I just spent 40 minutes listening to Benjamin read to me. 1st grade is rough on kids these days, but all the work is paying off. He only occasionally needed help. He read whole pages like this one without needing help:

"Once upon a time", said Frog, "there were two good friends. A frog and a toad. The frog was not feeling well. He asked his friend the toad to tell him a story. The toad could not think of a story. He walked up and down on the porch, but he could not think of a story. He stood on his head, but he could not think of a story. He pured water over his head, but he could not think of a story. He banged his head..."

- "against", I would tell him, and he'd be off on his own another page or two.

Pretty cool.