The Power of Books by James J.Trelease

From this chat onwards, I shall share many articles worth to be read from my collections. Managed to find ‘them’ two nights ago as most of my stuff still in boxes. Plenty boxes just to keep ‘things’ that its sole-purpose to be read.. I’ve been collecting articles since schooldays but ‘they’ will also having a fate being thrown away when I’m in mood for ‘Spring Cleaning’. 😀

P/S – To motivate you to read more and to encourage you to cultivate reading habit for your child.

The writer Graham Greene once observed that books are their most powerful in childhood. He is right, of course, for it is then that our minds are most open and innocent, when we are ready and willing to believe that animals can talk, lost children can fly, houses can be made of gingerbread and that when our punishments are done our dinners will be waiting for us (and they will still be warm)

Of course, against modern technology’s immediacy – like videos moving thousands of frames a second – the pace of a book pales by comparison. But, “the race is not to swift”. Aesop reminded us, as when you compare a book and video in long-range power, it is book that wins. Nothing short of another living, loving human being can equal a book in its power to simultaneously move, influence, change, heal, excite, educate, and inspire. Blessedly, books come already assembled, no batteries needed, don’t go out of style, leave none of candy’s cavities, and wear out less easily than toys.

But initially the book is not enough. Books and people do not have Velcro sides. We do not naturally attach to each other. In the beginning there must be a bonding agent – parent, relative, neighbour, teacher, or librarian – someone who attaches book to reader. Just as there is no player in the National Basketball Association who was born wanting to play basketball or read must planted by someone outside the child. Psychologists call such a person the “significant other”

The significant others need not be educated or even come fro privileged circumstances but they serve the world mightily. Take, for example, the poor Danish shoemaker and his son. The father eventually would die mentally ill, his wife would die illiterate and an alcoholic. The son, however, would die one of the world’s most widely read and beloved authors – Hans Christian Andersen. How the boys rose above his impoverished childhood can be attributed largely to the long winter nights he spent with his father – reading from the ARABIAN NIGHTS and afterward acting out the stories with cut-outs in toy theater the father had made.

Then there was the troubled Minnesota teenager, returning to his dysfunctional and abusive home one night after selling newspapers at a local hospital. With the temperature reaching twenty-below, the boy saw the warm glow of the library. His father was millitary and thus the boy never spent more than five months in any one school, always at the bottom of his class. In the library that night significant other came in the form of a librarian who offered the ill-clad teen a book, promising another whenever he was done. No performance tests, no dioramas, no grades, just a book to read and enjoy, down by the apartment furnace with a quart of milk and a box of cookies, a book to crawl into and escape the fury of this parents’ arguments upstairs. One book led to another and another, until he was hooked for life. By the time that teenage, Gary Paulsen was 50 years old, he would be the award-winning author of more than 100 books, but one can only wonder what might have become of him were if not for the librarian.

Imagine how much poorer the world would be were it not for Mrs. O’Connor, the volunteer who came in each Saturday morning to read aloud to the boys at the English Boarding School. For one boy, the unachieving 10 years old who hated school and books, her weekly visits would give his first real taste of books as wonder and pleasure, instead of test and measure. One year of her Saturday morning readings and he was hooked on books. But, without Mrs. O’Connor the read, the world of books might never have had Roald Dahl the writer.

Some people would have believed that the old days were better in every way than today. Not so, certainly not in children’s books, which have never been as wide and glowing as they are today. Three times as many books are being published today than a decade ago, and almost all in glorious colours. Hundreds of children’s bookstores (largely unheard of just two decade ago) dot the American marketplace, the chain bookstores have burgeoning children’s departments that are crowding the adults, the long grey line of school textbooks is giving way to intelligent and enchanting trade books in the classrooms, and library usage by families has children’s librarians wearing the broadcast smiles in decades.

But none of it will add up too much without that significant other who brings child and book together in a grip that lasts a lifetime. In a sense, it is what Plato was talking about when he said it is the responsibility of people who carry torches to pass them on. The magnificent torch of literacy has a flame that must be fanned by moving it from generation, from one reader to another, from an adult to a child.

Books are a powerful tool. In creating a nation of readers, we create the torch bearers and leaders of tomorrow.

READING PROJECT : Busy, busy, busy months ahead

Apart from many, many things I’m in love for the past & currently, there’s always one thing that would always has a soft spot in my heart.

BOOK + READING.

I’m an avid reader. SERIOUS. ;>

But, for the past one to two years I’ve been reading so little.

I used to collect magazines starting off in my teenage years right on to womanhood. Let me chat on magazines first.

I’ve read Dewan Siswa then Galaxie & then Anime translated comic which was ‘Dewata Raya’ (during ITM years…I’ve made a collection! & still have it & it is one of my precious stuff he,he). Then girly hood hit me, evolve to ‘Cleo’ & the more mature Hanz prefer ‘Marie Claire’ next. Oh yes, I still kept those Marie Clarie (just the Malaysian edition). Marie Claire to me is good (last time) because there’s always featured article on woman in other countries & this help me during the times I’m so involved with AWAM, an NGO specially for woman empowerment.

Then, Motherhood knocked on my door, I chose ‘Parenthink’ mainly along with other parenting mags in the market. After some time, I think that I had enough infos not only for parenthood but for my studies as well when I suka-suka (purposely without any reason) took up Prof Diploma In Early Childhood Education at UMCced. I stopped buying mags religously per month. Only ocassionaly if any front topic managed to attract my roving eye. Ha!

Now, about books..

My childhood mostly spent reading and re-reading. I simply love all Enid Blytons & Nancy Drew. Later a good friend introduced me Sweet Valley Saga and it got me hooked! Once reached puberty, there’s Virginia Andrews, Danielle Steele, Judith McNaught, some Mills & Boons (simply love Penny Jordan-got plenty of them because I think her style of heroine creation similar to Judith McNaught) Women Empowerment! Yeah!

Well, frankly speaking, I cannot really list out those authors & books I’ve read, can only recall those that gave significant impact in my life.

Alright, after some time been ‘UNREADING’, I’m back on this track. I’ve read a good novel recently that made me read that particular novel again. Shall I chat about that novel? Hemmm..let me think about it, yah.

Now, I’ve got many books screaming to be read. The recent outing, I came across mini book fair & he, he, can’t resist to buy some.

Here they are…..
(L-R; Clockwise) Learning Beyond Schooling by Chong Wai Leng => good resource for those keen on Homeschooling & even for those who just want to get more infos on the current education trend. Tip Menjadi Penulis Bestseller by Zamri Mohammad=> I grab this one because it is the inner wish of mine that yet to form in reality. :> . 100 Soal-Jawab Psikologi Anak => a compilation of most Q & A featured in Pa & Ma magazine in regards of parenting. We had few troubles up in our sleeve in bringing up our two boys & hope this book will help us. Didik Anak Urus Wang by Siti Faizah Ismail => I’ve skimmed (SP?) read & I must say it is very informative.

Dateline? I should have set a deadline, should’nt I? I think I should so,so I shall be more discipline.

At present, I’m reading the Learning Beyond Schooling and so far I like it.

Can you believe it if I say that these 4 books was for display as I’ve never read it? Would you believe me if I tell you that I got these books when I was sweet sixteen? I am now in my early 30s, so count, count how many years already?

So bad of me, huh?

To be honest I begged my father some money to buy books with reason to score my 1119 exam but in the end, I did’nt read it. Okay, I read half of Emma by Jane Austen (still prefer the movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow).

And, everytime I look at it, I felt guilty & it kept on like that for ages!

Allright, I pledge a vow. I will read all these books starting off with Emma, then maybe Oliver Twist, next shall be David Copperfield & lastly would be A Tale Of Two Cities. Charles Dickens, I’m sorry for neglecting you.

Phew!

What’s next?

These two books I bought by pre-order through MPH Bookstore year 2005 since it’s no longer available in every bookstore. Very thick & very expensive. Anyway, I tell you it’s worth it.

I finished reading Pete Seeger’s Storytelling Book & it is Superb! And, I’m going to read it again.

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease is well-recommended in guiding on how the reading process goes about, how to instill the reading habit, some book list, parents reviews & so forth.

Actually, there’s one more pic I snapped but it’s blurry so just leave it like this-lah for the time being.

Look at these stacks of books…..

Dateline to finish all?

Dateline to review all?

Let it remains MYSTERY………………………… :>

Homeschooling : Part 3 – Books, Books & Books Galore

Sharing & sharing alike!

1) All time favourites. Well-recommended books.
**The Gruffalo**, **The Stinky Cheeseman and other fairly stupid tales**, **Something Else**, **Goodnight Moon**, **Chicka Chicka Boom Boom** (VCD available as well & we love it!!) & **Guess How Much I Love You**, **But Not the Hippopotamus**.

2) Eric Carle’s Collection
I have to say that I, myself adore Eric Carle especially the illustration, so child-like collage concept is his trademark & thumbs up on the easy-read repetition yet informative plus the moral values writing. Believe me, I learnt all types of insect names in one of his books.
**The Very Hungry Caterpillar**, The Very Quiet Cricket**, The Mixed-up Chameleon** (noted the Chameleon, huh #wink,wink#), **The Grouchy Ladybug**

3) Dr Seuss Collection
Famous for it’s wackiness. Who can resist the funny looking creatures, tongue-ties & such?
**The Foot Book**, **The Cat in the Hat-Great Big Flap Book** (compilation of his classic but differ in version by the basic learning it provides), **Hop On Pop**, **Oh Say You Can Say**, **One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish**

4) Whole set of infamous Peter & Jane of Ladybird Collections & some Phonics Books

5) Brown Bookshelf – loaded for easily available books

6) Black Bookshelf also loaded with various kinds of books

7) Arranging books nicely capture child’s attention

8) More books

P/S = Book is like a window to knowledge that one can’t possibly imagine. Instill a love of book & make reading as a must-have activity for family!