Reading to Iddo

Categories: Books
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Picking out some good booksA friend asked this weekend what we’ve all been reading lately. In my case I’ve been reading the following books, repeatedly:

We have a thing for Sandra Boynton at our house. Brett has his own list of her books that he reads to her on a rotating basis at night, with a few other authors thrown in for variety.

We love reading to Iddo. She loves turning pages. She’s trying to be a speed reader and flips through the books real fast. One of my favorite things to watch her do is when she sits down next to her books and pulls them all out in a big stack on and around her lap and goes through them.

I did an online quiz recently to see how much I know about how important it is to read to children. I got one of the questions wrong. The question was about how many parents thought it was important to read to children from a very young age. I thought a lot more parents thought it was important than actually do. I thought it was kind of silly for us to get a book from the hospital when Iddo was born and then from our pediatrician at her 6 and 9 month appointments, but it’s probably the case that those might be the only 3 books some babies and toddlers own. Which is unbelievable to me.

Every week we get on the web camera and do story time with my mom. She reads a story to Iddo (current favorite is A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka) and they sing a song (she likes the chorus for the Hokey Pokey right now). Then Iddo pokes Grandma’s nose and says “beep.”

We went to story time at the library a few times but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth it. It’s a bit of a drive from where we are, it was right when she wanted to nap every afternoon, and the story teller there wasn’t that great. Which was really sad for a library. She had a real hard time connecting with and interacting with the kids. Which is crucial for helping them learn to love reading and communicate.

Several years ago I attended a workshop by PBS Ready to Learn. They emphasized how important it is to not just watch shows that teach (like Sesame Street, when the child is old enough) but to also read books related to the idea and do activities with the idea. Interaction is key.

I was recently contacted by the authors of a new children’s book called Pictivities. It’s a book designed to help adults engage with children while reading to them. The Deseret News did an article about it a week or so ago – Utah couple writes children’s book that helps parents interact. They are trying to raise enough money to print this as a board book, which would be the perfect format for a book like this. Check out their project and see if it’s something you’d consider contributing too.

6 shared thoughts about Reading to Iddo

  1. Brett says:
    Giggle

    I love that picture!

    And I love Sandra Boynton because she’s funny. I guess a sidewinder wriggling is as important as “Ugly Birds, being ugly” but it doesn’t make me smile as wide.

    Oh, and as long as I’m naming things I love, I really loved that story-teller at the Children’s Museum in Santa Fe. From now on, whenever I think of five little monkeys jumping on the bed, they will be doing it with an Argentine accent. :brett:

    Reply
  2. Mama g says:
    Giggle

    I enjoy being Iddo’s library lady. :love: :read:

    Reply
  3. Whitney says:
    Giggle

    I looooove that picture, she is so stinkin’ cute!!! Reading is so important, super duper important! I’ve been reading to little man since he was a newborn! We love Barnyard Dance, I read/sing it with a huge Southern drawl!

    Reply
  4. Whitney says:
    Giggle

    Also wanted to add something… When we have kids come into the library to take their reading tests, I always have a handful of moms who come in and say: “I can’t get my child to read for these tests, my child HATES reading, but I can’t blame her, so do I!!” Right in front of the kid, so of course they see no value in it. Every time I think to myself, the reason your child hates to read is because you didn’t when they were little!

    Reply
  5. Denice says:
    Giggle

    Boy, does she take after Kim. We would get her a doll every year for Christmas and she would go to bed with her books. She is still a book lover.

    Reply
  6. Giggle

    I volunteered for a little while with Reach Out and Read, which is at least one provider of books for children at their pediatrician appointments, which, as you pointed out, may indeed be the only books the child owns. I would read to whatever child was interested in the waiting room, modeling good reading behavior both the child and the parent. I was in a WIC clinic and started bringing Spanish books to read as well. Even if I didn’t understand every single word all the time, at least I knew the kids might or might know more Spanish than English. I’m also discovering at Arabic/Muslim school just how little some of these students read at home. Sometimes I give books at baby showers instead of yet another set of onesies. I look forward to reading more with my own kids in the future! I’m already collecting some with them in mind. 🙂

    Reply

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