The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy

As an avid reader and great lover of children’s literature, I have read many books I consider to be great books.  However, every once in awhile, I will come across a book about which I cannot stop talking and I feel everyone should read.  Such is the case with The Chestry Oak.  My good friend, Mrs. Linda Stubblefield, and I often swap books.  Recently she gave me this book to read and I will forever be grateful to her for introducing me to such a wonderful piece of children’s literature.  The Chestry Oak, written by Kate Seredy, is the story of a young Hungarian prince, Michael, of the Chestry family during World War II. 

Every prince in the Chestry family, on his seventh birthday, plants an acorn from the great Chestry Oak that has stood in Chestry valley for as long as anyone can remember.   While out for a ride on his horse, Michael finds himself sitting under the Chestry Oak remembering the story of the great tree that had been told to him since he was old enough to understand.   While there, an acorn with two leaves attached to it drops in his lap.  Because of the war and frequent bomb raids, he places it in a special pouch that he wears around his neck in case something should ever happen to the Chestry Oak.  Nana, his beloved nurse, tells him the leaves may symbolize wings meaning he may have to plant his acorn somewhere other than Chestry Valley.

The rest of this masterpiece tells the incredible story of the journey Michael and his acorn, from his beloved Chestry Oak, are sent on due to the danger and devastation in Chestry Valley during World War II.  This book will keep you spell bound until the very end leaving you wishing it did not have to end!  This is a must read for everyone, parent and child alike.   Age 10+  Needs no proofreading

As a parent, if you are not excited about books then your children will not be either.  I do not have the tremendous love for Children’s literature that I do just by chance.  It is because I had a mother that was constantly searching for books she could encourage her daughters to read.  In order to get us excited about a certain book, she read many books and became excited first about the books she had read.   She read many, many books to us as a family.  It was very common place to see my mother reading a book.  She turned our entire family onto reading and we are all avid readers to this day.  My sisters and I are constantly calling one another to share the latest book we just read.   All of that is because I had a mother who thought it important enough to get excited about a book in order to teach her children to love reading.

Your children learn by example.  They will do what you do, not only what you say.  If they never see you engrossed in a book you just can’t put down, they will never experience that thrill for themselves.  If you have never experienced the thrill of a book you just cannot stop reading, try The Chestry Oak.  I promise you won’t be able to put it down.

When Should Reading Aloud Stop?

In my last post, I gave the illustration of when a baby is born the parents immediately begin talking to him even though he cannot understand what they are saying.  The baby feels a sense of security and soon learns to enjoy hearing the parent's voice.  The same, we said, is true with reading aloud. The earlier reading aloud is begun with a child the sooner they will develop a love for reading and books.

Now that we have established when reading aloud should begin, let's answer the question, "When is my child too old for me to read aloud to him?"  The answer, "NEVER!!!!!"   When a child learns to talk the parents do not stop talking to him because he can now talk on his own. No, in fact, the amount of talking becomes even greater because now the child can participate in the activity.  The child soon learns to enjoy talking with his parent and wants to do it all the time!! :)  The same is true with reading aloud. 

Just because your child or student knows how to read on his own does not mean that you should never read to him.  Reading aloud is an advertisement for the joy of reading.  A company does not stop advertising when people start buying its product. It continues to advertise to keep its product before the people.  If we, as parents or teachers, stop reading to our children because they can now do it on their own, there is a greater risk that they will not do it on their own.  They are not being reminded on a consistent basis that reading is fun.  Good books are not being brought to their attention by being read to them.

I've already stated in one of my posts that the evenings when my mom would get out a book and read to us were some of my favorite memories from growing up.  I remember one time, when I was in college, life got a bit hectic for me.  One evening, when I was feeling particularly stressed,  I got a book of short stories, took it to my mom and asked her to read to me.  She did and I felt much better after spending time listening to her read aloud. 

Could I have read those stories on my own? Of course!  However, because my mom had taken the time to read aloud to me all my life I felt it was the one thing that would put my world back in order!  A good book has always given me a cozy, peaceful feeling. Why? Because I associate it with those warm cozy evenings of sitting around listening to my mom read.

If you have little ones in your house, start reading to them on a consistent basis.  If you have older children in your house, keep reading to them and never stop until they are out of your home.  High School teacher, if your class permits, take the time to read to your students.  When I was a librarian for four years, my junior high and high school students would act as if they didn't care when I was reading to them, but when I didn't take the time to read, they let me know they wanted me to!! 

For those of you who may have grade school or older students or children in your home and you have not begun yet to read aloud to them, let me say, it is also NEVER too late to start!  Start it NOW and NEVER quit!! Happy Reading!!

Why Reading Aloud is Important

     For the most part, we all understand that reading to our children or students is very important and a key to their future success.  However, not many of us have ever had it all laid out for us as to why it is important.  Let me share with you some of the lessons I learned from Dr. Trelease, either through his book or directly from him during his lecture.  Today we will talk about the importance of reading to infants!

When a baby is born, we begin immediately to talk to the baby.  They can't understand anything we are saying, but that doesn't keep us from talking to them.  No mother has the attitude of, "I'm not going to talk to my child until he understands what I am saying." No, of course not. As soon as the baby is born the parents are cuddling with him and telling them how much they love him and have wanted him and are so excited he is finally here.  The baby doesn't understand, but immediately feels a sense of security.  From an early age the baby begins to recognize the mother's voice and is soothed by her words, even though he cannot understand what she is saying.

The same can be true for reading aloud.  From a very early age, a baby can benefit from being read aloud to.  It gives the baby the idea that reading is a fun part of his day because he enjoys hearing mommy's words and voice.  He enjoys cuddling with mommy and spending time with her.  He enjoys the sing-song rhythm of her voice as she reads the story.  He is captivated by the bright colors on each page.  From just a few months old he gets the idea that books and reading are a pleasant experience.  Future activities with reading will build upon this foundation of enjoying the time spent with books.

As you sit down with your infant and read to them, you may feel as though it is doing nothing for them and is a waste of time.  IT'S NOT!! They ARE benefiting from it greatly!!  Remember, in my last post I mentioned that studies have proven that by the age of eight months babies begin storing words, that they hear, in their memory.  So, the more words they hear the better of a vocabulary they will have in the future.  Also, and I believe this is the most important reason to read to an infant, they get the idea from day one, so to speak, that reading is FUN!! Children like to have fun and if reading is not presented as being fun from their early days, then it won't be to them.  It is our job as the parents and teachers to make sure they think a good book is fun and story time is greatly anticipated!!

In my next post, we will discuss at what age reading aloud should stop.  I'll give you three guesses as to when that is and the first two don't count!!! :)  Happy Reading!!

The Importance of Reading Aloud

Some of my very favorite memories of being at home while growing up are those of the whole family gathering down stairs in the family room around my mother's rocking chair and listening to her read to us from books such as: Mr. Popper's Penguins, Mandy, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, The Wolves of Wiloughby Chase, Calico Captive, Lone Hunter, and many many more exciting books.  Even my dad would sit down there with us and listen just as intently as we three girls would.  How I loved those cozy evenings!! No wonder I enjoy reading and have such a strong passion for it.  My mother was instilling it in me through reading aloud.

Reading aloud should begin at a very early age.  Studies prove that around eight months of age, infants begin storing words they hear over and over.  They don't use them yet, but their little brains are storing them for future use.  So, of course, the more words they hear over and over, the more words they have to use in the future.  The earlier a child is read to, the earlier they will begin to develop a vocabulary and they will learn to sit and listen.

In my next few blog posts, I am going to share with you how to read to different age levels, what to read to different age levels, and what is the normal response from each of these age levels.  There is NO wrong way to read to a child.  Any type of reading aloud to a child is beneficial in some way. However, there are ways that can make it more enjoyable for you and for the child.  That's the key to reading aloud, making it enjoyable.  If a child does not associate reading with fun from an early age, they won't develop a love for it.

Why can I get so excited over a good book? Why can I feel disappointed when the good book I am reading ends?  Why can I hardly wait to get done with my work so I can read?  Because I had a mother that from an early age made sure I would enjoy reading by taking the time to read aloud to me.

So, until my next post, put your infant, toddler, or child in your lap or snuggle up on the couch and start reading aloud to them.  You will enjoy it and so will they!!  Happy Reading!!

Getting to Know the Author

For the past few months, (it's taken me a little longer than expected!), I have been studying, writing, and teaching a Children's Literature course for the Hyles-Anderson Online College. Of course, this has been very exciting to me and I have thoroughly enjoyed studying for this class.

One of the sections in my curriculum is a brief bio sketch of 30 different children's authors and an excerpt from one or more of their books.  I have found that learning how each of these authors took their own life experiences, good or bad, and used them in their story line has made their books come alive in a whole new way.  For instance, Beverly Cleary lived near a Clickitat Street which is where one of her main characters, Henry Huggins, lived.  The author of Paddington Bear, Michael Bond, lives near Paddington Station in England.  Louisa May Alcott used her adventures with her sisters as pieces of her story line in Little Women.  Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden, wrote the book from inside her own walled garden.  Lucy Maud Montgomery was practically an orphan and much of Anne of Green Gables is patterned after her own childhood.  On and on it goes of the authors who wrote about something of which they knew or had experienced themselves.  It has made the books I have loved even more special.

As you introduce your child or students to new books and new authors, it would be a great idea to learn a little bit about the author.  It gives the reader a little bit of background knowledge while reading the book.  Again, as mentioned in my previous blog about Dr. Trelease, he has an entire book that highlights several of his favorite authors.  You can also look up just about any author online and get information about them. 

Happy Reading!!!

Dr. Jim Trelease

During my four years of working as a school librarian, I had the amazing opportunity to hear Dr. Jim Trelease give one of his lectures on reading and children.  I did not know much about him at the time, only what my mom had told me, but as I listened to him speak, I quickly realized that this man knew what he was talking about. 

Dr. Jim Trelease has spent his life studying the affects of reading to children, children's authors and their books, and the influence a reading parent has on their child.  I HIGHLY recommend that every mother reads his books.  He has one titled, "The Read Aloud Handbook," which teaches why it is important to read to a child from a very early age and even how to do it.  It is an amazing book!!

He has another book titled, "Hey, Listen to This....Stories to Read Aloud."  This book goes author by author and highlights the author as well as one or more of their books.  It has an excerpt from each book so you can get the feel of the story.  Excellent book for those who may not be real familiar with children's literature. 

I am starting my blog off by introducing you to Dr. Jim Trelease because much of my material I learned from him.  As I sat in his lecture for an entire day, I was literally brought to tears with the passion he portrayed for reading and for children learning to love reading.  It is an experience I will never forget.  He no longer travels to lecture, but you can still get his teaching and philosophy through his writing. I am including a link to his home page.  Take the time to check it out!! There is tons of helpful information on his site and opportunities to order his materials. 

I found a real gem when I found Dr. Trelease's works.  I hope you will be inspired by it as passionately as I was inspired!!

www.trelease-on-reading.com

Purpose of this Blog

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an avid reader and lover of good books.  My goal with this blog is to help you increase your love and your child's love for reading.  Over the past several months, I have been studying many different aspects of Children's Literature.  I always knew that it was important to help a child learn to read and want to read, but now I feel I know why it is important and a little better how to go about the task of teaching reading and instilling a love for good books.   With this blog, I will pass on the information I have learned from others much more experienced in this subject than I.  My desire for every child is that they will someday feel the same excitement and love for a good book as I have felt for so many.  The title of my blog is, "A Good Book is a Good Friend."  I have many friends whose story is written with pen and ink, their personality is given to them through an author's personality and life experiences, and their essence is found in their written words.  I will enjoy introducing you to my friends and hope they become yours as well!!