Literary Monday: The Read-Aloud Handbook

If there is one area where I would love to see my children succeed, outside of spiritual matters, it is with reading.  I love to read, and I firmly believe that if a person can read well, he can do anything.  But how can I pass down this love for reading to my children? 

The Read-Aloud Handbook
I did not expect to love Jim Trelease's book, The Read-Aloud Handbook, nearly as much as I did, but I found the entire book fascinating.  Like me, Trelease also believes that the skill of reading well is a great determining factor in a child's success in almost any area, and he's got the reasearch to support it.  He points to ACT scores and college success, and gives many examples of children from even impoverished families who went on to succeed, all because a parent instilled a love for reading in the child. 

His book does give plenty of research and data to back up his arguments, and many universities use this very book in their education classes.  However, Trelease's book is not at all dry and is very practical.  While we all know it's important to read to our children, many parents don't know how to read effectively, what to read, and when to read.  Trelease answers all of these questions.

Should I read to my four month old baby?
Yes.  What's the point?  At this age, reading to my son will build the habit for us, give us good cuddle time, and simply allow for conversation between us.  I think it also gives him a positive association with books and reading.  It doesn't really teach him anything yet, but that's OK.  We don't know exactly when children begin understanding what is said, so we should start early.  It's the same reason that parents talk to their children from the moment they are born.  Andrew has the benefit of having an older sister, so he gets read to all the time.  But Isabelle?  We had daily reading time for her at this age too. 

What can I buy to make my child a better reader?  The Three B's
Books:  Trelease says that book ownership is incredibly valuable.  I would completely agree.  Every book that my 2 year old has been given in the past 6 months has become her favorite at some point in time, whether that book was Read-Aloud Bible Stories, Llama Llama Red Pajama, or The Five Little Monkeys.  Books have always been Isabelle's favorite "toys."

Book Basket:  This is something we had already incorporated into our home, for the sake of neatness.  Isabelle drags books all around the house, so it made complete sense to me to place a book basket in the living room, in addition to the shelves in her room, the shelves in the nursery, and the shelves in our room.  Trelease says to put book baskets in the bathrooms and kitchen as well, especially as your child gets old enough to read on their own.  He says that when people eat alone, they will read whatever is on the table, so be sure to have reading material nearby for your children.

Bed Lamp:  If you want your kids to love reading, let them stay up a bit past their bed time to read.  Trelease explains a great way to make this work in your home.

A Reading Heritage
Of course, one great factor in a child's love to read is the parents' love for reading.  If mom loves to read, children have a greater chance of loving books as well.  But if dad loves to read, that number jumps up considerably.

Turn it Off!
But of course, if you want your kids to love reading, you're going to have to turn the TV off.  Be very mindful of the amount of TV your children watch.  They could learn much more through a book or a conversation with mom.  Studies show that for every hour of videos a baby watches, the child learns 6-8 fewer vocabulary words, when compared to babies who watch no TV.  The AAP recommends no screen time for children under the age of two.  Here's a great article on the recall of Baby Einstein videos a couple years ago.  We didn't follow the AAP's advice completely.  We started allowing videos at the age of one, but only sparingly.  My one year old did watch some Baby Einstein and loved it.  She practiced signing and actually learned some words through it.  But I really think videos should be used in moderation.  And keep in mind that, as Trelease points out, if given the choice between a book and a video, a child will probably pick the video, so limit TV time if you really want your child to love reading. 

Learning through Reading
As kids get older, Trelease says that one really important facet of reading is the ability to identify with characters and experience the world through them.  Again, I heartily agreed with Trelease on this point.  As a kid who loved reading and had a big vocabulary, I didn't feel like too much of a dork because Anne liked to read too.  Anne had a great imagination and a large vocabulary.  Who is Anne?  Anne Shirley, the main character in the Anne of Green Gables series. 

What to Read?
One of my favorite aspects of The Read-Aloud Handbook is the back portion of the book.  Trelease has compiled lists of book suggestions for every age range.  Through skimming these lists, it made sense to me why my toddler loved The Foot Book so much.  Children at this age love repetition and rhyming.  Using his lists enabled me to find more books that my toddler would love.  His website also has new reading lists with books that have been released since the 2006 edition of his book, so be sure to check it out.