Caillou

Anna Claire loves Caillou (pronounced KI-Yoo) so much. And it all began with one library book five months ago.

Back in the spring, Anna Claire was paying several to her doctor to treat ear infections, and I was looking for any book I could get my hands on to help ease her anxiety about going to the doctor. I picked up several, one of which was a Caillou book, The Doctor. It quickly became a favorite and made going to the doctor a fun thing. It also timed out with her getting her doctor kit and helped her learn each tool's name and what it is for.

From there, I tried to find a Caillou book that supported her current phase. Caillou is every kid:  he enjoys hide and seek, likes to watch birds, wears band-aids like badges of honor, and wants to try new things even though he finds them scary.

We found a 6-pack Caillou book kit for Anna Claire's birthday that's perfect for car rides, although not a day goes by that we don't read a Caillou book at storytime or potty time.

There's also an animated series based on the books that we've found that comes on at noon that we can catch on weekends right before nap if she's not too pooped (so not very often!)

Solution: abundance of Caillou cartoons online! It's become a routine to watch a little 10 minute episode right before bedtime. Like clockwork, at about 7:15 Anna Claire will come find me if I'm not already in the room and holler, "Caillou! Caillou! Watch Caillou!"

I love him too. Each episode gets me excited about things she hasn't yet done because he's a bit older: riding a bike or airplane, visiting a hospital (hopefully as a visitor, not a patient), going trick or treating (Anna Claire's favorite Caillou episode), cooking, skating, visiting a fire station.

Here's a link to her favorite Halloween episode. "Get candy! Aw Cwaire have some too!"