Read Me a Story

Books...books...books...I love books! Why? because they have always been a big part of my life.

I don't remember not being able to read. Was I born with that skill? Of course not! I was taught somewhere along the way. I know my parents read to me from the time I was an infant. My favorite one was "The Counting Book" published by GoldenBook, the one that starts;

"One little puppy,
A roly poly puppy,
Alone as he can be!
Isn't there a boy or girl,
Who wants to play with me?"

When a little child hears the same words read over and over, he learns that those markings say the same thing every time. When you point to the words, he starts to associate them with the sounds. Show him what his name looks like. If it begins with "M"...make a "mmmmmmm" sound and point it out in other places. Teach him the sounds of the letters, not the names. (that will come eventually)

My family read books together in the evenings along with our Bible readings and prayers. My father told us of "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" and "Tom Sawyer". One of our favorite poems was "The Raggedy Man" by James Whitcomb Riley.

Even after a child can read on his own, read to him.(I still like hearing a story read to me.) Let him hear the pattern of phrases, and styles of dialects. I loved to hear my father reading "Uncle Remus":

"Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear, dey lay low..."

We didn't have a television while we were growing up, and books became my friends. I read them over and over. I loved "Heidi" and "Island of the Blue Dolphin" and "Jingo, the Wild Horse of Abaco." I would read into the night to finish a Nancy Drew mystery or a Grace Livingston Hill book. I found ways of hiding the light of my room, so my parents wouldn't know I was still reading. (I'm sure sometimes they knew but let me anyway...if there was no school the next day.)

Make books a part of your family's life. Read nursery rhymes and simple books to your baby. Make the silly animal sounds and talk about the pictures. Read Dr. Seus and other fun stories to your toddler. Let him hear them over and over and over again. That's how he'll learn to read by himself. Read longer books together as your children grow. Teach them good classic literature. Take your chidren to the library and let them have their own card. Let them see you reading books. Buy books as gifts and rewards for accomplishments.

Books...books...books... I love books!