I have memories of both of my parents reading aloud to me and my siblings when we were children. They are precious memories to me, and so, of course, I have some recommendations.
First: If you are a parent, make sure that you are reading aloud to your children. This is valuable time – don’t waste it. The same is true for you grandparents out there – read to your grandchildren whenever you get the chance.
On of my favorite memories of my Father reading to us is actually an excerpt that he read from the Reader’s Digest. The book was called “Bichu the Jaguar” by Alan Caillou. The story told of a wounded jaguar whose tracks are discovered by an Indian man and his daughter. I remember being captivated by the plight of Bichu and fearful for the pair who might stumble upon him. Would they meet? And if they did, what would happen?
My Mom also read to us, and a favorite there is “Pet of the Met” by Don Freeman. It chronicles the story of a mouse at the Met in Paris, named Maestro Petrini. It is, again, filled with memorable characters and yes, even tense moments in a children’s book – when Petrini meets up with Mefisto the cat.
Now for the soapbox. In a world of increasing technology -iphones, ipads, computers, playstation, xboxes etc. we must remember that it is up to us to instill that inquiry into our children’s minds. What will happen? To have a child hanging on the written word rather than the visual stimuli of a glowing screen is so critical to their brain development. It is my belief that instilling a life-long love of reading and literature begins with that first page and that first read aloud long ago when we were all children and forming that connection, that love of reading and learning, that we get from a well-told story by a well-loved parent or grandparent.
The Children's Hour 