One of the books I'm reading is The Enchanted Hour, by Meghan Cox Gurdon; the subtitle - The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction. She reviewed children's books for the Wall Street Journal for many years, read aloud to her own children, has done gobs of research and is expert on the subject.
On page 19 she tells that British poet Roger McGough's mother was so resourceful in finding things to read at bedtime during WWII when books were scarce, but she made sure he had some kind of bedtime "story" every night. He says: "By the light of a burning factory or a crashed Messerschmitt she would read anything that came to hand: sauce bottle labels, the sides or cornflake packets. All tucked up warm and cozy, my favorite story was a tin of Ovaltine. How well I remember her voice even now: Sprinkle two or three heaped teaspoons of..."
I am flabbergasted and amazed at this woman.
I like Roger McGough! When I was a student in Liverpool I went to see him perform his poems in a pub, an event called 'Poems and Pints'not surprisingly! Interest in reading has to be encouraged in children and the earlier the better!
ReplyDeleteThis book is not so much about getting them to love reading, but it focuses on the effects of being read to. I was just reading a section about a doctor in Cincinnati who managed to get some kids to keep still for a fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), while they: a) were being read to, b) were being read to in books with pictures, and c) watching a video of a story. The second produced the most activity in the brain (it's a brain test); the third showed almost none - the doctor even used the term "brain dead".
DeleteBut yes, when a child is read to like that, they'll end up loving to read themselves.
That's cool, Clare, about Roger McGough! I don't know anything about his work - I'll have to look it up. :)
My mother read to us three children as a treat and I remember the wonderful feeling of calm as well as the immersion in the story. Mum also used to quote poems to us at bedtime e.g. https://www.edhelper.com/poetry/Baby_Seed_Song_by_Edith_Nesbit.htm and this https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/vespers-by-a-a-milne
ReplyDeleteI read to my eldest girl almost every night for about twelve years! My youngest didn't like being read to, strangely enough.
RMcG is one of the 'Liverpool Poets' and at one time was in a (pop) group called The Scaffold with Paul McCartney's brother. Another member of the Liverpool Poets is Brian Patten who I went to see a couple of years ago when he performed many of his poems.
Clare, how interesting! I looked up these poems and liked them - thanks! :)
DeleteI have had this post bookmarked since I first read it. What an amazing woman and mother. My goodness.
ReplyDeleteExactly. How many would think of this.
DeleteWow. That is remarkable.
ReplyDelete