Blog Posts
Parent Perspective: Abby
You should know right away that I peaked in kindergarten. My most distinct memory from that year (1989 or so) is of reading aloud for my teachers and them crowding around, very impressed by my five-year-old skills. You should also know that I don't like attention. I...
Mystery Readers
ith all of our older kids back to school in person this year, our youngest keeps telling me it’s boring with just the two of us at home. Thank goodness for the time she has at preschool! At her age, it can be hard to find Mom as entertaining as...
Parent Perspective: Holly
I love reading, I always have. I was the kid you’d find reading with a flashlight long after tuck in and as an adult, if I can find a day to while away plowing through a good book, I’m there! As a parent, when my oldest started to follow in my footsteps, my heart...
Making the Library a Special Place for Your Family
You know those wonderful kids who sit quietly on the rug during storytime at the library? Well, my kids are wonderful, too, but whenever I brought them to storytime they wiggled, blurted, stood in the way, got distracted, wouldn’t listen, and we left early. I...
Reading with Fluffy Friends
The other night, our little girls begged me to repeat the story I had recounted the night before. I preferred to hear my husband tell it, so I turned the spotlight on him. Less than a minute after he began, our three-year-old suggested her Meow-Meow “read” it instead....
Back to School: Supply Your Kids with Sticky Notes
Most people have found Post-It Notes to be useful for jotting down grocery or to-do lists, reminders, and notes for friends or family members. But if you haven’t discovered the power of using sticky notes as bookmarks, you are in for a treat! There are so many reasons...
Parent Perspective: Sabina
As a child, I was a voracious reader. I loved to lie in the tall, tall grass of our little backyard orchard, reading the afternoons away. Anne of Green Gables was my favorite—happy, uplifting literature that perfectly mirrored my feelings of appreciation for the...
Neurodiverse Readers May Find Their Own Way
s an English teacher and book lover, I always imagined that my children would approach reading the same way I do. When they showed some affinity for it, I was thrilled. As they got a bit older, they began checking out longer, thicker books that...
Parent Perspective: Misty
Growing up, I was always an excellent student but reading was never something I did for pleasure. In fact, it often stressed me out. If we were reading aloud in class I would try to count the paragraphs to pre-read my part before it was my turn. One particular moment...
Happy Book Lovers Day!
This worthy holiday is celebrated on August 9th of each year. While most days reading can feel like a guilty pleasure, today you have permission to read to your heart’s content without any culpability whatsoever. Here are some ways to consider observing this special...
Author Perspective: Brian
By way of introduction, I am a father, husband, and physician. I carry a lot of titles, but one of the most interesting to date is being an author. I can’t write about my perfect grammar or extensive training in literature because, frankly, I don’t have it. So, how...
Let Them Read Comics
ave you ever wondered what it is about comics that seem to attract our kids like candy? Or why so many parents dislike them? I’m happy to offer my own thoughts on the issue. (And when I say comics, that includes comic books, graphic novels, comic...
Parent Perspective: Pam
grew up seeing my parents read. My father loved mysteries and my mom was a voracious reader. However, I do not have any memories of my parents reading to me, and only a few memories of my older sister reading beginner books to me after she started...
Why You Should Read Multiple Versions of a Book with Your Child
n the last blog post, we looked at the benefits of reading one book repeatedly. Today, I want to discuss how reading multiple versions of the same story can also work to our child’s advantage. We recently tried this out by reading several different...
Parent Perspective: Richard
My alma mater is Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Since graduating in 2006, I have enjoyed receiving copies of their high-quality publications. The article below was originally printed in 1984, when the author became BYU Magazine’s longtime book reviewer. I...
Repetition in Reading
ach week I take about ten minutes to place book holds on our library’s website. I try to get a wide variety of topics and reading levels to keep each of our five kids happy in their reading. I typically find something for myself, as well. Recently...
Parent Perspective: Jeana
The joy I find in reading is how it connects us to one another. Bonds are created either through chemistry with the characters on the pages or the closeness of snuggling up with someone you love to find out what will happen next. When I was a little girl, my father...
Unlocking Reading through Music
ine years ago we had a friend from Japan come stay with us for about a month. During our longer drives to show her around our area, we sang songs with our kids (ages 6, 4, and 2 at the time) to keep them occupied and entertained in the car. We...
Parent Perspective: Emily
’ve never been much of a reader. In fact, I would only read if it was an assignment for school, or if it was necessary for work. It has always been hard for me to create an image in my head of what I am reading, as well as comprehend it. My mind...
Recording the “Darndest Things” Your Kids Say
Just yesterday we were talking with our kids about heaven. My seven-year-old asked if there would be a library there. When I told her I thought there would be multiple massive libraries, she said, “Mom, bury me with a wagon!” Everyone laughed. She said it with such...