"Books are a uniquely portable magic."
Stephen King
As an educator I have dozens of favourite books. I love sharing a wonderful text with children during whole group meetings. It's enchanting to become lost in the story with them, and discover parts of the text that I might not have noticed before. Children are careful observers! They point out aspects of books that I have missed even though the books are worn and well loved...small details in the illustrations, joyful narrative, and connections to the world around us. With each reading the book becomes more special and I feel a deeper understanding of what the author and illustrator might have been trying to convey in their telling of the story.
Because I have so many favourite books I used to treat them like fast food - rushing through text after text and not usually spending more than a day on each. However I have realized that reading books with children is like enjoying a five course meal - better slowly savoured and attuned to the overall experience. This year my goal was to read one book for at least a week - usually one reading per day. I was worried that the children might become bored but after a few months of using this strategy I have noticed the opposite happen. Children are extremely engaged and our conversations about the story tend to deepen each day. I feel like we are learning so much more. Each reading I tend to focus on a different element of the book - listening comprehension, careful attention to the illustrations, a review of new and interesting vocabulary, connections to other books we have read and questions the children might have that need further attention. We have also looked for other versions of the stories (e.g., animated videos, poems, songs) and compared these to the original. Children have been eager to retell the stories in the drama center and sensory tables, and families have been reviewing and reading versions of the texts at home too. Overall it's been an incredibly positive experience.
I've also noticed that:
~with each subsequent reading children become more familiar with the story and confident sharing their ideas in our discussions
~over the course of the week the children's interest in the characters and understanding of the plot seems to deepen and grow
~children ask richer questions and make more significant connections as they gather more information from the book with each new reading
~as familiarity with new vocabulary grows children appear more comfortable using the words in other learning opportunities
~many children thrive with comfortable routines and hearing a story over and over is reassuring to them, especially first thing in the morning
~with each reading we are able to explore concepts of print more fully (e.g., speech bubbles, the shape and size of fonts)
~we have noticed that the front and back covers and end pages also offer opportunities to make connections and ask questions
~enjoying the text together with children is a bonding moment as we enjoy a special book together
~ often the books lead to some pretty interesting inquiries that extend beyond whole group that the children enjoy researching further
~this approach gives me more time to differentiate experiences related to the text to meet the needs of learners
~children often notice and wonder about math and science questions that are teased from the book with each discussion
I'm excited to continue with this reading strategy and see how far we travel!
