Page Adventures: Fostering a Love to Read | a series by Crystal Apilado
After about three weeks of reading to the girls before bedtime I had read a few of their favorite picture books multiple times.
I know the repetitive nature of reading the same books to my toddler is good for her. The word and vocabulary recognition, seeing patterns and rhyming nature if it’s there and even comprehension. I even dare say she found some real confidence because she is now reading those books to me (even if it’s more from memory).
I hadn’t thought about it before, but I think it might have even benefitted my older kids. From listening to me reading out loud, and giving them the opportunity to read out loud to us–we all enjoyed the experience.
I was inspired to try something different when I noticed the boxed set of the Wizard of Oz books on my daughters’ bookshelf. It had been an impulse buy from Costco but we had yet to take off the plastic wrapping.
We had just watched the Wizard of Oz movie the day before and I asked my daughters if they would be interested in reading the books together. I told them that there were little details in the books that would be different from the movie. They decided it would be part of our new bedtime routine.
That night we took off the plastic wrapping and my nine-year-old and I took turns reading the first chapter of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum.
It was a really enjoyable experience. I had not read it since I was in elementary school, and considering it was originally published in the 1900s I could not remember if the vocabulary would be too hard or not.
There were a few words that we had to talk about “what it meant” because the terms were no longer used on a regular basis. But neither of them seemed to mind and found it fascinating and a learning experience.
We flew through the first book in a matter of weeks and decided we had to watch the movie again to point out the differences.
I love the movie. Judy Garland really gives personality to the Dorothy character. However, after freshly reading the book my daughters were no longer convinced that she had done the character justice.
I think they liked the book better. To tell the truth, I did too.
Crystal Apilado is the Editor-in-Chief at the Winters Express and a community volunteer for many nonprofits around Winters. She has served as a past Vice President and BDOG chair for the Winters Friends of the Library.
