Keep Up Those Reading Routines!

Well, here we are again; it’s time for the winter holidays. So much to do--cleaning, shopping, baking, wrapping, decorating, and more shopping! How does one stay sane during this busy time? How do we find time, quality time, for our families and ourselves? It’s important that we keep our routines with our children--those bedtime stories can’t be missed, quiet times for sharing something that happened today, time to tell them a story about when you were little and things you did at this time of year. It’s all so important. Studies have shown that children, who come from homes where they are read to daily, have access to books, and are encouraged to share in conversations, enter kindergarten with a vocabulary of around 20,000 words. Children who are not read to, do not have books or go to the library, and whose main conversations come from TV, enter school with a mere 3,000 words under their belts. You can easily do the math. Keep reading and engaging them in conversations! 

Stop in the library to check out our Gift Giving book list, which is made up of books that we, the librarians, are fond of and would recommend to add to personal libraries or bookshelves. And speaking of bookshelves, I was perusing our shelves the other day and found an author whose books I had not read before and decided that they were outstanding. His name is Patrick McDonnell, and his books are totally delightful. My favorite is Hug Time, but Just Like Heaven and The Gift of Nothing are just as sweet.

Whatever holiday you and your family celebrate, I wish you a happy and safe one. Guest post by Pam R.