The Magic of Reading

This week I had the privilege of sitting down and talking to the teacher of one of my children. During the process, she handed me a book to take home for my toddler to read. Ha, ha, I thought, like my toddler is going to read a book. After he read the book without my help, I threw open my front door and burst into joyful singing. Okay, well, not quite that dramatic, but I did laugh myself silly. My toddler can read. He just blew me away again tonight by reading his second book without my help. (Without help! Yikes)

But there are kids I do help. Once a week, I have the opportunity of helping elementary school children read. I am always surprised at the wide range of abilities the children have. Some are struggling with the first lists of words, while others are flying though the lists as though they have been reading for years.

I was not so lucky to be one of those speedy readers. When I was a teenager, I would sit at my desk in school, praying for the bell to ring so I wouldn’t have to read out loud to my class. I can not tell you how terrifying that was for me, waiting, as one by one, my peers read out loud inching closer to me.

No, I did not have dyslexia nor did I stutter. My head just wouldn’t get on track with my mouth. Long story.

Then I stumbled across a book, by accident mind you. My brother’s were always quoting, The Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll. That’s when I found Alice in Wonderland. A magical world was opened up to me. A world that was so bizarre, I gobbled it up. This lead to other worlds with each new book I picked up.

Now I am writing the worlds, making up the characters. * dramatic pause * And it all started with the magic of reading (please read with a sigh).

I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see my child start out at such a young age with the magic of reading that took me years to appreciate.

It makes me want to explode in chorus (yes, sing along with me):

“Twinkle, twinkle little bat,
How I wonder what you’re at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea-tray in the sky,
Twinkle twinkle—”
Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll – sung by the Dormouse at the Mad Hatter’s tea-party.

Oh, Lewis Carroll, if you could see me now! Next week I will be performing a tap dance. Bring your cameras.

I will be posting on Friday next week, since Thursday is Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! Hohoho.