Village of Readers

The Importance of Reading to Children

2011-09-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, here I go again. The thing is, if you are reading this, you are probably not the person who needs to hear this message. You are (probably) a library user already. Its another school year though, and we all need to reinforce this message...make time to read to your children! Turn the TV off, turn the computers off, and get into the reading habit.

Research shows that the development of early literacy skills through early experiences with book and stories is critically linked to a child's success in learning to read. Children who are read to from an early age have a larger vocabulary and better language skills when they start school. Learning to read and write is essential to school success. Children who are proficient readers are usually the most successful learners.

And here are the statistics that blow me away!
If a child is read to, by age 3 they will know approximately 1,116 words. If a child is not read to by age 3, they will know about 525.
If a child is read to, by age 6, they will know 20,000 words. If a child is not read to by age 6, they will only know 3,000 words.

Why? Books increase a child's vocabulary because they use rare words, words we seldom use in everyday conversation.

Read-Aloud Basics

Begin reading to children at an early age, the younger the better!
Use rhymes and songs to stimulate learning.
Pick simple, brightly colored books.
Consider intellectual, social, and emotional level of children when choosing books.
Don't be fooled by awards, they aren't given for read-aloud qualities.
Set aside a traditional time of day for reading, it will give children something to look forward to.
Make sure you have the time, don't read when you are rushed. Its important to make this a positive experience.
Not every child will be a good listener. Listening is an acquired art...be patient.
Pick books that you like.
Use plenty of expression, try different voices for different characters.
Adjust the pace of your story.
Modulation is an important tool...adjust your volume levels when you are reading.
Take pleasure in reading, be enthusiastic, share your enjoyment.
Last, but not least...be a reading example! Let your children see you reading, whether its a newspaper, magazine or book.

Do you know someone who is expecting a new baby? It would be a great idea to include a board book with your baby gift. Please help spread the word to the new parents about the importance of reading. Thank you!

2011-07-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

When I was a younger person, I dreamed that one day I would own an old house, preferably a brick Italianate Victorian. It would have those beautiful long narrow windows, and it would have a window seat. I think the whole window seat idea was inspired by a favorite book, "The Velvet Room", in which the heroine discovers a secret library in a boarded up mansion, complete with velvet-curtained window seat for reading.

Anyways. I loved old houses. Our first home was built in the 1930s, which doesn't really qualify as old, but possibly vintage. That home taught me how to glaze windows, fix sash weights, paint, drywall, and many other things. I still hoped to live in an older house.

When it came time to find a new home though, we had other priorities-like closet space, and an attached garage. Which is how we came to be living in an even newer house. I still admire older homes though, and especially those people who take on the labor of love that is an old house.

Two books I've read recently cover this topic, David Giffel's "All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House", and "House: a Memoir" by Michael Ruhlman. Both authors are Ohio authors, and these stories are set in Ohio as well. David Giffel's house is in Akron and Michael Ruhlman's house is in Cleveland Heights.

There are similarities in these stories. Both houses are in deplorable condition, bought by folks who can see that behind the neglected facade is a future home for their families. The condition of the homes allows both families to buy much more house than they would've been able to afford if the houses had been carefully maintained.

The story of each restoration reads like a horrifying episode of "Renovation Realities" with finding raccoons in the attic, large rodent nests in the wall, and plumbing and electrical nightmares. And yet...beyond the expense of repair, there is always hope that someday this will be a home.

I finished both books too quickly and was sorry when they were over. I can't really imagine handling that type of renovation now. I think I could have done that when I was in my twenties or thirties, but now even thinking about standing on a ladder for any length of time makes my feet hurt. And honestly, I don't know if I could ever have handled the type of massive renovation these houses required. Some of it maybe. I couldn't handle the raccoon.

If you are interested in the history of homes, perhaps you would enjoy Bill Bryson's "At Home" which pretty much covers the history of everything, and I do mean everything in and pertaining to your home. Although I have to say that I prefer Bryson's travel books, ( A Walk in the Woods, The Lost Continent, In a Sunburned Country, etc), he has the ability to take what could be a pretty dry subject and make it entertaining.

I think I will also throw Emma Donoghue's "Room" into this post. This is a book I am listening to on CD. It is a compelling story told from 5 year old Jack's point of view. He has lived his entire life with his Ma in an 11'by11' room. At first Jack has no idea that he and his mother are prisoners, and that his mother was abducted at age 19. (She is 26 as the story is told) I am not quite finished with this story, but suffice it to say, it is disturbing. Well written, but disturbing. I don't know that I like the audio version all that much, I don't really care for the voices of the readers. I wish I would have tried this one as a book first!

Finally, remember that if you want to try home improvements yourself, the library has books on every topic, and if we don't have it at our library, we can almost certainly find it for you. How do you think I learned how to glaze windows?

One World - Many Books

2011-04-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

This year's Summer Reading Program has an International theme, "One World - Many Books". As a group we will be "traveling" to different parts of the world every week. We have programs planned to feature Africa, Japan, China, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. We have tried to pick crafts that not only represent these different cultures, but are also easy and fun to do.

As usual, we offer small incentive prizes to our readers. For every 12 points that a reader completes (chapter and non-fiction books are worth 3 points, Picture books and I-Can-Read books are worth 1 point each), the reader will receive a prize. Here are the prizes for this year:

1st 12 points: temporary tattoo and fortune fish
2nd 12 points: sticky lizard
3rd 12 points: finger puppets
4th 12 points: spin-top markers

Every 12 points after that, the reader gets a pick from the grab bag.

This year we are offering something a little different after you complete your first 4 prizes.

You can choose to take one grab bag prize OR you can put a pebble into the Heifer International jar for each book you have read. The Friends of the Library will pay 5 cents for each pebble in the jar, and hopefully our Summer Readers will be able to help someone in another country with the gift of a farm animal.

I think that its true that it is in a child's nature to want to be helpful. This could be a great lesson in empathy and giving to others for your child. Heifer International has a website that can answer any questions you may have about the program. I include a link below to their website, and specifically their Cornerstone principles.

http://www.heifer.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=edJRKQNiFiG&b=6061893&ct=8404803

One other new idea we are trying this year was brought to us by a patron whose children are active in our Summer Reading Program. Last year, Meijer Stores generously donated a pair of bikes to each of our libraries. We allowed each child who completed the first 4 prizes to have one ticket in our bike drawing. Our patron told us that she would be glad to coordinate donation of prizes for a final drawing for all of our participants. For this drawing, each time a child completes 12 points, they will receive a drawing ticket for the final prize drawing. We are grateful for her help! We want to do anything we can do to motivate a child to read during the summer!

So, that's where we are with Summer Reading Program right now...we are very busy getting ready for a great summer! Questions? Give us a call, or ask on Facebook. THANKS!

Free to Read

2010-10-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

While the American Library Associations official Banned Books Week (Sept. 25-Oct. 2, 2010) is over, I just got around to putting up a banned books display in the library. There are hundreds of books that have been challenged or even banned over the years. These include beloved classics like "To Kill a Mockingbird", and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", and bestselling juvenile series like Junie B. Jones, Captain Underpants, and Harry Potter.

If you are interested in seeing all the titles on the list, or in knowing why that particular title was banned, please check out the link below.
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/index.cfm

I am thankful for the librarians, educators, and community members who have fought against restrictions of our First Amendment rights. Our libraries need to represent a wide range of viewpoints.

As a parent, I respect other parents who decide what their children should or should not read, however, I don't want other parents or community members deciding what my child reads. I also want to take a moment to thank my own parents who never restricted my reading choices. In my opinion, people who are exposed to more viewpoints tend to be more open-minded.

What does it mean to be open-minded? I like the following definition of an open-minded person:
"An open-minded person is someone who is willing to consider ideas, opinions and arguments purely on their merit. If an idea can be shown to be correct then an open-minded person will alter, or add to, their world-view with this new-found knowledge. If the new idea does not stand up to scrutiny however, it will be rejected."

The library is a place full of ideas, opinions and arguments. Some ideas I agree with, some ideas I do not, but I would fight for the right for them to be here for everybody to consider.

I am thankful I live in a country where I am free to read!

Addicted to Audio Books

2010-01-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, I admit it, I can't do without my Audio Books. I am that person that sits in the car listening "just a little bit longer" when I should be going in the house. In fact, if I have to listen to radio instead of a book on CD there are times when I would rather hear nothing at all. (Although I have to say that Ann Arbor Public Radio is pretty decent, when I can get it.)

Maybe my love of audio books stems from the fact that in school, I just loved it when the teacher would read aloud to us. This practice ended in sixth grade...too bad. Teachers...do you still read aloud to your students? I hope so. The actors that read books aloud tend to be pretty terrific. If you are looking for some listening suggestions I offer the following link to the American Library Associations website:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/amazingaudiobooks/aaya2010.cfm
This is the 2010 list for amazing audiobooks for young adults. You can also find lists from the past several years.

What titles have I listened to lately? "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, "Shanghai Girls" by Lisa Yee, "The Compound" by S.A. Bodeen, "Twenties Girl" by Sophie Kinsella, "Comfort Me with Apples" & "Garlic and Sapphires"
by Ruth Reichl, "Julie and Julia" & "Cleaving" by Julie Powell, "Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff, "The Year of Living Biblically" by A. J. Jacobs, "The Graveyard Book" & "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman, and currently I am listening to "March" by Geraldine Books. I am certain that is not a complete list.

I have favorites too. Jim Dale reading any of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books - he is a full-cast audio in one man. Natalie Moore reading "Dairy Queen" and "The Off Season" by Catherine Murdock, (there is a third book in this series and I am actually waiting for it to be released as a book on CD I enjoyed it so much!) any of Hilary McKay's Casson Family series: "Saffy's Angel", "Indigo's Star", "Permanent Rose", "Caddy Ever After", & "Forever Rose", and any of the Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella.

As I am captive in my car for the 20+ minutes it takes to get to work, this is the perfect time to catch up on my reading/listening. I tend to feel guilty if I am reading at home because I always have a long list of other things I should be doing. Also, reading makes me a bit sleepy sometimes and then I really am not getting anything done. (You can't count sleep as an accomplishment unless you are a new parent or an insomniac, and I am neither.)

Let me just give a little shout-out to our library catalog with it's downloadable books for all of you with mp3 players. Check it out
http://seoebook.seo.lib.oh.us/2667D08A-8CF3-487B-AB18-40835FB0BD3B/10/253/en/Default.htm

So that's it. I admit it. I'm hooked on audiobooks and proud of it. I'm just multi-tasking all the time.

The Book I Love Most in the Whole World...

2009-12-29T08:38:00.000-08:00

...Is Charlotte's Web. My second grade teacher, Miss Peterson, read it to us. After that, I wanted to read it myself and hassled my Mom every week to go to the Euclid Public Library to see if a copy was available. They had multiple copies, but they were hardly ever in. I finally received my own copy of the book for Christmas, and I can still remember how it felt to open that present and find that crisp, clean book...my book.

I honestly can't tell you how many times I've read Charlotte's Web. I know I read it again and again when I was a kid, and as an adult I read it aloud to each of my daughters. The funny thing is, it never made me cry when I read it as a child. As an adult, it takes almost everything I have not to break down completely when Charlotte dies. I don't recall Miss Peterson getting weepy either, so maybe this is just me. Read the paragraph below and judge for yourself , I think it may be one of the most moving in all of children's literature.

"Good-bye!" she whispered. Then she summoned all her strength and waved one of her front legs at him.
She never moved again. Next day, as the Ferris wheel was being taken apart and the race horses were being loaded into vans and the entertainers were packing up their belongings and driving away in their trailers, Charlotte died. The Fair Grounds were soon deserted. The sheds and buildings were empty and forlorn. The infield was littered with bottles and trash. Nobody, of the hundreds of people that had visited the Fair, knew that a grey spider had played the most important part of all. No one was with her when she died.

Wow. That still makes me tear up. What is it about this story that I love so much? Is it E.B. White's beautifully simple language? Is it Garth William's illustrations? (my favorite is of Fern giving Wilbur his bottle) I know that I love what Charlotte's Web says about true friendship.

"Why did you do all this for me?" he asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you."
"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heavens knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."

If you are looking for a book that will help your child understand love, friendship and empathy, there is no finer book that E. B. White's Charlotte's Web.

I went to the shelf to check a quote from the book and guess what? Our copy is out.