Insight can be found in the most unusual places. The other day I was manning a registration booth for a READ from the START program in a Head Start center. A handsome young man sauntered up and looked at the display of books spread out on my table. After a moment of serious consideration, he picked up a book, dragged a chair up next to me and announced, "You need to read this to me." With the confidence that only a four-year-old seems to possess, he settled into his chair and fixed his big brown eyes on the book cover.
Well, what could I do?
We dug into the story. We giggled at a potato-headed character together and tried to guess what might be hiding under each flap in the pop-up book. We had a very serious discussion about why the cat was always looking so guilty in each picture. The world around us fell away and we were discussing, well...literature. This was no great work of fiction, no Caldecott winner. It was Bob the Builder, if you must know. Poor Bob had misplaced his hammer and it was going to take my friend and me eight board book pages to help him find it. If someone had asked my opinion of this book before my little friend and I had explored it, I probably would have sniffed and snootily labeled it: So-so. Bright pictures and indestructible. It would do in a pinch if you were looking for something quick to read to a child.
This is where insight came in. I believe that what my new friend meant when he declared, "You need to read this to me" was that I was in need of what Oprah refers to as an "Ah-ha moment." (I don't believe in coincidences, you know. There was absolutely a reason this little guy and I crossed paths that day.)
I thought about our encounter the rest of the day and smiled each time I recalled our laughter and genuine joy as we shared a book. I marveled at this young child's logic about where Bob might have lost his hammer. And, SPOILER ALERT... by the time we had finally found Bob's hammer in his lunch box, I felt like I had made a new friend.
Ah-ha! He was right. I did need to read that book TO him. My "ah-ha" revelation, if you'll pardon my pun, hit me over the head like a hammer. What occurred to me was this; a book is tool. Some tools are beautiful and finely crafted, ergonomically designed and stylish. But sometimes, you just need a hammer. Any hammer. Yep, even that rusty one on the tool bench will do. Books are like that. Sometimes the real power of a book is not only in the carefully chosen words or the fanciful illustrations. Sometimes the real beauty of a book is in the sharing. When my four-year old pal and I shared the book, we cobbled together an experience that was rich with language and laughter.
This month, instead of recommending a list of books, here is a list of tips for sharing a book (any book!) with children.
1. Approach a book as if it is a big adventure (It is!! Who knows where it will take you?) Run your hand over the cover and ponder, "What could this be about?" Even the way you handle a book communicates a great deal to a child about how you feel about reading.
2. Read the title. Help the child understand that a title is really a clue. It gives the reader a hint about what is coming. Ask the child what she thinks the book might be about just by looking at the cover and title.
3. Read the author/illustrator's names. Remind the child that REAL people worked very hard to create this book. Does your child know this author through other books?
4. Read the dedication page. The author and illustrator often dedicate the book to someone. Again, this helps the child understand that the creators of this book are real people, just like him.
5. Now the adventure begins. Because, in all likelihood, you are not going to read this book just once, you can use several approaches to reading. Let the child be your guide here. Sometimes a child enjoys just listening to the story, soaking it all in. But more often, the child wants to be a part of the reading process. Take time to talk about the illustrations. They often tell a story. Ask the child what she sees on the page and what the characters are doing. Predict what might happen next in the story.
6. Don't be afraid to ham it up! Try out some character voices. Make sound effects. Change the inflection of your voice to create a mood. Your job as reader is to bring the words on the page to life.
7. Reading does not have to be a sedentary activity. Look for action words in the story and move. For example, in the book MOUSE COUNT, the little mice escape by rocking a jar "this way and that way." It's fun to rock side to side while reading this part.
8. Why did that happen? How did he do that? What will happen next? Try to answer your child's question with a question. Instead of giving an answer, give her an opportunity to think and express her thoughts.
9. Share books that you love with your child. Your enthusiasm will be contagious.
10. Read books that your child loves. Over and over. And over. Hearing a story many times is an important step in a child's journey towards comprehension and listening skills. Find ways to keep it fresh when reading a book for the 10th or 100th time.
Happy reading!
About the Author
Julie is the Family Program Specialist at MHC, and directs the Council's READ from the START program. A former Kindergarten teacher with fifteen years of classroom experience, Julie is also a published author of children's literature and an experienced workshop designer and trainer of adult parents, writers, and care-providers.
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