Originally published May 19, 2010
I’ve been reading to four-year-olds at a school a stone’s throw from our home. Once a week since March. One hundred seventeen urchins, as Earl and I call them behind their backs. I don’t read to all one hundred seventeen at once; rather, they are divided into seven groups. Which means I read the particular story seven times. By the last reading I’m able to recite much of it by heart.
It took a while for the children to get the hang of it. They needed to become familiar with the routine, with me, with the idea of sitting quietly on the floor around me and listening. But by today, the last day of the school year, they were all ears. I loved it. I think they did too.
“Can you read another story?” they asked. “I like the one about the pigeon.” “Bye, Story Lady.” “Come back soon.”
It also made me wonder if four-year-olds are read to at home. I know parents are super busy these days, and television is a wonderful anesthetic; so I’m not faulting any mother or father who doesn’t have enough energy left at the end of the day to read about the pigeon. I would suggest, however, that reading Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus takes all of ten minutes, which is considerably shorter than a TV program. And, it could be the most rewarding ten minutes of the day for both parent and child.
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