I hope you enjoyed part 1 of my interview with Terry Doherty, where she told us all about her nonprofit literacy organization, The Reading Tub. It amazes me how she was able to take one simple idea and build the life she wanted around it.
There are no walls between Terry's career and her home life, though, as you will discover in part 2 today. Her passion for reading and children's literature shines through in all that she does, especially at home. I feel so lucky to be able to share some of her unique insight into the world of reading and learning with you today.
Let's continue where we left off yesterday:
Dawn: What are some of the ways that you inspire a love of reading and learning in your daughter?
Terry: My husband and I are both readers, and reading is all she has ever known. We read to her every day. In the early days, we’d sit on the floor and read a book before naps; now it’s mostly at bedtime. In fact, one of the worst punishments for her is to lose bedtime book privileges (Mom and Dad reading).
In reality though, I think the greater impact has come from watching us. It sounds trite, but “just reading” is HUGE. Bill can’t eat breakfast without the Sports page, I like sports, too, so he’ll point out articles or we’ll talk about a game. At lunch, I like doing the crossword puzzle, and there are always a couple clues I need his help with. I can’t tell you how many pictures I have of her sitting on Bill’s lap eating his Cheerios and reading the newspaper. I’ve also got pictures of her filling in the crosswords … she loves when I read her clues to help me. Even before she was a good reader, she would ask for the Kids Post (a page just for kids in the Washington Post) at the breakfast table and stare at the pictures or tell us what she thought the story was about.
To answer your question about learning, probably one of the hardest things for me has been to stop giving away the answer every time Catherine asks a question. Answering a question with a question (“what/why do you think …”) or saying “I don’t know, let’s find out“ took some practice, but what an amazing way to encourage her to think for herself. Even things like “Mom, where are my shoes?” give us an opportunity to help her use her memory, refocus, and retrace her steps. “Where did you leave them?” (and its variants) are probably the most frequently asked questions in the house! Those efforts have paid dividends, because now she spends a little more time on the “front end” thinking about the answer and/or offering a suggestion or idea with the question.
Dawn: She likes to act like book characters. How has that affected your book selections?
Terry: For the most part, we let Catherine pick her own books. I have books segregated in my office, and she is free to explore and/or borrow books in the picture books/ chapter books for elementary readers section. She is very lucky in that regard … with about 100 books to pick through at any given time she is exposed to lots of topics, writing and illustration styles, and genres.
If left to her own device, Catherine would continue to pick very easy picture books or books she’s memorized. Over the last year, we have tried to keep a chapter book in the mix, so sometimes I’ll pull a couple of titles for her to pick from.
Until you asked the question, I never really thought about whether/not I take Catherine’s role playing into consideration. But I guess I do, in two different ways. Because of her instant memorization and tendency to mimic what she reads – particularly bathroom humor – I do minimize certain book series. Catherine enjoys reading as partners, so I pick books that look like they are easy to parse into parts. They aren’t necessarily books with a lot of dialogue, but they are character driven and the paragraphs are short.
Dawn: What are some of your daughter's favorite books?
Terry: When we go to the library, Catherine asks for books about how your body works and what she calls “scary books.” For her scary means something having a little bit of suspense, maybe a ghost or two, but nothing gory or over-the-top frightening.
She also likes books that make her laugh. We had a collection of Morris the Moose stories that she would just guffaw with every night … no matter how old the jokes! We got a book called Jokelopedia at the library this summer and she had a blast with it!
Last but not least, she likes books with strong girls (though I don’t think she realizes that). Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly has recently resurfaced as an every night read, as has Ladybug Girl. We read Ivy and Bean together this summer, and even though it took some nudging initially, by the time we finished, she wanted to know when we could get the next one!
Dawn: What are some of your favorite books, whether they're for children or adults?
Terry: This is never an easy question. Let’s go with the adult books first … among my more recent reads, I’d have to say Water for Elephants and The Glass Castle. I would actually put The Glass Castle, in the “crossover” pile with The Dollmaker and Gone.
I’ve really developed a taste middle-grade and Young Adult books, too. I just finished When the Whistle Blows, which is just FABULOUS – and another good crossover, IMHO. [We lived in when I was in middle school through college, so both Whistle and Glass Castle resonate on a personal level.] I am anxious to read Adrienne Kress’ new book, I just LOVED Alex and the Ironic Gentleman … and can’t wait to read it with Catherine.
Picture books are the hardest for me, because so many variables play into why I like it. Jumbo’s Lullaby is just gorgeous, as is 14 Cows for America. Some are sentimental, like Tell Me Again about the Night I Was Born or Time for Bed and Are You My Mother? That was probably the first book Catherine ever asked for all the time as an infant, toddler. [read dramatically: “Down … down … down … Plop!” I can still hear the giggles.
Dawn: What advice would you give to parents of reluctant readers?
Terry: First, answer the question: what kind of reader were you …
- in second grade?
- in fifth grade?
- In ninth grade?
- In college?
Think about how you evolved as a reader. It may offer some insight into your child’s development. You may have always loved reading … but maybe you didn’t. Maybe you didn’t like it in middle school, but in college got hooked on science fiction. Even if you don’t like to read books, you can show your child that reading is important just by asking them to read along with you – whether it’s a recipe, a map or a street sign, or an email from Grandma. Explaining to your child that you didn’t like reading in second grade but it’s important to your job as a [job title] offers both empathy but also reinforces your bottom line: reading is important. Second, remember reading doesn’t just mean sitting down with a book. Do you read the newspaper? What about magazines? There are other ways to engage kids in reading. Maybe your sports fan would like Sports Illustrated. Your nature lover might like Ranger Rick. There are lots of junior-level magazines on subjects kids love. Last but not least, find out what kind of reader your child is developing, dormant, or underground. I am an unabashed Donalyn Miller fan. Her descriptions of readers are not only accessible to parents, but they offer a positive interpretation about a child’s attitude toward reading. Looking at the glass half-full – that is, recognizing the talents they already have – goes a long way in building their confidence as readers. They also require that we offer a more thoughtful, individualized plan to help a reader find success. We could spend all day on the one-size-fits-all-lets-drown-them-in-phonetics approach, so I’ll stop. ;-) [footnote: from The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child, chapter 2, “Everybody Is a Reader.”]
Dawn: Is there anything else you'd like parents to know?
Terry: A love of reading has to come from within. You can’t “make” your child a lifelong reader; your child will determine that for herself. The best you can do is be a role model. It is more powerful than you realize. Don’t dismiss the value of pointing out ways you use reading in your life: let them write the grocery list with you, ask them to help you read the road signs. Our role as caregivers is to offer the tools and opportunities to help them become successful, confident readers. The rest is up to them.
Dawn: Thank you for giving us so much food for thought, Terry! I absolutely agree with all of the advice you've provided here.
I find what you said about "not giving the answer away every time" your daughter asks a question to be especially helpful. As a parent, it's so easy to just give away the answers and leave it at that. BUT, if we want our children to become critical thinkers, it's all about the questions. If we show them that there is often not just one right answer, we are changing the way they think about the world.
That's part of the reason I love picture books so much. Many of them really make you think and ask questions, and they help you talk about issues that wouldn't normally come up in a conversation.
I also LOVE your answer to the final question. As parents, we can provide the "tools" of learning, but what our children do with those tools is entirely up to them. The best we can do is try to be the best role models we can possibly be.
Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with us, Terry! You're an inspiration to many.
I hope you've had a chance to take a look at The Reading Tub web site. You can find more of Terry's wonderful ideas, book recommendations and author interviews, as well as the latest children's literature news, at the Scrub-a-Dub-Tub blog.
You can find out more about Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child, at my previous post: Why Children are Not Reading, and What We Can Do About It.
So, what do you think of my first "Moms Inspire Moms" interview? Was there one particular piece of advice that struck a chord with you? Please do share!