In response to a Baby Center Toddler Bulletin entitled, "How To Raise A Reader", I'm revisiting a post I wrote in May, entitled "Once Upon A Time" I hope you enjoy both articles!
5/16/07
Once Upon a Time ...
Billy's eyes filled with tears, as he plop down.
He wiped back the tears, but still wore a frown.
His face felt hot, he was mad as could be.
He could not believe Mom took his T.V.
She said, "Billy, you will not watch T.V. during the day."
"Now, go read a book, or go out and play."
(from my manuscript Billy Board and the Reading Glasses)
When my son was born , I was a scared young person, who hadn't the slightest idea what to do with a newborn. In fact, if it hadn't been for a copy of Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes, from a friend; his first night at home would have been a disaster, since it was the rhythm of the words that helped get him to sleep.
I read him his first book, two days after he was born, and then introduced him to a more grown up group of friends in Peter Pan, Wendy, and Winnie the Poo. We read about countless characters, in a variety of books, every year until he was old enough to read himself to sleep. I kept him on a routine, and read to him every night, as well as many times during the day; reading was one of our favorite pastimes. If you have not begun to read to your child, it is never too late, and there are many reasons why you should began. I'm glad I did.
One of his first books was, Goodnight Moon, crafted by means of Margaret Wise Brown’s elegant prose, a text that puts children and adults alike right in the mist of the story. I read Goodnight Moon every night during his entire colicky period of infancy. The years followed with Dr. Seuss, P.D. Eastman, E.B. White, and Old Yeller’s, Fred Gibson. Even after he was able to read on his own, I still read to him. He began to comfort himself with books, and rely on them to cope with many difficult situations. The characters and events in a good book are great examples of what to do and how to act in every situation. Teaching children that they are not alone, that we all experience similar situations, and that it is in the ways we react, that we differ.
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