Read Irresponsibly

Attached to the name tag I wear at work is a little sticky which encourages you to "Read Irresponsibly."  (see image below)  I have been thinking about that statement quite a bit in the last week or two.

When many people read it at a glance, they usually see instead "Read Responsibly."  And I suppose there are many ways that could be a good statement: Be responsible with your reading, by keeping books clean and dry.  Or: Be responsible with your choice of reading material; it's true that reading can make you uncomfortable, can make you confront ideas, assumptions, or long-held beliefs. Know what you're getting into before starting a book.

I choose instead to "Read Irresponsibly."  What this means for me is, I'll read anything, with little or no provocation.  I don't research authors before picking up their work.  I don't seek out every possible review before choosing a title, or sometimes any reviews at all.  Sometimes I don't even read the back of the book or the inside front cover before starting a book.  I've read books because the cover art is nice, because the title sounds interesting, or because I like the author's name.  (I do also read books because I read the synopsis or a good review, or I'm familiar with the author, or because the book was recommended by a reader I trust.)

By being irresponsible with my reading choices, I've found some fantastic authors I might have otherwise never discovered.  I've also found quite a few books I've put down without finishing even the first chapter.  But it's true that "you cannot open a book without learning something."  Even if the only thing you learn is that you don't like that author, I think it still counts.

The reason I've been pondering this statement is because my spouse has finally decided to read.  Although he used to be a big reader as a child and even as a teen, like many people he has let reading fall from his list of frequent activities.  I can say without exaggeration that before this month, he hasn't finished a book in at least four years.  (I'm not including picture books in that statement.  There is alot of Muncha, Muncha, Muncha read at our house-- our four-year-old loves reading time with Daddy.)  I can't say why my husband has suddenly decided to read.  Maybe I've been influencing him all these years.  Maybe he wants to be a good example for our son.  Whatever the reason, he read a whole book over the weekend and has started on another.  And, as it is my job to suggest reading material, he solicited my opinion for what to add to his TBR pile (that's the "To Be Read" pile and you might have one on your coffee table or night stand).

The thing is, because he doesn't have a list of previously-enjoyed titles, it is nearly impossible to make a good recommendation.  So I've encouraged my husband to read irresponsibly: to pull titles completely at random off the shelf and read a chapter or even just a few pages, to pick up anything and everything for the flimsiest of reasons and to put down without remorse anything that isn't enjoyable. This way, he will identify a few authors, perhaps a writing style or sub-genre, that he likes.

(For the record, I think he's going to enjoy classic sci-fi and fantasy-- Pratchett's Discworld series and perhaps Niven's Ringworld novels-- and then be big into biographies.)

"Read Irresponsibly" can mean something more, or at least something different.  A tag-line, perhaps a sub-title, to this statement might be: Read something appalling.  Read something offensive. Books are dangerous: they can challenge and even change your world view.  Because we at the library try to have materials to represent all viewpoints, we definitely have material you would disagree with.  I know we have material that I (personally, in my home-life) disagree with.  I've even purchased books that I find, yes, offensive.  But I know we have patrons who espouse that view or need information on or support that thought process, viewpoint, choice, whatever it may be.  If we didn't have material in the library that offended me, I wouldn't be doing my job.


Do you choose reading materials that might challenge some of your opinions? If you look before you leap, maybe don't read books from "the other side," good for you.  No matter what you choose to read or not read, I'll say "good for you," because it's absolutely your choice.  Sometimes my choice of reading includes this further definition of Irresponsible Reading, that I read something that repels me.  You can definitely learn something that way.

On Raising a Reader

When I was preparing to become a parent, I had great plans.  I had taken the Children’s Literature courses in grad school, the elementary education courses in my undergrad; I knew all the things you were supposed to do to encourage literacy in young children.  I’m a librarian: I like to-do lists; I like organization.  I had perfect plans.

Then our son arrived.  He came to us through foster care when he was three, and he hadn’t really been read to before.  It took several months to really settle in, but I held on to the idea that someday soon, we would have those pristine 20-minute reading sessions every day.  I fantasized about bed-time stories, about clean, full-color picture books.

My son has now been part of our family for 18 months and the adoption has been finalized.  And I’ve had to let go of my idealized parenting plans.  We do some things by the book, as it were: we have books visible at home, some in the living room, some in the kitchen, some in the bedrooms; we visit the library fairly regularly; and my sons sees me reading for information and for pleasure.  But those 20 minutes, well, let’s just say my standards have relaxed a bit. 

We aim instead for at least an hour a week, and I count a lot of things I wouldn’t have considered before.  For a squirrely now-4-year-old, some days are just not sitting-down kinds of days.  But when he does feel like reading, he’s happy to read for 35 minutes or more.  It took him a distressingly long time to learn that there is a difference between letters and numbers, but once he understood that letters mean something if you know the magic, he was motivated to learn the alphabet.  So I count all those times in the car, stopped at a light, when he reads off the individual letters on a store front and asks me what it says. 

He’s also stumbled upon the extras we see every day—all those things we need to read that aren’t letters or numbers.  This was illustrated perfectly for me a few weeks ago.  In the car, on the way home from picking up groceries, my son asked me to read a coupon he had acquired.  I asked him to read it off to me. Word for word, I heard, “Ess with a line, one, polka dot, zero, zero, oh, eff, eff, upside-down-eye.”  (If you don’t speak baby reader, that’s “$1.00 off!”)  I laughed so hard I nearly needed to pull over.

Somehow, with everything I felt I wasn’t doing right, my 4-year-old started reading.  It was like a miracle that this little, ADD, insane and insanity-producing conglomeration of dirt, noise, and pure energy suddenly started reading 3- and 4-letter words, totally skipping over sounding things out.  I don’t know how we did it. 

With all this, this year’s Summer Reading Program has been really special for our family.  My son has been more willing to move away from Curious George and explore other illustrators, even nonfiction.  This year will be an adventure.

by Sarah Morrison, 

Adult Services Librarian

published 7-14-12 in Moscow-Pullman Daily News

"My child is ready to read... What do I do now?"

Congratulations!  You want to help your child learn to read!  Here are 4 key components to your child learning to love books and learning to read:

•    Read aloud to him/her everyday, even after s/he has learned to read
•    Make reading fun, not about skills and drills
•    Take the pressure off you and your child
•    Show them how s/he is already a reader

Learning to read is a process for a child at any age.  There is no specific age that indicates “it’s time for my child to read.”  As with all aspects of development, learning to read will happen at different ages for different children.  It’s important not to pressure your young child about learning to read.  Instead, look for ways they’re already reading and point this out to them.  This can include their recognizing signs, their name, letters, numbers, colors, etc.  When your child says (for example), “I see a stop sign”, be sure and say “Oh, you are a great reader – that does say “stop.”  You are letting your child know they are reading and that you’re proud of them.  These are KEY aspects of learning how to read.

Studies show that children are more likely to show strong interest and aptitude for reading on their own when they have people in their lives who consistently read aloud to them.  It is vital to read aloud to your child every day!  It’s never too early or too late to start.  Even after your child has mastered the skills of reading on his/her own, it is still very important to keep reading aloud each day.  It builds their listening skills, expands their vocabulary, increases their attention span, allows them to continue to enjoy stories that may be too difficult or too long for them to read on their own and most importantly, allows you to continue to share that sweet “book bond” – a bond that will last a lifetime!

Kathleen Ahern, Children’s Librarian

(509) 338-3258

kathleen@neill-lib.org

Resources located in the library’s Parent Center (PC)
that can help you help your child learn to read:

The Read Aloud Handbook, 6th edition by Jim Trelease 
PC 028.1 TRELEAS
Offers proven techniques and strategies—and the reasoning behind them— for helping children discover the pleasures of reading and setting them on the road to becoming lifelong readers. Considered a cornerstone of literacy, Trelease imparts the benefits, rewards, and importance of reading aloud to children of a new generation.  Supported by delightful anecdotes as well as the latest research.

Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox
PC 028.1 FOX
Explains why reading aloud to young children has such an impact on their ability to read and their entire lives, and also discusses male readers, phonics, and the three secrets of reading.

What Children Need to Learn to Read: The Complete Parent's Guide to Ensuring Literacy, a Love of Reading, and School Readiness by Michelle Vallene.
PC 372.41 VALLENE
Ultimate resource for parents and other adults who want to encourage literacy in young children. Packed with age-appropriate tips, techniques, fun activities, checklists, and common-sense suggestions to support your child as a reader.

Raising Bookworms : Getting Kids Reading For Pleasure and Empowerment by Emma Walton Hamilton.
PC 649.58 HAMILTO
Offers strategies and activities aimed at helping children appreciate reading and discusses how children benefit from the connection between reading and pleasure.

How To Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Codell
PC 028.5 CODELL
An exuberant treasure trove for parents who want to help their children develop a love of reading.  It includes thousands of titles along with “activities, ideas, and inspiration for exploring everything in the world through books."  Avaluable resource for nourishing readers, both the reluctant and the ravenous.

Growing a Reader from Birth by Diane McGuinness
PC 372.4 MCGUINN
Reviews the latest research revealing just how much infants, toddlers and preschoolers now and can express from the early months on and how this links to children’s mastery of reading.

Reading Games for Young Children by Jackie Silberg
PC 372.41 SILBERG
Over 200 activities that will keep children ages three to six engaged, interested and entertained as they acquire the skills they need to become successful readers. Organized by elements of literacy, such as alliteration, alphabet, letter sounds and rhyming, this book provides research-based information on literacy development in young children.

Creating Readers by Pam Schiller
PC372.4 SCHILLE
Over 1000 games, activities, songs, stories and more to get children excited about books and learning to read.

Literacy Play: Over 300 Dramatic Play Activities That Teach Pre-Reading Skills by Sherrie West and Amy Cox
PC 372.6 WEST
Chock-full of creative dramatic play activities that teach important pre-reading skills while bringing children’s imaginations to life.

Phonemic Awareness Activities for Early Readers by Wiley Blevins
PC 372.46 BLEVINS
Filled with fun activities for the K-2 student including phoneme discrimination, rhyme and alliteration, oddity task, oral blending, oral segmentation, phonemic manipulation, and linking sound to spelling.

There are also many other books in the Parent Center that can assist you in this wonderful journey of helping your child learn to read.  Many of these titles can be found with these call numbers:     028.1    155      371’s       372’s           401.93         649.58

Please let us know if you need assistance in any way.
This is YOUR library and we’re here to help you!

Where to find books in the library for beginning and blossoming readers
There are many “beginning reader” books published, with a wide variety of difficulty, content and length.  Finding “just the right books” can be exciting, rewarding and challenging. Many of these books are in our “JR” (Juvenile Reader) collection.  In this collection you will find:

1.    Books with blue and yellow spine tape.  These can be very good “first books” for your child to begin to read independently.  Be sure you read aloud the books to your child before having your child read them with you.

2.     Books with blue spine tape.  These are the “next step” of books in learning to read.  Your child may want to read these on his/her own or prefer you read them together.

3.    Packets of books in the blue baskets.  These books mirror the books in the kindergarten and first grade classrooms in Pullman Public Schools. Each packet has 5 books and the packet checks out as 1 item.  On the back of each packet is an “Emergent” or “Early Emergent” label. The “Early Emergent” books are “first steps” into reading and the “Emergent” books are the “next step” into reading. Again, have fun reading aloud the books to your child before having your child read them with you.

Tips for when your child is reading to you or with you:

•    Ask your child what they see or notice when they look at the book.  Ask them what they think the book might be about.

•    If your child comes to a word they don’t know, tell them what it is.  This will keep them from getting frustrated and thus, make the reading experience more fun (so they will want to keep reading more and more!)

•    Avoid saying the word “NO” when it comes to reading.  If your child doesn’t read a word correctly or doesn’t answer a question you’ve asked them about the book correctly, find another way to respond so they feel good about their reading time.  There are so many other times we have to say “NO” as parents – try and avoid it during reading time.

•    Have fun!  Have fun!  Read with different voices, make noises, laugh, giggle and talk.  Your child will associate “fun” with books and want to read, read, read – together and on his/her own. 


Picture Books

There are also a number of picture books that lend themselves to being read independently, after they’ve been read aloud with your child. These picture books are often called “predictable books” since the texts feature predictable repetitions and word patterns that result in a child being able to memorize parts (or the entire book) after hearing them read aloud several times. 

It is important to recognize that memorization is a very important reading skill! Too often, adults think that because a child has memorized a book, they haven’t “really read” it.  In fact, memorization is a huge step in learning to read.  So, as your child memorizes books and “reads” them back to you, be sure to let him/her know they ARE reading!  Use those words (“Listen to you read!”  “What a reader you are!”) with your child.  It will make a huge difference in how they see themselves and their own reading abilities and pleasures.

Picture books are filed by the FIRST THREE LETTERS of the author’s last name.

Martin, Bill	Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Barton, Bryon	The Little Red Hen
Butler, John	Whose Nose and Toes
Cabrera, Jane	The Wheels on the Bus (and other titles)
Carle, Eric	The Very Busy Spider (and other titles)
Christlelow, Eileen	Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (and other titles)
Crews, Donald	Ten Black Dots
Dale, Penny	The Boy on the Bus
Dana, Katharine	Over in the Meadow
Ehlert, Lois	Snowballs (and other titles)
Fleming, Denise	Mama Cat Has Three Kittens (and other titles)
Fox, Mem	Time For Bed
Hale, Sarah	Mary Had a Little Lamb
Henkes, Kevin	A Good Day
Hort, Lenny	The Seals on the Bus
Hutchins, Pat	Ten Red Apples (and other titles)
Lass, Bonnie	Who Took the Cookies From the Cookie Jar
Lillegard, Dee	Sitting in My Box
Martin, Bill	Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See (and other titles)
Murphy, Mary	I Kissed the Baby
Numeroff, Laura	If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (and other titles)
Raffi	Shake My Sillies Out (and other titles)
Root, Phyllis	One Duck Stuck (and other titles)
Rosen, Michael	We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
Shaprio, Arnold	Mice Squeak, We Speak
Shaw, Charles	It Looked Like Spilt Milk
Shannon, David	No, David!
Weeks, Sarah	Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash
Westcott, Nadine	I Know and Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (and other titles)
Williams, Sue	I Went Walking (and others)
Woods, Audrey	Silly Sally (and other titles)

A gift for us all

Each year around this time, a family tradition at our household is to stop and look back at the past twelve months and reflect on the innumerable gifts that have come our way. Each year, we are reminded of how extraordinarily fortunate we are, as individuals, as a couple, as a family.  This year, as in every previous year, our list is lengthy and broad, with gifts of every size. And no matter the size of the gift, our gratitude is deep, very deep.   

Each day I go to work at the library I am in the presence of big gifts that literally come in “small packages” ... a tiny hand to hold, a smile to reciprocate and the delight on a young face when “the perfect” book is found and checked out to take home to enjoy with someone they love.  So many gifts, so much gratitude. 

I am one of the most fortunate of all people, as each day my world is full of friends, of all ages and sizes.  And recently some very dear Friends (note the capital “F”) recently gave a wonderful gift not just to me, but to you as well.  If you’ve been to the library’s website, you may have noticed it.  If not, grab a little one’s hand, go to www.neill-lib.org and enjoy it together.   

The gift from our Friends is TumbleBooks, an online collection of animated, talking picture books and nonfiction titles.  Tumble in and you’ll find there is a whole lot packed into this one gift.  Books come to life as you listen to the text being read aloud while viewing gorgeous illustrations.  Both book descriptions and reviews are at your fingertips.  You can even submit your own reviews if you’d like.   

Do you speak a language other than English or would you like to listen to and read books in other languages?  The Friends gift allows you to do just that.  Take your pick of English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Russian.   Interested in playing book related puzzles and games?  TumbleBooks has those too.   And there’s more!  If you have an iPad and iPhone 4, TumbleBooks is literally at your fingertips.  It’s online, it’s interactive, it’s an amazing gift.  Thank you, thank you, Friends of Neill Library!

So, as I enjoy and explore this great online gift, I will also remember the gift of having a little one on my lap or snuggled in beside me as I read aloud and share a beautiful or funny or moving story together.  The touches, the giggles, the words, the wonderings, and yes, at times, even the tears that are shared when we sit down to read together are what will always resonate in our children’s hearts (and brains) and result in them wanting  “more”.  More books, more stories, more reading, more time with us. 

So, stop by the library and check out an armful of books to share over and over and over.  Then, as a bonus, grab your mouse or iPad or iPhone 4 and share additional wonderful titles together.  And as we click on our mice or touch our screens, let’s collectively say a big “thank you” to the Friends of Neill Public Library.  

 by Kathleen Ahern, Children's Librarian

published 12/17/11 in Moscow-Pullman Daily News

Pressure Cookers and Reading

When I was a young girl growing up, I spent many an hour at my mother’s side in the kitchen preparing meals for our family of six. Meals took time. A lot of time. There was no microwave or instant meals to zap and serve. But my mom did have her own kind of appliance magic - a pressure cooker.

I remember how heavy this aluminum pot felt for its rather normal size. I remember reading the brand name on its lid and learning that “Presto” meant “fast.” I remember the round tinker-toy-like valve perched on the bullet shaped stem that jiggled with its tic-tic-tic rhythmic release of pressure. But what I remember most was my mom’s warning that too much pressure could be a dangerous thing and if the pressure got too great, the “whole thing could explode.” Yikes! No matter how much time it saved us, I never felt it was worth the stress, worry and angst.

And now, after all these years, I find myself thinking of a pressure cooker again. Not in terms of food preparation, but rather, in terms of children and reading. Everywhere we turn it seems the pressure is on. Faster! Faster! Hurry! Hurry! Like a subconscious cultural mantra, we march blindly to its devastating message and our children are paying the price. In our zeal to not let our children be “left behind” we’ve confused the journey with the destination and the process with the product. What we’ve left behind is our common sense and remembrance of who our children are and what they really need from us.

As a result, we’re putting our littlest learners into pressure cookers and continuing to turn up the heat. We have mandates and measurements and yes, actual stopwatches that are supposed to help us monitor how well (fast?) our children are reading. And then we wonder why so many of our children come to hate reading. Can we blame them? No, we can only blame ourselves.

Do we really believe this is the right thing to do? Here’s the test … would we do this to each other as adults? Would we love to come to work knowing our boss was timing our efforts as we learned new skills? No! What we’d do is protest and shout “stop” at the top of our lungs. Yet, sadly our children have no voice in the matter.

So, how about we become their voice and do the right thing as adults? Let’s remove the pot from the stove, turn off the fire and take our kids out of the pressure cookers of our own creations. Let’s put away the charts and graphs and retire the stopwatches for good. And in their place, let’s delightfully and enthusiastically read aloud to our kids every day. What will happen you ask? I guarantee you three things: Our kids will learn to read. Our kids will love books. And our kids (and we) will be happier, less stressed and more likely to feel joy and pride on a daily basis. And as we do this, there is no shortage of wonderful books to share together. Come to the library and get all you want, over and over and over.

One final thing - let’s remember that childhood is a journey, not a destination. So too, is reading. And in the words of my mom …. “too much pressure can be a dangerous thing.” Let’s take the pressure off and let our kids love reading.

by Kathleen Ahern
NPL Children's Librarian
published in Moscow-Pullman Daily News, 3/20/10

Early Literacy 101

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” To the author of that quote, Emilie Buchwald, I say “Here! Here! Yes indeed! You go girl!” Let’s shout it from the highest rooftop every chance we get. Let’s sing her words of wisdom because they’re all about literacy – early literacy and lifelong literacy.

Even though I’ve never met Ms. Buchwald, she is one of my literacy heroes. She joins Jim Trelease, author of The Read Aloud Handbook and Mem Fox, the prolifically talented children’s writer and author of the adult book “Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever.” Emilie, Jim and Mem - my trio of heroes.

Throughout my thirty year literacy career, these three remarkable people have been the wind beneath my wings. As a public school teacher, an early intervention coordinator and now, a children’s librarian, early literacy has been my mantra, my passion and my mission. So, I constantly turn to these three wise gurus and their words, their work and their wisdom.

One can accurately say I’ve been around the block a few times in my career. Certainly enough times to witness the current fad, hear the newest buzz and experience the latest spin on various topics. Such is the case with early literacy.

Everywhere I turn, it seems someone has the answer to the question “how do we teach our kids to read?” Answers range from various methodologies and techniques to pay-for-it-now-prepackaged-gotta-have-programs. This been-around-the-block-girl says, “Humph!” Instead, I say with complete sincerity, “throw out the fancy flash cards, the plethora of inane tests, the pre-recorded step by step instructions and other assorted hoo-ha. Instead, let’s just do what works. It requires no textbooks, no box of preprinted cards, no red pen, no instruction sheet and no cash, credit card or ATM withdrawal. That’s right. We just follow Emilie, Jim and Mem’s advice - sit down and make a lap. And into that lap, put the little one in your life whom you so love. And then, begin to read aloud. Day after delightful day. Night after magical night.

And the next question - “but does it really work?” A most reasonable question with a most marvelous answer - absolutely, positively, yes, yes, yes! But don’t just take my word for it. Read Jim’s book. It’s chock full of studies and research that support this “low tech, highly meaningful, emotionally enriching, life altering approach.” Or better yet, try it yourself. You’ll find it works! It really works!

So, head to your local library – the cornerstone of early and lifelong literacy. Leave your credit card, cash and checks at home. Your library card is free. Use it often. Read to your kids, talk with your kids, sing with your kids, help your kids fall in love with books over and over again. Children are made readers on their laps of their parents.

So, sit down, make a lap, invite your child and get ready for visitors. Yes indeed, you and your child will meet Madeline and Lilly and Jack and Annie and Poppleton, Olivia and Nate the Great. You’ll fall in love with Fern and Charlotte, Max and his wild things, Jeremy Thatcher and Rotten Ralph. You won’t want to miss Henry and Mudge, or Mrs. Mallard with Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack. Junie B, Marty and Shiloh, Grandma Dowdel, Benny and Violet, Ramona, Miss Frizzle and Amelia Bedelia are waiting for you too. The list is endless. So many books, so little time. So much need for laps. Happy Reading.

by Kathleen Ahern
NPL Children's Librarian
published in Moscow-Pullman Daily News, 2/27/10