Family Reading

Posted September 29, 2015 by Alison Mitchell

As a mom, and as a librarian, I’ve never underestimated the importance of family reading.  We read all the time!  But twice recently I experienced the importance of reading out loud to kids.

• This summer, my husband grabbed a bunch of chapter books from a “free” box on the street.  One was Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, which I remembered fondly from my own childhood.  I gave it to my 9-year-old, who is an advanced, eager reader.  For whatever reason, she couldn’t get into it, and she was super upset.  I said I’d read it with her, which turned into me reading it out loud to both kids, which was great.  What a super book, with all sorts of vocabulary and concepts to discuss. 

 

• I’m taking Children’s Collections this semester, and had to read 37 picture books for one class meeting.  Sure, I could have sat down at the library where I work and read them all in an hour, but instead I checked them out, brought them home and read them with my kids (which, believe me, took way more than an hour).  At ages 7 and 9, some might think they’re “beyond” picture books, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  They loved (most of) the books, analyzed the pictures, discussed the concepts, learned a lot, and helped me pick my top 20 for class (granted, their top 20 was slightly different than my top 20, but picture books do have two audiences, the child and the reader, so it was interesting to see which books appealed to all of us).

 

Sure, sometimes I just want them to read to themselves so I can read what I want.  But then I remember that they won’t be young forever, and I’m thankful to Mrs. Frisby and that giant stack of picture books for reminding me how great reading out loud can be.