A picture book is a deceptively complex object: Ideally, it should be mind-expanding, psychologically astute, vividly illustrated, and-the most elusive criterion-fun. It must entertain the child without boring the grown-up to tears. And it should teach children to match sounds to meaning, pictures to objects, cause to effect, without feeling like homework. Finding picture books is easy; the market is glutted with them. The hard part is picking out just the right ones.
I never loved reading growing up. Compared to my peers and siblings - who, admittedly, were a very academically rigorous circle - I struggled to read. I lacked confidence, and reading was always a source of some stress for me. After college, I started teaching kindergarteners in Houston through Teach for America. That's when I really saw what a difference early reading makes for kids: not just academically but also in their overall confidence and the joy they find in books.
The moment my oldest child was born, I reached for an anthology of Romantic poetry that I have owned for decades and began reading. "Sweet joy befall thee," I said to my baby, through tears, bestowing a blessing with the words of William Blake. The benediction was unplanned. I had brought the book to the hospital for myself, along with a memoir by Shirley Jackson and a pile of well-worn novels,
The Gilroy Library is no longer this quiet place for studying; it's a place for community. Families flock to them in droves to hear her teach kids about things like what sound Pancho the Perro, a dog puppet, makes.
The Pampers AR Storybook project, featuring augmented reality storytelling, addresses the critical issue of early literacy, aiming to change the fact that millions of children haven't been read to.
These city librarians staff reference desks, help locate books on shelves, renew library cards...but their job descriptions include another gig: making fun, zany music for children as the library's official Story Time Band.
