In prior posts, we mentioned how teacher instruction and parental involvement build great readers. In additions to that, kids need access to books. As a youngster, I remember waiting on Haddon Ave. for the Bookmobile to arrive. Standing on the cold, dark street with an armful of already-read books, I couldn’t wait to scoot inside the warm truck and find new stories to devour. The Bookmobile, a mini-library on wheels with its list of regular, scheduled stops is always a fun mini-outing and manageable alternative to visiting the mall.
Later, as a middle school student, whenever I had questions about animals, places, well-known people, or a school assignment about presidents, my mother would tell me to look it up, even when she knew the answers. I grew up pre-Internet, so after finding the information in one of the books from our set of encyclopedias, I continued reading about a wide assortment of other subjects that began with the letter “P.”
Today, since many families own a computer or hand-held device, kids have access to books—free books. Websites such as www.magickeys.com and www.meegenius.com (nominal fee) enable kids to dive into a book anytime they want.