Today is Dr. Seuss’s birthday. As such, I started thinking about the importance of literacy, and the very important role that books continue to play in my life.
A bona fide bookworm as a young kid, I loved all of The Baby-Sitters Club books by Ann M. Martin; Goosebumps by R.L. Stine and Animorphs by K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant were among my other favourites.
As a young child (toddler/maybe younger to six or seven years old), my mom (and other family members) read to/with me every night. Frankly, I can’t imagine growing up without these experiences.
Regardless of my age, books gave me an anchor and (when times were tough), provided an easy escape, fostered creativity, and even helped to manage stress.
Without an ingrained love for the written word, I certainly wouldn’t be a freelance writer and aspiring novelist today.
When I meet individuals who claim that they don’t like reading, I often wonder if they were read to as a kid (please check out this article from The Washington Post, “Why it’s important to read aloud with your kids, and how to make it count”). Perhaps some of these people enjoyed being read to as a child, but didn’t continue the habit into adulthood, had a hard time learning to read and/or perhaps they haven’t explored enough genres/authors to know what they like. Regardless, it’s a shame, as books can teach you so much, entertain you, mystify you and make you think.
If you’re not inclined to read regularly, I hope that you’ll give it another try. It’s the cheapest vacation you’ll ever take.
The library: four walls that contain bound papers of the unbound imagination
How do you not love the library? Knowledge is power, and if you’re a library patron, the lessons are free (okay, not free; they’re available to us via our tax dollars).
I run my own online business as a freelance writer and social media manager. Though I rely on the internet day in and day out, holding a book just feels good.
I use my Kobo/reading apps, but I enjoy seeing how far I am in a book when reading a paper-bound book and a bookmark is put in place. A bookmark holds one’s spot, sure, but it also marks your progress, allowing the reader to speculate what will happen next. My predictions are often influenced by the place of my bookmark. Though slight, I feel a sense of satisfaction when I reach the back cover of a good book. Somehow, this sense of satisfaction is different when compared to completing a novel on an e-reader. (Odd, but relatable to my fellow readers, no?)
When you’re travelling or on the go, the convenience of an e-reader is undeniable. As an aside, I read the first five books of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon in one summer on my Kobo. (They are so good, that I couldn’t stop myself!) As I purchased and downloaded them on my Kobo, I was shocked when I saw them in print, as each one is quite thick! (I am a fast reader, but even my eyes were tired from all of that reading. Totally worth it, though!)
As so many of us rely on digital media rather than (paper) books, I am happy to see so many public libraries rallying. These libraries offer the same great books, but they focus on community. They embrace digital media and other technologies. Gone are the stereotypical stuffy librarians scolding patrons for talking above a whisper. I love this change!
What are you reading now? What was your favourite book as a kid? (By the way, my favourite Dr. Seuss book is “Horton Hears a Who”.)
Give your life the green light. It’s A Go!
Amber Green