there's a comic book store near my house which i step into every now and again. i went in one time looking for something bella and i could read together. bella was close to reading on her own and i thought reading a good comic together might stimulate her interest and learning. a clerk directed me to the BONE series. i picked up the first few books in the series and took them home to bella. we read a chapter or two over a couple of days and then while i was sleeping or at work, can't recall which, bella learned how to read on her own. it wasn't at all how i imagined it. i expected it to be a gradual and pain-staking experience but for her it just sort of clicked and one minute she couldn't read and the next she could. as for my BONE experiment she left me in the dust and after a few more days asked if there were more of them.

it wasn't until i was stuck recovering in bed for two weeks that i got to revisit the series but instead of reading them with bella i read them with alex. there are nine books in all and it is available in one 1,300+ page collection. there aren't many long tomes such as this that can be enjoyed from start to end by kids and parents alike but this one hit many of the marks and i'm glad it found its way into our home.