What’s the magic with reading?
I vividly remember bursting into tears in the middle of my elementary school library. It surprised me. I got three-fourths into Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ and Jody was asked to shoot his beloved yearling, Flag, because it was eating the only crop the family had to survive. I bawled. How could a boy be asked to kill his pet? I couldn’t fathom the task.
I type, decades later, tears blurring the words, still connecting with that boy.
This is a story I tell my readers EVERY year. Just like I assumed my teacher never went grocery shopping or did “normal” outside of school things, I know my students assume that, because I am an avid, engaged reader now, I always was. I want them to know the truth.
My early reading identity was defined by performance. I read smoothly, fluently and I regurgitated information accurately for tests. But the second I walked away from “having to know it,” it was gone.
In second grade, reading the entire Nancy Drew series, for example…was an accomplishment.
I let authors’ words…themes…and characters’ journeys wash over me until that day in 5th grade with Jody.
It wasn’t the book, although quality literature matters. It was me. I opened up and let Jody’s struggle, his pain, affect me. My empathy muscle grew. I leaned in to learn about someone else.
I wasn’t concerned that I was ever going to be in that exact situation. I didn’t fear, or have nightmares.
I simply cared.
And it made me better - as a reader, and a growing human being.
That’s the magic of books. We can step into a character's life for a minute. We have windows into other parts of the world we might never have. And we have mirrors too - ways we see ourselves and understand our lives in new ways.
Instead of presenting a book to kids, I present characters. “Today we’re meeting…” and call them by name. Try that with your kids. Ask them to call characters by name just like they would a friend.
When we see books as characters’ journeys, their experiences and how they manage each situation can unlock new understanding, as in the case of Salva in Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water. I’ve read it with countless classes as it is a powerful way for kids to learn persistence, resilience, and hope through the lens of an incredible story of survival.
Those journeys and how characters manage each situation can validate our own feelings, like Jabari in Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall. We may not be literally on a high dive deciding whether or not to take the plunge, but we can all relate to being nervous, afraid, and facing something challenging.
Use books as opportunities to teach kids about feelings, decisions, and situations. When someone does something mean: share about how that makes you feel. Ask them how they feel. When a character is faced with a hard decision: that’s a huge teachable moment to share times when you too have felt like that. Ask your kids about how they do/don’t relate.
And always, BE A READER WITH THEM. Share with kids what YOU’VE just learned that helps you understand others and our world better.
