reading is fundamental, nursery rhymes versus beowulf

Reading is fundamental.  RIF.  Who remembers that?  Commercials from a time and place I suppose.  Anyway, we've been trying to read to Tilda at night, when it is convenient, when we remember, when she is up for it, when it works out.  So to do this we've been using these couple of nursery rhyme sorts of books (I don't think I've ever seen a mulberry bush but its a central part to a couple of these rhymes).  Point is, Tilda reads along with us.  She makes noises while we're reading that sound like, mmm-uhhuh-rroorr-blah-hah-huaahh.  Sure she can't read yet, but she seems to pause while the page is turning and then starts yammering on when we resume reading a new page.  I'm really surprised by this and though I have always agreed with that old commercial, reading is fundamental.  I'm considering just reading her Beowulf.  I'm wondering if she'll get the same out of Beowulf that she gets out of johnjacobjingleheimerschmidt?