There's something about children when they read. It's the same for when they sing. I don't mean when they prance around the house singing off-key, I mean when the really sing. Especially when a group of them sing. There is a sweet innocence about their voices that captures one's ears and pulls you into the mood of the song.
Children reading has a similar effect. Watching them put their imaginations into a book, cruising over the pictures and concentrating on the words. Early readers naturally delight in the endeavor of sounding out words, making meaning from what they see and read. This is like a magnet, pulling not only you into their reading, but themselves as well.
They play with books. They play with words. They play with language. They play with pictures. They take the sum of their experiences and put it to use when they read. They find that magical land of imagination between the front and back cover of their chosen book.
Watching our three children sit and read (which was initiated by themselves) Lindsay and I sat and marveled at the brilliance of the human mind. The sheer beauty of learning and growing.
Summer offers many places to visit. It offers many things to do. It offers lazy days and fun-filled exciting adventures. All of which are tremendous teachers, for as we all know, experience is the best teacher. Summers, however, always come to an end.
One thing summer doesn't offer as well as a book can is a trip down a road that can last forever...and no matter how many times you read that book, you can always find a new meaning.
A good book is like a good friend.
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