Reading can be the start of something wonderful
Mar 16 '00
I know that as a child, I LOVED to read from the time I first managed to get through my first Easy Reader book. I am now the mother of two young daughters whom I hope will love books as much as I did. My older daughter, Amanda, is five and a half right now and beginning to learn to read and recognize words. My toddler is nearly four years younger, but she already enjoys books as much as her big sister. Here is some advice based on my experience as a child and my more recent experience as a mother.
Read to your children
Sounds simple, but I truly think this is the key. I’m not just talking about reading short , illustrated books to small children, but to read to your older children as well. One of the few childhood memories I have that I can look back at with a smile is of my mother reading her old Nancy Drew books to me. I had to have been about eight years old, perfectly able to read on my own, but my NaNa had kept all of my mother’s
old books, quite a collection of Carolyn Keene’s famous girl detective series. Each visit to NaNa’s meant a trip to the attic to select another book. When my younger sister was napping or at preschool, I sat on my mother’s bed and let her read a chapter or two to me. Being read to was relaxing and I always looked forward to it, I’ll never forget the adventures of Nancy, Bess, George and Ned Nickerson. I still remember hearing the stories unfold and anticipating the next chapter. I ended up collecting my own Nancy Drew books and hope to do this with my daughter someday.
When my first daughter turned one, she received The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book. I thought she was too young to care, but the short story with bright and colorful pictures seemed to mesmerize her. As she grew older, so did our collection of board books. Soon we had bath books, cloth books, Dr. Seuss books and more. The bedtime story became a ritual as she grew to love hearing stories.
What’s in store at the library?
When I was a child, our local library had an annual summer reading program. To encourage children to read, small prizes were awarded for reading and reporting on books. At the end of the summer, there was an awards program where everyone received recognition and the children who wrote the best, most thoughtful reports as well as those who read the most books received larger prizes. I received my first diary for writing the best reports and even toys and games as I won each year.
When I was pregnant with my second daughter, we lived in a small suburb with a friendly community library. I started taking Amanda along with me when I would check out books to combat my pregnancy insomnia. There was a cozy corner set up for the kids complete with books, games, toys and more. Parenting books were conveniently located within this section which was a big help. As we became regulars, the librarian noticed my bulging belly and asked me if I’d like a free board book for the baby. She explained that there was a Hug a baby, hug a book program designed to encourage parents to read to their babies and gave me a bag with parenting leaflets and a brand new book. She then invited Amanda and me to participate in their summer reading program. I was supposed to read 30 books to my daughter by the end of the summer, for each 10, she got a small prize. Adults were also allowed to sign up and received a library logo cup and magnet. Amanda loved selecting books and reading each day, we were through our goal of 30 quickly and just kept going!
We now live near the best library in the state, and both my children love to visit. In addition to the books we check out, the library has a storybook themed play area and sponsors activities galore. My children associate the library with fun, the books are now a given. The children’s librarians watched my toddler go from crawling to walking. They too took part in Hug a baby, hug a book and presented her with a new book of her own. During the summer, they rewarded older children with paperback books for completing their reading programs. The libraries have played a huge part in keeping children interested in books. Even bookstores are becoming child friendly boasting play areas and story hours. How proud I am that my kids light up if we go to Barnes and Noble or Borders!
Start ‘em young
There is nothing cuter than a baby “reading” a book. My little one, Emily, has been saying “good book” for months now and loves to listen as I read to her or her sister. Emily will reach for a colorful board book even when offered toys at the same time. She will sit and study each page, pointing out familiar pictures and naming what she can say. Watching her turn the pages as if she were actually reading is a real pleasure.
Amanda takes pride in sounding out words and “helping” me read, yet enjoys snuggling up and listening to a good story. She enjoys writing and illustrating her own books and is forever suggesting visiting the library or even Amazon.com, hoping for a new story to hear.
I still remember my favorite Golden Book that I never tired of when I was very young. It was called
Five Pennies to Spend and I can still hear my father read:
I have 5 pennies
to spend on candy!
All for myself,
Isn’t that dandy?
Such a simple gesture, reading a story or giving a new book, can be the start of something wonderful.
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