From: Carol Elbert <celbert_at_isunet.net>
Date: Sat, 06 Nov 2010 20:18:28 -0500

delsp=yes;

Leonard raised several important questions. Getting books into the hands of children is valuable, but the results will be significantly greater when parents know how to interact with their children and books. Intelligent, well-educated parents don’t necessarily know that it’s important to read to a baby, or that you can just talk about the pictures, that you don’t have to start at page one and read

every word to the end. There's more than one good way to do it, and the goal is enjoyment for both parent and child. Reading to a baby is

a different experience than reading to an ever-moving toddler or to a

six-year-old. That’s one of the strengths of the Reach Out and Read 20

program: the doctors provide parent education. Research documents the program’s effectiveness.

Raising Readers in Story County, the nonprofit organization for which

I volunteer, is developing a project in cooperation with local Head Start and Early Head Start teachers. With grant funding we’ll provide

a set of 6 gift books to be given, one a month, to each child, introduced by the Head Start teacher. Each book will have a label with parent tips. The books are being selected by an early childhood educator to reinforce the early literacy skills identified by ALA.

I've been impressed with Begin Smart Books which include tips for parents on how to use books with babies and toddlers. I'm not connected with the company but think they are a good model. They have

an excellent website.

I share the concern about book selection in relation to books given by literacy groups. So many current books are promoting merchandise,

TV, movies, games, or celebrities. I’m not saying they’re all bad,

but if a child owns only a few books, it's a shame if that collection

is limited to what I might (generously) call popular culture. As a retired children's librarian, I struggle with being a book snob in the face of children who are enthusiastic about books that are TV/ movie tie-ins. The writing tends to be mediocre and not likely to convince reluctant parents of the joy of reading aloud. We all want children to enjoy books, to own wonderful books, and to have loving parents who cherish their roles as their children's first teachers.

Carol Elbert Ames, IA
Received on Sat 06 Nov 2010 08:18:28 PM CDT