the PaperWings

"Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens ..." ~  Carlos Ruiz Zafon WARNING: This blog contains my strong opinion concerning reading good, challenging literature to young children. If you are stuck on only reading aloud #1-20 of Junie B. Jones and Horrible Harry, you should stop reading here. When I taught first grade, I routinely read aloud Charlotte's Web. Every year, as I began the book anew, I would at first forget what a cumbersome beginning that book is for young children. If you haven't read it in a while, I'll remind you that Charlotte doesn't even write for the first time in her web ("Some Pig") until the middle of the book! The whole first half is descriptions, character development, and anecdotes. On the year the movie ...

So you've got a dreamy vision of the perfect library in your mind. You set it up, adjust each book just so, and sit back to admire your handy work. It looks like a photo shoot taken on-site at Barnes and Noble. Perfecto! Now to calmly explain to your children that they are never ever to touch any of the displays. Or read any of the books. Ever. Not so fast! Like a bookstore, your library needs to be dynamic, living, and ever-changing. It's not going to stay like this. It's going to get a little messy and it's definitely going to be reorganized and revitalized again and again. If your favorite clothing store had the same colors and styles displayed in the same way season after season, you'd stop shopping there. When it comes to books, the way they are displayed is part of what entices children to try new ones and pick up old ones. There are millions of ways (well, maybe not that many- but A LOT) that you might rotate and display books to keep them fresh. Try ...

Ever since before Finn was born, I've been constantly tweaking his library. At first, it was totally display. He H-A-T-E-D books. I think he just thought, "Stop putting that thing in my face- you're blockin my view! So, when he was really young, I just had a lot of picture books face out for color and I had all the board books that I *thought* he might like someday on one shelf. As he started enjoying books as food, I moved the chewiest ones to a basket for him to eat. And now that he actually likes the subjects, rhythms, and words in others, I've moved those to the bottom shelf and scattered more all over the house. But in all that time, what was I doing with my own books? Squat! Well, not squat. I was shoving them horizontally, vertically- however they would fit, onto my overflowing bookshelves. And now that I think of it- this needs to be remedied quickly. Think: weekend project. Thinking Paris for Dummies needs a separate shelf from Twilight... Putting lo...

Not shelf after shelf piled with books, spines facing out Not row after row of color-coordinated tupperware bins Not a book display that has housed the same books for two months The problem is, you know what you don't want in a library. (See above list) You do want a library that kids will clamor to enter and beg you to visit instead of recess or snack time or puppies and rainbows. In short, you want your library to be simply dreamy. That's all you're asking. But seriously- building a classroom or home library that will entice your child to read and keep him/her motivated long-term can be a daunting task. If it's done right, you will not only be burning tons of brain power deciding what kinds of books to include or how many to include or how to organize them (although those are all important considerations), but what the library conveys. Does it say, "Come in- This library is the same today as when you first visited (and also when your little brother was...