B's reading and writing have really been coming along. He is self-taught, but he watches some reading programs (e.g. "Between the Lions") and he gets support from us.

He recently wrote and illustrated some little books. I don't have the drawings scanned but here is the text. I wrote a translation in parentheses after each story.

Book 1:

Ous u pon u time
Dinusor livd in u bush.
Den u meen frend
went in Dinusore bush.
Hee wus raree meen, but hee nevr plade wif him.
But the meen dinusor chride too plae wif the
nise dinusore and the nise dinusore wudit plae wif him.
THE END
(Once upon a time, Dinosaur lived in a bush. Then, a mean friend went in
Dinosaur's bush. He was very mean, but he never played with him. But the
mean dinosaur tried to play with the nice dinosaur and the nice dinosaur
wouldn't play with him.)

Book 2:
Ous u pon u time Stegusoris wus leevnig dinusore's bush.
Den u chronuoedon spilt on him.
(Once upon a time Stegosaurus was leaving Dinosaur's bush.
Then, a pteronodon spilled on him.)

Hee wus mad. (He was mad.)

Hee floo uwae bcus the uvr
dinusore wus mad at him.
(He flew away because the other dinosaur was mad at him.)

THE END

Since then, I have pointed out that the "u" is really "a" even though it really does sound like a short "u". He's corrected that. And I've noticed in a subsequent book that he now writes "once" instead of "ous". He has started writing grocery lists and he also emails his grandparents. He loves to write!