Yellow Bird

From Bev Bauer:

By now, mid-September, we are far enough into the school year that the daily routine feels comfortable but yet filled with new energy and hope for a successful year. You don’t have to look too far to find the experts’ opinions and suggestions on how to keep that going all year. While I’m not an expert, I’d side with Little Bird’s approach in Rocket Learns to Read, one of my favorite books of the fall season. Rocket, a spotted dog, would rather laze around than do almost anything else until Little Bird begins reading to him. Rocket becomes caught up in the stories and soon is eager to unlock the mysteries of reading and learning.

This book encouraged a look backyard to the Little Birds I have known in my life and the books that created that spark. There are some quirky lesser-known ones like Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka, the three sisters that seemed so much more adventurous than the three girls in my family. Long time favorites also come to mind such as the curious Pokey Little Puppy, Charlotte’s Web which proclaims friends are terrific, Miss Rumphius who made the world more beautiful, and The Little Engine that Could taught the power of positive thinking.

Anita Silvey, an expert in children’s literature and author of the book Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book has spent much of her career studying what are the best books for children and what is memorable about them years later when an adult. I found it fascinating to learn that often a specific line from a book can chart careers and has shaped national figures. Silvey will be the keynote speaker at the Northwood’s Children’s Book Conference, October 1st at Lakewoods Resort. She will talk about the roles parents, teachers, and librarians have played in the lives of all of us, as well as some of our celebrities, through the power of books. Tickets to the keynote address are available at a cost of $25.00 and may be reserved by calling Redbery Books, 715-798-5014. Space is still available for the full conference as well.

In the meantime, I hope you can take the time to be the Yellow Bird to a child in your life. Making reading important to a child is one thing on which the experts agree.