We haven’t picked up the Llama Llama books in a while because, if you remember from a few months ago, Ishu was so obsessed that he ended up ripping out several pages. I set them aside to tape them back in…eventually. But never got around to it until now.

Well, reading these books is like an entirely different experience now.

Before, Ishu had loved listening intently as my voice fluctuated when Llama called out for his mama. He loved looking at all the pictures. And, while I’m sure he loves all that still, he knows so many more words.

So he pauses on each page, repeating the words he knows. Over and over.

Like, the sentence where “Mama kisses baby’s hair, Mama Llama goes downstairs.” He stopped and said “baal” (hair in Hindi) again and again while pulling on his own hair.

When Mama Llama was downstairs doing dishes in the sink and heard the phone ring, he immediately lifted his hand up and put it to his ear.

When we read Llama Llama Time to Share, he immediately said “Bih Thuh” when I started reading the first page where it says Llama was playing with trains and trucks. “Big Truck!” Again and again and again.

It’s always been recommended that we revisit toys and revisit books – even when our kids seem like they’ve moved on. And it’s probably for this very reason.

As they develop and learn over time, they can access things so differently. In an entirely new way. It’s no wonder everyone has shelves and shelves of books that they can never part with. No matter how early you’ve exposed that book to them, it is still so meaningful.

We may go another couple months without reading these books. And I’m sure he’ll surprise me – once again – with how much more he knows.

I can already imagine what it will be like in a few years. He will snuggle up next to me on the couch. Open up one of these Llama Llama books and HE will be the one reading to ME.

And I will tell him (and show him!) all the different ways he loved these books over time.

So, yes, my sweet baby, even though we’ve read Llama Llama a million times before, we can – and will – read it a million times more.