Reading Aloud

So, the thing is... Ana and I finished "Charlotte's Web."

It was a milestone for us --our first chapter book read completely from one end to the other. We had started "Stuart Little" a while back but then Ana wanted to read the chapter where Stuart saves Margalo from the cat about sixteen times and we never went any further. But she loved "Charlotte's Web." And I loved reading it to her.

"Charlotte's Web" is a special book to me because I have such an extremely vivid memory of it being read to ME back in the third grade-- I, who can't even remember lunch these days. I don't remember the teacher's name --she wasn't our homeroom teacher --but I can still see what she looked like. Young, tall and thin, with honey blond hair and a voice to match. Gosh, she was a great reader! If I close my eyes, I can still hear her voice. How's that for making an impact?? We would come to her class after lunch (this was in Alabama) and put our heads down on our desks in the darkened room. I can still smell the smell of those old-fashioned schools desks --sort of a mixture of Elmer's Glue and wood varnish, little kid sweat and Bazooka bubble gum. The windows would be open (schools had windows then) and a breeze would ruffle our papers and our hair. And we sat there, twenty-five kids, spellbound and silent, transported to Zuckerman's barn and immersed in Wilbur's fate. It was magical.

I won't give full credit to that teacher for teaching me to love books, although the experience certainly has stayed with me all my life. But my family was always big on reading. My mom taught me to read when I was three because I wanted to take a book and go into my room after dinner just like the big kids. (I'm the youngest of four kids.) We never had a lot of money, but it seems like there was always money for books. Trips to the bookstore or library were treats indeed. My mom read aloud to me whenever I asked, even after I'd entered my teen years (whenever I was home from school sick and actually acknowledged her presence.) Sometimes when I read to Ana, I hear my mother's voice coming out of my mouth.

I feel like books have given me so much throughout my life --a rich imaginative world, a broader and more tolerant perspective, constancy in the midst of chaos. I know that I was a good student because I was such a big reader. (It sure wasn't because of my study habits.) My mother and I still share books with each other and it's a wonderful part of our relationship. My best friend Linda and I take at least one day of every visit together to do nothing but browse through book stores, sharing titles of the books we have loved the most. I think that I am a writer because I was always such a big reader --I simply fell in love with words through reading. And for a kid who was a little shy and always a little out-of-step with her peers, books gave me places to go that were full of adventure and daring and comfort. A love of reading is the greatest gift my parents ever gave me and I so want my girls to share that.

It's hard, though, because the world in which we live has become so frenetic and our lives so overscheduled. Even Linda, who holds reading aloud as one of her Life's Callings (she used to even read aloud to her Children's Literature college students!) says that it is getting harder and harder to fit the nightly story hour into her family's routine now that the kids are all involved in extracurricular activities. I've been lucky enough to be present at a few Story Hours at her house and I have to say, it was such a nice and warm time that it made me resolve to make that happen for as long as my children will let me. Linda tells a story of being THANKED by her oldest son's fourth grade teacher for still reading aloud to him. "You'd be surprised at how many parents stop reading to their kids once their kids can read on their own."

Recently, I've been reading a book called "The Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease. First published back in 1979, it's now on its sixth edition. The first half of it is great fodder for why we should all be spending more time reading to our kids, or heck, someone ELSE'S kids. It's an amazing collection of information. For example, he cites the Commission on Reading, which spent two years culling through more than 10,000 studies on early childhood language and reading development before releasing its 1985 report, Becoming a Nation of Readers. Among its primary findings: "The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children." That's pretty powerful stuff because it means that the experts were saying reading aloud was more important than worksheets, homework, assessments, book reports, and flashcards.

The second half of the book is a compilation of synopses of great read-aloud books, as well as the LISTENING levels, by grade, for the books. That means that although a child may not yet be able to read the book on her own, the book can be read aloud to most children of that age. There are recommendations of other books to check out if your child liked the one you're referencing and there are warnings such as "This is not recommended for timid children" if appropriate. It's like a Chinaberry catalog but Trelease isn't trying to sell anything.

Anyway, it's a great resource for parents. But aside from the obvious academic benefits of reading to our kids, it's so much FUN. It gives me a common frame of reference with my children. And on those days when Ana and I have been butting heads all day, our Story Hour at night is a wonderful way for us to reconnect and share some non-combative quality time.

I was worried for a while that Tiny Jane wouldn't ever really discover books. She's so incredibly active, it's very difficult for her to sit still. But she's begun doing that thing where she picks up a book and then backs into my lap. It makes me feel so good that she completely takes it for granted that I will read to her on demand. Right now her favorite book is "Goodnight Moon" and on those rare occasions when she's sleepy, she will ask for it! "Moon? Moon?" (Of course, I always thought it was a dumb book until Linda explained to me that it's written from the perspective of the bunny who is stalling at bedtime. Oh. Was that covered in the Mommy Secret Newsletter that I STILL don't get?)

One of the best kid quotes about Story Hour that I've heard came from Linda's friend Beth. She told Linda about one night when the girls were late getting to bed and so Beth had told them "straight to bed, lights out" and Audrey (her seven year old) moaned, "But Mooooom, my eyes NEED words!!!!!"

I feel the same way.

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Barbara Cooper is the mother of Ana (4) and Jane (18 months). She lives in Austin, Texas and years ago, when she'd had a long day at work, her husband used to read aloud to her from James and the Giant Peach to put her to sleep.