I Like Her Version Better

Fiona is on a reading spree lately.  She is loving it, and last night, she was bursting with pride as she read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to her sister.

*Something You Should Know First*

[Both Fiona and Neve have spent the majority of their lives looking through certain books that they've narrated themselves.  Until now, they'd flip through these books making up their own stories to the illustrations that sat in their laps.  

I'm afraid that with the advent of Fiona's literacy, there has been some disappointment in, say, Eric Carle's version of "The Caterpillar Who Ate Too Much" ("The Very Hungry Little Caterpillar), among others.]

Fiona and Neve, shoulder to shoulder, the cardboard book resting on their touching legs.  Fiona read each word articulately, in all of her over-annunciated glory, while Neve whispered revisions in her ear.

*Something Else You Should Know- Neve has the cutest lisp in all the land.*

Fiona:  "He... star-ted to look for... some... food."

Neve: "One apple, two pearths, three plumths, four thstrawberries..."

Fiona:  "On... Sat-ur-day... he ate through... one pi-ece of... choc-o-late cake..."

Neve, interrupts, "an iceth cream, a pickle, thsome cheethse, thsome meat for a thsandwich, a lollipop, pie, hot dog, oooh! a muffin!, and a red melon.  Yup, he'th gunna be thsick."

Fiona: "...and one nice green leaf.  And... af-ter that... he felt much... bet-ter."

Fiona, continued reading: "...He was a BIG...FAT... CATERPILLAR!"

Neve, excited: "And then he made a big POOOOOP!"

Fiona: "Wait, Neve... it says it's not a poop.  It's a... cocoon!"

Neve: "Noooo.  He ate too much food.  And he made a big poop."

Fiona: "No, Neve.  Actually (Fiona's favorite word these days), it says here, 'He built... a small house... called... a cocoon..."

Neve: "Oh.  And then he turned into a butterfly?"

Fiona, laughing: "It's not like they have to poop before they turn into a butterfly!  Right, Mom?  Just a cocoon, right?"