From: Nancy Silverrod <nsilverrod>
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 09:36:35 -0700

The things that made a reading environment for me as a child were the following:

1. Parents that read themselves, and to us.

2. Having books of my own--it was a thrill when a great-uncle that I'd never met left us his library of hundreds of books of all kinds--I sat for hours going through the boxes over and over again and finding things to read--even his medical books had a certain interest.

3. A wonderful school library with little nooks and crannies to hide away in and read in big comfortable chairs.

4. School librarians who knew me and took an interest in my reading and saved books they thought I'd like.

5. Annual Caldecott and Newbery celebrations at our school library, with cake and punch served by the librarians, culminating in special cakes for the sixth graders, decorated with images of the medals.

6. Regular library time at school, where we were read to, even in 6th grade, and where we had time to wander and browse.

7. Regular reading time in the classroom, again where we were read to; and also having the option to read or draw if we finished our work ahead of the others.

8. Very good public libraries; and a mother willing to take us to them on a regular basis. The best year was when the public library was right around the corner from our house.

9. A mother who didn't restrict my reading to the children's section of the library. (My poor grandmother did have to suffer through a discussion of what a prostitute was with me at age 8, my 7 year-old brother, and 5 year-old sister...but she pretty well managed to keep us in the dark!)

10. A much less structured childhood than kids have today--where there was time for reading and time for the kind of imaginative play that books inspired.


Nancy Silverrod San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin St. San Francisco, CA 94120-4733
Received on Tue 11 Oct 2005 11:36:35 AM CDT