during Maya’s first-ever library visit 18 months ago. We have read it or sang it at least once every single day since.
Maya loves music (her father and grandfather are musicians) and marine animals (her bedroom is ocean-themed), so I assumed she would enjoy the book. I had no idea the impact it would have on her, or our family.
From the first time we read Baby Beluga, Maya wanted to read it every day. She started asking for it at bedtime, and it became part of our nightly routine. She quickly memorized the book and turned each page right on cue. If I sang faster than I turned the pages, she asked me to stop singing so that she could turn the page herself.
Eventually, I needed to return the book to the library. Maya was so sad that I picked up a copy from Target that day. At night, she wanted to keep looking at the book in bed after we said goodnight. My husband and I often listened to her sweet little voice singing it from the hallway.
I eventually bought a second copy of the book because the first one was so well-loved that I had to tape it together. We still have both copies — I don’t think I’ll ever be able to throw that first one away. It sits tucked away on her bookshelf and will forever be a taped reminder of these early years.
I added the song version to Maya’s playlist on my Apple Music, and soon we were singing along with Raffi every day on the drive to and from daycare. There have been several days in the last year-and-a-half that our family started and ended our day together singing Baby Beluga. Many of our road trips to visit extended family included at least one rendition of Baby Beluga.
One evening a few months ago, Maya was playing alone in her bedroom. I went to check on her and found her reading Baby Beluga to her stuffed animals, who were tucked in under a blanket as if it were bedtime.
I froze in the doorway, hearing her sweet voice and watching her smile at her stuffies as she sang. Our nightly routine was so special to her that she wanted to recreate it herself. I teared up silently as I watched from the doorway, not wanting to interrupt the moment. I will never forget it.
Our bedtime routine has evolved as she’s gotten older. We’ve added other songs to our repertoire, but Baby Beluga is a constant. We’ve gone through phases where we sang the song together or took turns singing it, with or without the book. Lately, Maya requests that I sing Baby Beluga last and that I always follow the book page by page.
Beyond the emotional connection, Baby Beluga has also been a great way to track her language skills. In the beginning, she would say just a few words clearly and jumble consonants on some words — “beluga” was “bewuga” for a while. Now, she sings every word with perfect pronunciation.
Having a book be so familiar is a tremendous help as we start to teach her how to read. Since she has the entire book memorized, I often point out words, spaces and punctuation marks. She recognizes many of the shorter, repeated words in the song, like baby, swim, wild, sea, go. At 3.5 years old, she often asks how words are spelled. Baby Beluga is a cornerstone of what I hope is a lifetime love of reading and stories.
My sister recently had a baby, Maya’s first cousin younger than her. When we went shopping for a baby shower gift, Maya chose a copy of Baby Beluga, so that her baby cousin could also fall in love with the magic of the “little white whale on the go.”
What is your child(ren)’s favorite book? Has any story become a ritual or extra special in your home? I’d love to hear about it! Share your stories in the comments on the Elkhart Public Library’s Facebook page.