My oldest started pre-school at our local public school. She is beginning her formal education, and I have been thinking about what I hope my kids have already learned and will continue to learn about books and reading in our home. Namely, I wish for them to…
See me reading: I am a reader because my parents are readers. My mother reads aloud to my father in the car, and when I was a kid she came to ballet performances with academic articles folded up in her purse. My father reads while watching baseball (not joking—he mutes the TV until the Mets come up to bat).
When my kids are playing independently I usually want to do house chores, but I try to do at least some silent reading in my kids’ presence. If I never sit down and open a book, why would they?
Develop their own book preferences: My parents’ reading habits are pretty unique, to say the least. I mean, reading with a ballgame on mute? Another example: my sister went through a stage where she only read books about characters with terminal illnesses (but I’m the one who became a tortured writer, go figure). Everyone can and should have different tastes when it comes to books.
My kids might be young, but they aren’t too young to know what they like. I love seeing them become attached to specific books, especially when those preferences diverge from me or their siblings. I may not love reading Everyone Poops five or six times a day, but I love knowing that my kids are developing their own identities as readers.
Make book friends: When I was in middle school, my friend and I both got into Robin McKinley. We would spend hours discussing important topics like whether Beauty or Rose Daughter was the better book. That same friend introduced me to Laura Hankin’s novels before my most recent birth, just in time to binge while rocking a baby. Yes, I want my kids to have individual reading preferences, but I also want them to experience the social bonds that arise between readers.
This is actually why I want to become a family of readers: books have been the basis for many of my richest relationships. There’s a reason adults join a book club when they want to make new friends. Books are fun. Much like the Mets, they provoke fierce attachments and endless opportunities for conversation. A shared favorite book is like a secret handshake, and like a loving family, reading allows you to be an individual and a part of something larger all at once.
Last week, my four-year old daughter told me that she and her friend have the perfect playdate planned. They are going to meet at the playground. She’ll bring Little Elliot, Big Fun, and he’ll bring Little Elliot, Fall Friends. Then they will share. Neither of them can read independently yet, but if they are planning Mike Curato-themed playdates, I would say the fairies have already brought their magic.
Other News…
Long Island educators: I am now set up with BOCES in Nassau and Eastern Suffolk. Visit my booking page or reach out to Lisa Nadel (lonnilanemarketing@gmail.com) to schedule your author visit!
Check out this Kindergarten lesson plan for Martina Has Too Many Tías by awesome educator Kayla Hendry. If you do this or any other lesson plans surrounding my books, please do let me know. I never tire of seeing my books in action!
I recently changed up my offerings for writers. I’m no longer offering manuscript critiques outside of conferences, but I have lowered the price for individual consultations.
I have updated my events page for the fall.