All Ages

If you look at my library, you will see the titles are geared toward the students I've taught.  There's a practical reason for that (I bought the books for them to enjoy) but there's another reason my shelves are filled with children's literature- that's my story.  It's who I really am inside.

I firmly believe we never stop being children.  Hopefully we become adults in addition to being children, but our need to be loved and feel safe will never go away.  Children's books appeal to me because they share the same story "adult literature" does most of the time, but in a simpler way.  Many children's books become more enjoyable from an adult perspective.  It's my personal opinion that Peter Pan can't be truly enjoyed until you are an adult.

If the book has an "all ages" stamp on it I encourage parents and children to enjoy it together.  Adults will find that children's literature has a way of striking directly at the heart of its' readers.  Happy reading!

Group Reading

When we picture reading we picture someone alone with a book, probably in a silent room.  My experience has been that this is rarely the case.  Reading is meant to be shared.  When groups of kids are huddled over the same picture book ooohing and ahhhing over the same pictures and bringing observations and insight to each page, I see true reading.  This is not solitary and it is not quiet, but it is quality time with the literature.  When they progress to chapter books, I see them constantly get the same book as their friends, just to read it together.  I say more power to them.  When I read a good book, the first thing I want to do is share it with someone, so we can discuss it.  When I fall for each new character I want someone to feel that with me.  When my characters don't do so well, I want someone to share my grief.  If we want lifelong, passionate readers, we need to get rid of this idea that reading MUST be silent and solitary.  Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for that kind of reading, but we need to see the place of the other, too.

Why We Need Stories

This isn't a book review, it's just some thoughts by me.  I heard someone say recently that we learn to read and write to do science, to learn about our world.  I agree with that wholeheartedly.  As a teacher I want my students to contribute to the world in productive ways.  However I think reading for fun is one of the most productive things we can do.  This kind of reading fuels the imagination.  Without fiction, we would never contemplate the impossible.  We would never come up with new ideas to explore if we couldn't dream them.

Fiction also has characters, people whose minds you can read.  I told a student recently that books can become your friends.  She is testing this one, and I'm cheering for her to succeed in making friends out of printed pages.  There is nothing so comforting to me as to open a book to see the same characters speaking the same words and going on the same adventures that have brought me so much joy in the past.  I find my younger self in the pages when I reread books.

There is also a study showing that kids who read are more confident.  There are many reasons for this, I'm sure.  But I think one big one is that kids who read believe in happily ever after.  If you read a lot you see it happen all the time.  That's something I want for my kids.

My experience is that children want nonfiction, which is wonderful.  Their desire to understand the world around them is one thing I love about what I do.  On the other hand, nothing brings me more understanding of myself and the people around me than looking through the eyes of a fictional character and feeling their emotions and growth.  I hope all children get a steady diet of both fiction and nonfiction.