READING IS FUN WEEK!

In some places, people are celebrating “reading is fun week”!

Grand Valley Public Library–internet photo

Thought I would make a comment or two about this celebration to you who, once again, are taking a few minutes to read my blog.

First, I am thankful that I learned to read. As soon as I was able to decipher the letters that made up words and sentences, I began a lifelong journey to places and characters in fiction. Anne of Green Gables left a lasting impression on me, as did Jo from Little Women. Through  non-fiction  I discovered people and events in history and biographies and so many subjects. Later , as a parent, there were so many occasions for sharing books and stories. It is so wonderful to remember some of their favourite books and many happy times spent with Margaret Wise Brown or Peter Rabbit or The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Years later, these books are still excellent reads to share with children in Spring or any other season.

Second, I have a deep gratitude for the public library system, school libraries, second-hand bookstores, places that make it possible for individuals to access books when family incomes do not budget for extras like recreational reading.

While growing up in rural Ontario, books and the printed word in many forms opened up new worlds to me. The local library augmented the meagre shelves of books in my elementary school. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read such a great variety of books. Sadly, the original Carnegie library building, shown in photo, was destroyed by a tornado in May 1985. It has been replaced by a new building on another site but I will always remember this one.

Finally, I give a shout out to all those people who taught me how to read, shared time to read aloud to me, waited patiently while I checked our local library for a new pile of books to read while my parents did some weekly shopping in town.

Do you have some favourite memories of reading? Unforgettable books that you read along the way? Leave a comment or title if you wish.

Hope this is a week to celebrate reading for you and those around you!

Related articles

• Why Public Libraries Are A Better Investment Than Gold (blogs.abc.net.au)
• Schools in Port Moody and Surrey win Indigo literacy grants for much needed books (theprovince.com)
• Reading history (lostsentences.wordpress.com)