Why are you reading a book for children?
October 7, 2015
My work involves travel, usually on airplanes and most every time I get asked the same question; Why are you reading a book for children? After explaining that I work in the field of children’s literature I quickly add “But I read children’s books because they are really good, I like them!”
My fondness for children’s book comes from a love of a good story well told but when it comes to books for children, I also believe they serve an important purpose. They help children see and understand themselves and the world. Meeting characters you identify and emphasize with gives one a sense of place in the world, of belonging.
That is reason enough to be an advocate of reading to children, which is the first step in
helping a child become a lifelong reader.
“Reading offers you the opportunity “to build a self, because you create a self, you don’t inherit it.”
September 19, 2015
While recently playing with a toddler I was so taken how everything they touch, see, smell, hear and do is building the person they are growing into becoming. It brought to mind a comment from a literature course taught by Professor Edward Taylor in the1940’s. His introductory remark lives on— “Reading offers you the opportunity […]
Librarians are Fairy Godmothers in disguise.
September 10, 2015
Start the year off right—Make a librarian your best friend. Back to school is a busy time— new schedules and routines, making new friends, and new challenges. I highly suggest making a Librarian, your school or community librarian, your new best friend. Someone who will come to know you in a very unique way—knowing what […]
An important Back to School conversation for parents and children
August 25, 2015
One of the biggest challenges for parents is to be able to tolerate their children’s mistakes and failures, giving them the necessary space to fail. Avoiding experiences in which you might make a mistake may be the biggest mistake of all. The ideal to strive for is not to avoid making mistakes, but to be […]
Reading is more than just a nice thing to do with kids
August 18, 2015
Reading to young children is associated with good outcomes and new studies tell us a little more about what actually happens when you read a picture book to a small child. A recent study found more brain activity depending on how much the children had been read to at home. The part of the brain […]
