Opinion » Nannys Bookshelf

Time change can signify a shift in reading

Print this story | Email this story

With the time change it gets darker earlier and I say “Hip hip hooray! More time for reading!” Okay, that takes it a little too far. Yet this is a great time of year to incorporate more stories into your family time. Stories are an old way to express feelings and ideas, morals and values, humor and silliness.

For toddlers and young children, stories that are simple and repeatable can be just the ticket. “Do You Want to Be My Friend?” by Eric Carle has only the title for words yet the story has a beginning, middle, and end that satisfy young listeners. With the pictures you can talk and ask questions that help your child develop language skills. Soon they will be telling this one by themselves.

You can make a collage of pictures of animals that have tails. Hunt through old magazines for pictures, cut them out, and glue them on a piece of paper. For a baby safe paste to use for projects like this one, just mix a big spoonful of flour with a small spoonful of water.

For a funny story that can be read in one or two sittings try “Esio Trot” by Roald Dahl with illustrations by Quentin Blake. This is about a shy man who loves his neighbor and tries to help her to enlarge her pet tortoise. This one is easy to tell as well as read so early readers can tell the story again and again.

After reading this book you can visit the large tortoises at the Austin Zoo. They have houses similar to the one in the story.

Another fun activity with this book is to write a message backwards and put it in your child's lunchbox for them to decipher.

For first rate storytelling try “The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog” by Texas author, John R. Erickson. It is illustrated by Gerald L. Holmes. These humorous books recount episodes from the life of a dog that protects a ranch. If you enjoy audio books he records these adventures as well and they can be great entertainment for adults and children alike on long road trips. Try learning the songs to sing along with the cd.

The character of Hank takes himself quite seriously. You can share experiences where you may have taken yourself too seriously. Try telling a story like this from your childhood and ask your child to retell it. This helps to cement the story in their mind and to recount a sequence of events in order. Be careful which episode you choose to share as it may be the one retold to your grandchildren when you aren't around to defend yourself!

“Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder is about life on a farm in the 1870's. The Wilder household has its share of problems yet the love of each family member for the others shines through.

You can compare what life was like then to what life is like now. Encourage your children to ask their grandparents what life was like when they were children. They can share about life in the dark ages, like paying 10 cents for a phone call in a booth and heating food without a microwave oven.

Reader Comments