Literacy

Around two years ago, I wrote about reading the classic picture book Good Night, Gorilla to my daughter. I knew I was just getting started: most kids younger than five can't figure out the written words.

"Don't push," I told myself. "Let her look at the pictures and come back to the words at a future time."

Now that my daughter is approaching five, her school has been celebrating the literacy week. What's that about? Bring a book to school, trade a book with classmates, spend money on books at the school book fair, dress up as the favorite book character. Read what you love and love what you read. This, I came to think, is the essence of literacy week.

Soon after the literacy week, my daughter came home and talked about the classic bear book by Eric Carle. This is the first time I heard about Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? I didn't pay much attention until we found another book by Eric Carle at the public library. She then told me more about the bear book, and it seemed to me that my daughter really loves the book.

My wife decided to buy her the book this weekend. Little did we know that she can read most of the sentences in the book. On the way home, she kept reading it and couldn't take her eyes off the pages.

This intrigued us. Does she really recognise the words? Or, does she simply remember the rhymes? Or both? We didn't check. As long as she loves reading, it's a good start.