Today’s Notes From the Reading Nook is an experiment with an open thread (Substack’s endeavor, in my mind, to revive the heady days of ye olde chatroom, in the best way). It’s available to all subscribers because the more the merrier.
Now that 2022 is officially here, four days into it I am vaguely considering the next 12 months. I never make resolutions, but I’ve been thinking about my family’s reading life, as always, and dreaming about this year.
I want to increase our before-bed reading time by 15 minutes, either out of bed or in it (so, firstly, where can I get an actual Time-Turner?)
I want to incorporate some American Sign Language learning books, as this is something in which my 7yo has expressed strong interest (anyone have any recommendations?)
And I want to read my kids L. Frank Baum’s original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
What is a family reading goal or dream you’d like to work toward this year?
I’d like to return to more regularly reading poetry in the mornings. I vie for breakfast time with the boys’ grandfather, but he’s rarely up in time before the middleschooler leaves for the bus, so that’s one possibility. And I’d like to decrease the amount I read onscreen and increase actual book or magazine reading.
I read Wizard of Oz to my kids a few years ago and maybe they were too young or the movie had too much of an imprint but it was a different experience than I imagined it would be. Still fun, of course, but unsettling in places. I censored some decapitations. I’m curious to hear how it goes in your family.
I LOVE this thread question! Since I have a young one, all our book reading has been very organic. For instance, my family each reads their own book in our bed as part of our nighttime routine. For my new year goal, I’d like to be more deliberate in how the ways we fit in reading time into our schedules so we keep good practices moving forward
Hi Sarah (& community), I'm glad I found your substack, and I feel a jolt of happiness when I see one of your emails in my inbox. My son will be 5 this year and has gotten very into early chapter books, so one of our goals is to find some gems. We have read the whole Zoey and Sassafras series twice, so science and magic clearly work for us. Besides that, just continuing daily reading together is a (tangible) dream for the year.
Hi Sarah! I have a few goals when it comes to reading with my two-year-old daughter:
1) Get better at finding books that are the right length—lately I've been grabbing stories that end up being way too long to read aloud repeatedly and keep my sanity (she doesn't mind length, but we sure do). Also, I've found that rhyming books are just easier and more fun to read aloud, so I'd like to find more of those.
2) Find some books to help illustrate big milestones in her life. Specifically: potty training, the arrival of a baby sibling, and the passing of a beloved grandfather with terminal cancer. I feel like I haven't found anything that strikes the right balance of developmentally appropriate, the right length and tone, and well-written and illustrated. Let me know if you have suggestions!
3) Encourage her to look at her books independently. She loves being read to, but maybe I am just TOO fantastic a reader? At what age do kids start really digging looking at their books without an adult narrating them?
My reading goals for my kids this year is to keep making weekly trips to the library, help my 4 almost 5 year old read through the first two BOB book collections, and get my 6 almost 7 year old reading on his own. Right now he’ll read to me if I sit down with him and he’ll let me read to him (which I plan to continue to do) but he won’t grab a book and read on his own, just flip through looking at pictures. He has discovered a love of audiobooks and using a play away, but again, I’m hoping to find something he enjoys enough to want to read himself.
My reading goal for my kids in 2022 is to be more consistent about using our library to bring new books into our lives. I don’t know why this has just occurred to me, but it is so incredibly easy (and exciting) to place holds on books recommended in the newsletter. We just went though our first stack tonight. My kids and I loved reading new books and it’s a habit I think we can keep up.
Since we are a household of two adults - and since this adult will be back to commuting a few days a week - I want to be intentional about using my commute time for audiobooks (instead of just podcasts) and this feels very doable :) Thanks for the reminder that audiobooks are here for us, and that they 'count'. Also, I want to more regularly send books to my niecelets across the country...and maybe encourage my grandparents to take them to the library for adventures!
I’d like to return to more regularly reading poetry in the mornings. I vie for breakfast time with the boys’ grandfather, but he’s rarely up in time before the middleschooler leaves for the bus, so that’s one possibility. And I’d like to decrease the amount I read onscreen and increase actual book or magazine reading.
I read Wizard of Oz to my kids a few years ago and maybe they were too young or the movie had too much of an imprint but it was a different experience than I imagined it would be. Still fun, of course, but unsettling in places. I censored some decapitations. I’m curious to hear how it goes in your family.
I LOVE this thread question! Since I have a young one, all our book reading has been very organic. For instance, my family each reads their own book in our bed as part of our nighttime routine. For my new year goal, I’d like to be more deliberate in how the ways we fit in reading time into our schedules so we keep good practices moving forward
Hi Sarah (& community), I'm glad I found your substack, and I feel a jolt of happiness when I see one of your emails in my inbox. My son will be 5 this year and has gotten very into early chapter books, so one of our goals is to find some gems. We have read the whole Zoey and Sassafras series twice, so science and magic clearly work for us. Besides that, just continuing daily reading together is a (tangible) dream for the year.
Hi Sarah! I have a few goals when it comes to reading with my two-year-old daughter:
1) Get better at finding books that are the right length—lately I've been grabbing stories that end up being way too long to read aloud repeatedly and keep my sanity (she doesn't mind length, but we sure do). Also, I've found that rhyming books are just easier and more fun to read aloud, so I'd like to find more of those.
2) Find some books to help illustrate big milestones in her life. Specifically: potty training, the arrival of a baby sibling, and the passing of a beloved grandfather with terminal cancer. I feel like I haven't found anything that strikes the right balance of developmentally appropriate, the right length and tone, and well-written and illustrated. Let me know if you have suggestions!
3) Encourage her to look at her books independently. She loves being read to, but maybe I am just TOO fantastic a reader? At what age do kids start really digging looking at their books without an adult narrating them?
My reading goals for my kids this year is to keep making weekly trips to the library, help my 4 almost 5 year old read through the first two BOB book collections, and get my 6 almost 7 year old reading on his own. Right now he’ll read to me if I sit down with him and he’ll let me read to him (which I plan to continue to do) but he won’t grab a book and read on his own, just flip through looking at pictures. He has discovered a love of audiobooks and using a play away, but again, I’m hoping to find something he enjoys enough to want to read himself.
My reading goal for my kids in 2022 is to be more consistent about using our library to bring new books into our lives. I don’t know why this has just occurred to me, but it is so incredibly easy (and exciting) to place holds on books recommended in the newsletter. We just went though our first stack tonight. My kids and I loved reading new books and it’s a habit I think we can keep up.
Since we are a household of two adults - and since this adult will be back to commuting a few days a week - I want to be intentional about using my commute time for audiobooks (instead of just podcasts) and this feels very doable :) Thanks for the reminder that audiobooks are here for us, and that they 'count'. Also, I want to more regularly send books to my niecelets across the country...and maybe encourage my grandparents to take them to the library for adventures!