Appreciating books

Appreciating books

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, identify reasons books should be appreciated, celebrated, and cherished on a daily basis with your group.

I suggest creating a special mobile that can be hung within your reading corner as a constant reminder of the elements you find.

Here are a few ideas of things that can be hung from a colourful hanger along with explanations of how they can be linked to books.

• A small airplane
  - Explain to your group how books make it possible for us to travel to magnificent places. When looking at or reading a book, we can visit a faraway city or a fascinating imaginary world. Books give us the opportunity to go on countless trips.
  
  
• A magic wand
  - With your group, discuss how books contain magical powers. Demonstrate how, in books, everything is possible! Help children realize to which extent books can be mesmerizing.
  
  
• A family picture
  - Children love to make connections between a story's events and their family or daily life. A family photo represents the perfect reminder of this. It may encourage children to try and identify similarities and differences between a story and their own experiences.
  
  
• A pencil
  - Books contain words galore! Tell children that the more they are exposed to written words, the easier it will be for them to, eventually, be able to recognize them and even write them.
  
  
• A miniature cushion (or a picture of a cozy armchair)
  - Help children understand how books can help them calm down and relax. Emphasize the fact that curling up in an armchair with a book represents a little luxury they can enjoy at (almost) any time during the day. Among other things, they can grab a book when they feel the need to step away from the group and spend a few minutes alone.

These five symbols can help children appreciate books throughout the year. Every time you see a child put a book down, use your mobile to ask the child questions such as:

Did the book's pages take you on a trip?
Was there a little bit of magic in the book?
Did one or several characters remind you of your family members?
Did you recognize a few words?
What is the title of the book?
Did the book help you relax and escape for a few minutes?

The answers to these questions will help children appreciate books.

Patricia-Ann Morrison