Junie B -- that's all.

I didn't want to like her, but I sort of love Junie B. Jones.

My son's kindergarten teacher read the class one of her books, although she told me that she changed it some as she read it. Like many of us, she had qualms about some of Junie's harsher language. She says "stupid" and "smelly" a lot. Also, she doesn't always use perfect grammer.

But my son LOVED it. He reported that he loved it. And his teacher confirmed that while all the kids loved it, my son ESPECIALLY loved it.

So we started reading some at home and we haven't stopped because: we just love that girl, that's why.

(She talks that way. A lot.)

As a parent, you get used to reading books that are more or less not interesting to you. Sometimes they were a little bit interesting the first time you read them. Sometimes you can appreciate the artistry. Sometimes you like the pictures or the lesson. But it's kind of rare to be reading a book with a kid and honestly say: "we HAVE to read another chapter. Because I want to know what happens next."

But when Junie B was trying to find a pet to take to pet day at school, I actually, really, totally couldn't put it down.

Classic Starts -- what a great start

I like the idea of my children reading classics -- great books that are too easy to ignore in the modern world.

But my enthusiasm for the exercise is often dampened by the uncomfortable truth that old-fashioned books often have old-fashioned sensibilities. The brother in "Charlotte's Web" heads off to school with a knife in his pocket. I turned at random to a page of "Around the World in 80 Days" and was treated to an account of an opium den. Yes, these could be launching pads for great conversations -- for older kids. But my children are very young and I just want a good story.

So what a treat it was to find the Classic Starts version of Robinson Crusoe. My 5-year-old and I lolled about one recent hot summer day, reading the abridged form of the novel out loud, clinging to each other in the scary parts, marveling together at the amazing moments. What a fun book! And my son didn't even question a few references that I am virtually certain were altered from the original account. Did Robinson really survive a scary moment at sea only to drown his sorrows in a glass of punch? Was the original version as vague about the barrels of "liquid" that the ship contained?

I don't want to protect my children too much from the real world. But on the other hand, I've worked hard to make sure my kids have long attention spans and bright minds -- and a modicum of innocence. It's nice to find a book that can accommodate all three traits. The Classic Starts series abridges many different classic books. We'll start on "Around the World" soon, I wonder how it will handle that opium den!

No accounting for taste...

Here's one thing that hits you hard as a parent: Your kids are not like you.

Of course, you knew that going in. But you knew it in a vague, theoretical way. When you actually bump up against it, it still surprises you. At least, it always does me.

For example, my kids love books that I hate. And no matter how often it happens, it still surprises me. "The Color Kittens. "I Stink." "The Little House."

I object to those books based on what I see as uneven rhyme schemes, lack of plot, and anti-urban sentiment. But my sons love them, can't get enough of them, sometimes sleep with them tucked under their arms.

So I smile and read and try to stay focused in the moment, though it's tempting to go over the grocery list in my head at these moments. And I remind myself that there will be a day, very soon, when I'd give anything to have them crawl in my lap and beg me to read a bad book.