There's always a little battle of wills at bedtime around our house. Not over pajamas or staying up late (my kids are still a bit too young to realize they might have a say in the matter) but over which books will be read for bedtime.
My son, now in kindergarten, veers towards science: real and fictional. In other words, his top picks are always titles like Star Wars: Darth Maul's Mission, The Robot Race, All About Rocks, and Creepy-Looking Spiders That Might Come Alive On The Page (OK, it's actually titled The Wonder of Spiders, or something like that, but my heebie-jeebie kicks in while reading it.)
I'm always pushing for something with a story line, and preferably a little literary cachet.
Fortunately, we both love The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak but, after about 1,000 readings, there's only so much "Milk, milk, milk for the morning cake" one five-year-old is willing to hear about. It also sparked several fiery discussions about why we don't actually, at least in our house, have cake every morning.
My toddler is pretty flexible on genre - she's still at the stage where she tends to flip the page before I'm actually done reading it. But she loves a good cuddly story time.
All in all, literacy is a big deal at my house. Not because I think it will help them academically (though, statistically speaking, it's supposed to) but because I remember clearly the sheer joy of an afternoon spent disappearing into a Nancy Drew mystery or one of Judy Blume's new books.
I worry that my kids will never get that magical moment - that zing, snap, buzz that happens in the brain when you're just so excited to find out what will happen next that you can't bear to stop reading.
Computers and iPads and all sorts of other technology are far more gratifying in the short-term and, even if we don't have an abundance of technology in our own home, it's ubiquitous in our culture.
I hope that this brave new world won't inhibit their love of a good old-fashioned page turner (with real pages.)
I imagine I'm not alone in that wish - so for fellow parents who love any opportunity to encourage a little more reading, here's a tidbit on an upcoming event: Sunday, Jan. 27 is the 15th annual Family Literacy Day, an event aimed at getting families and kids of all ages focused on reading.
This year's theme is 15 Minutes of Fun.
At Burnaby Public Library branches, families will be encouraged to write and illustrate a story together. The events are best suited for ages three and up, and parents must accompany children. Free of charge and no registration required. These sessions run: Saturday, Jan. 19 from 2 to 3 p.m. at McGill branch; Friday, Jan. 25, 7 to 8 p.m. at Tommy Douglas branch; Saturday, Jan. 26 1: 30 to 2: 30 p.m. at Cameron Branch, and finally Saturday, Jan. 26, 3 to 4 p.m. at Bob Prittie Metrotown branch.
Christina Myers is a reporter with the Burnaby NOW. She's at www.twitter. com/ChristinaMyersA.
