Loving literature
Posted under Books I love, People I love
I can’t bear to think about or discuss moving or packing or unpacking any more. Our other house has flooded, with exquisite timing, and it’s very miserable for our tenants and stressful for us.
So instead of ‘that’ I’m going to think about ‘this’, which is much more joyful. Here’s Bertie on Christmas Day, lounging around with all the books he’s read with me since September. Not including books sent home from school we’ve ready nearly 70 books together, woohoo! Add in the school books and it must be knocking on for double that.
I love watching him gobble up the words, blending the new sounds, extended phonics, alternate spellings, the joy of the ‘magic e’ and the curse of those tricky words. I love listening to him read to Diggy, or reading to himself (finger pointing oh..so…carefully) and being part of the transition from halting to galloping along has been a true joy for both of us. “Oh! Time for my reading Mummy!” he says and peers under the cupboard where, for reasons I can’t remember, I keep his stash of ‘home’ reading books. When he’s finished one he likes to take the next one out, practice the new sound/sounds it introduces and study it. I admire his diligence and his enthusiasm is massively infectious. I’ve found that I have to look at the next book too, and study the notes for introducing the next sound etc that we’re about to tackle. Teaching Bertie to read had meant I have had to lean HOW to do it, and it’s all so different from the way I learnt. We’re both on a journey…I’m learning how to teach reading…he’s learning how to read but much, much more importantly he’s learning to love literature.
Can you instill a love of literature in someone? Does it follow that ‘can read = loves reading’…I would think not. So how does the joy of reading for reading’s sake come about? All the research says that good literacy for children comes from witnessing parents reading books, having books around the house, reading books together and all that. But how does that light the fire for a child to LOVE books and really know that ‘you’re never alone with a book’.
Bertie likes to pull our books off the shelves, and pick out words he either knows by sight or can decode. He’s so terribly keen to be able to read Asterix, TinTin and Harry Potter to himself…and the Roald Dahl stories he knows. And I’m so keen to be part of the journey, his partner along the road. Nearly always Bertie will read with me, I’m quite selfish about it actually. Mostly it’s because I’m the one who has learnt how to teach reading using modern techniques but, frankly, it’s because I love love love it so much. MrSpud reads voraciously, but never ever novels…he likes history, biographies, science stuff blah.
Me? I like novels. Sometimes biographies and especially books of letters. And I love discussing books, sharing ideas for good reads, reading books reviews. Loving literature goes way, way beyond just reading the words.
We’ll see how it goes but I’d love to read with my boys every night until they leave home. I read this wonderful article in the New York Times a while back about a father and daughter who read together every night for over 3,000 nights. They made a pact, and stuck to it. What an achievement! It’s not just about the words and the mechanics of reading…it’s about finding a love of literature and shared passions together. I am so thrilled when I find people who adore my favourite writers, it’s like we’re in a club together.
I’m eager for my boys to be in the club. They might not like my favourites, but if we could find new favourites together I would just adore it.
Loving literature…loving that boy, his cheeky smile and his ever growing pile of ‘already read’ books.
Love this. What a beautiful gift you are giving each other. At two and a half Kai is a long way off reading (we’ve got to get the talking bit cracked yet ;-)) but we read, everyday without fail, two books at bedtime and often one at naptime. And, to my delight they are PROPER books now, not picture books. Books with stories and plots, albeit 20 page ones, and Kai has his favourites and will sign along as we read.
It is wonderful and I love it most because it is only the beginning.
Here’s to books my friend, and sharing them with the little people we love x
We love a snuggle and a read. My daughter is nearly 4 and fascinated by letters, words and numbers. It’s such an exciting time and I hope she will continue to love books and reading. She won’t be short of something to read when she’s older either, it’s like a bloomin’ bookshop in our house!
What a sincere confession of a loving mother that wishes to light a reading sparkle in a little heart of her kid. In my opinion the most efficient tool to instill a love of literature in small children is to carefully listen to their tastes and preferences of stories and avoid pushing them into reading what they dislike. I hope that your child´s growing pile of ‘already read’ books will get bigger fast.
Such a lovely picture and memory of Bertie!
Can I be cheeky and pick your brain on the best “resources” on learning how to teach reading please? Young William has been very wise picking parents who live in a place where what you see is what you get, but the poor boy is gong to have to master the absurdities of reading in English nevertheless… Also fear I may need to keep his uber-keen sister entertained…. Grazie!
We are doing the same with Boris, teaching him to read, although in a language which is not native to either of us. It’s fun, though, and I think this will be the first time I learn the French reading rules properly :)
i think it’s hard to know how the love of literature will manifest itself. i had one idea of what it would be and i think it’s been something else with sabin. i think because of the two languages, i’ve not pushed her very much on the reading, not wanting to further her confusion between danish and english (and there has been confusion). but now, suddenly, she is a fluent reader – strangely perhaps even more so in english than in danish, which surprises me because of the lack of doing very much with her on that (aside from loads of reading TO her).
but of late, most surprising of all is that she wants to do things with the stories…film them (thank you, iPhone), draw them, illustrate, write continuations. and she’s writing scripts for more videos. she seems to have gotten a love of stories along the way and even tho’ it wasn’t what i thought it would be–devouring book after book–it’s magical nonetheless.
xox,
/j
Have you ever read How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell? I think you would LOVE it.
Such a clever boy! Don’t think violet’s read 10. And those have about 20 words. Still, she can colour in nicely.
Love this post! Your little reader looks very happy indeed.