A Little About My Family and Myself
I'm an author and I've written over 30 nonfiction books for children (mostly about animals and nature)...all with lovely photos provided by the publishers. I've done school talks where I've read to classes of young children, and then I help them to draw the animals that I've written about.
A favorite picture book from my childhood
The 12 Dancing Princesses is a favorite picture book from my own childhood.
What I Did:
When my son was a little boy, I read a TON of picture books to him. This precious time together led him to a life-long love of reading, I'm happy to say. I think it's a great, quiet activity where words and pictures come together to enchant children.
How I Did It:
My son enjoyed being read to, and he often asked me to read picture books like Goodnight Moon and other beautifully written and illustrated books that were among our favorites. I also think that being read to helps children to learn how to read because after repeated readings of the same books, a child can sometimes know which words come next and decipher the spelling.
Lessons Learned
- I think that reading picture books provides a special time for parents and children to learn about the joys of literature. Even if you don't have a lot of time, spend some time in the evenings, maybe just before bedtime, reading to your child.
- Have your child pick one picture book out of a few for each night's bedtime story.
- If money is tight, you can take books out of the library and your child will learn about many authors and stories that way, without your having to spend money on a big collection of books.
