Confucius wrote, "Tell me; and I will forget. Show me; and I will remember. Involve me; and I will understand forever."
Confucius was right. Telling a child that reading is fun without reading to the child is pointless. Show children and involve them in great stories, and they will understand how much fun reading is. And once a child enjoys reading, he or she will become engaged in learning because you simply cannot read without learning something.
Start with the books reviewed below and those featured by your local library. Next to unconditional love, helping a child discover the joy of reading is the finest gift you can give.
Books to Borrow
The following book is available at many public libraries.
"The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups" revealed & illustrated by David Wisniewski, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 48 pages
Read aloud: age 8-9 and older.
Read yourself: age 8 and older.
For the first time, author/illustrator David Wisniewski has revealed what has been hidden from children for centuries. He has gone behind the scenes to uncover the real reasons grown-ups issue directives to their children, commands such as "Don't jump on your bed," "Don't play with your food," and "Don't blow bubbles in your milk."
For generations, children have been given standard answers when they ask the proverbial question, "Why?" in response to such directives. For example, when told to "Eat your vegetables," scores of youth have been misled into believing they were required to do so because vegetables are good for you. In fact, (according to Mr. Wisniewski), the real reason has nothing to do with nutrients. In past history, our necessity for vegetable consumption was nothing more than survival -- eat vegetables or be eaten by them.
These and seven other "truths" are revealed in this hilarious book -- as comical for its illustrations as it is for the "knowledge" it conveys. Learn the truth behind Grown-up Rules -- every kid has the right to know!
Librarian's Choice
Library: The Thomas Beaver Free Library, 205 Ferry St., Danville
Library Director: Bonnie L. White
Choices this week: "A Bad Case of Stripes" by David Shannon; "Seven Brave Women" by Bethanne Anderson; "Redwall" series by Brian Jacques
Books to Buy
The following book is available at favorite bookstores.
"We're Off to Look for Aliens" written and illustrated by Colin McNaughton, Candlewick Press, 2008, 37 pages, $15.99 hardcover
Read aloud: age 5-8.
Read yourself: age 7-8.
A children's book author and his trusty dog, Wilberforce, are on a grand adventure to outer space. Their goal is to look for aliens, and they certainly find a lot of them.
Aliens came in every crazy shape, size and color. Some were smelly, some sported one giant eyeball in the middle of their tummy, some were friendly, and many were not. On their last stop before rocketing home, they found a lovely alien girl. You never know what you'll find in outer space!
Two books in one, this hilarious rhyming story with its surprise ending is bound to keep kids engaged on every page.
-- Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan, of Lewisburg, writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached via e-mail: kendal@sunlink.net.
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