For Wednesday, write about a specific memory you have linked with reading at an early age. It could be about the children's book you brought to school Tuesday, the book you thought of when I first asked you to bring in a book, or one you think of now that we've done our reading. Write about 250 words, and submit it as a comment to this post.
For Wednesday, write about a specific memory you have linked with reading at an early age. It could be about the children's book you brought to school Tuesday, the book you thought of when I first asked you to bring in a book, or one you think of now that we've done our reading. Write about 250 words, and submit it as a comment to this post.
26 Comments
Joyce Chu
5/21/2013 09:30:25 am
When I was young I really liked this Arthur book, which was about Arthur the aardvark (at least that's what I think he is) and his pet dog, Pal. I've always liked to read books over and over again, and this one was no exception. I read it so many times I could recite it word for word.
Reply
Jenny Friedland
5/21/2013 10:05:21 am
My dad used to read aloud to me every night before I went to sleep. The last book he ever read aloud to me was one of the Harry Potter books. I remember that he pronounced Hermione’s name as Her-mee-own, and I just assumed that’s how it was said because my dad knew absolutely everything in the world. If he didn’t turn the page quickly enough, I’d clamber over to where he was sitting and do it for him. I remember how the paper felt between my fingers.
Reply
Sam Paragona
5/21/2013 10:48:50 am
When I was young, my mom would read me a children's book called "Sleep, Sleep, Sleep" every night before bed. She would usually read several books to me before I went to sleep, but I always wanted "Sleep, Sleep, Sleep" to be the last book she would read before I went to sleep.
Reply
Jesse Feldstein
5/21/2013 01:25:48 pm
My brother and I have always been best friends and we share a passion for baseball. Though my brother doesn't play, he probably knows even more about the game than I do, and he has taught me a thing or two over the years. Anyways, I remember that he used to read "Casey At the Bat" on summer nights one year when I was five and he was eight. We would sit out on the porch and drink apple juice as he read to me. We would always read the last line in unison: "But there is no joy in Mudville--mighty Casey has struck out." The story is somewhat unsatisfying and the ending is fairly glum, but for some inexplicable reason, we both wanted to share it again and again. Reading that book with my older brother seemed unimportant at the time, and I can scarcely recall anything else about the childhood we shared as brothers. Still, sometimes when we relax and watch the Sox on summer nights after a day of work, I can still hear him reading the lines of Thayer’s short story, his voice piercing the sticky summer air, our love for baseball growing and changing into our own pastime. Not everyone gets to have such a cool brother...I am grateful for mine.
Reply
Rebecca Heller
5/21/2013 03:58:27 pm
I positioned my bum on the crack of the beige couch in such a way that my whole body sunk into the comfy, squishy side of my dad’s stomach. I would hold the book in my hands, marveling at the bright colors and block letters on the cover. Handing the book to my dad, I would snuggle deeper into his side so I could get a better view of the pages as they turned.
Reply
Sophie Swetz
5/21/2013 04:24:38 pm
Almost every night before my parents put me to bed when I was little one of them would read to me. It started out with short picture books, and then when I started to read “chapter books,” they read those aloud as well. On a side note, I don’t remember when I stopped calling them chapter books, because it just makes sense. I had favorite children’s books, which I mostly loved for the illustrations—particularly What Do People Do All Day? and If I Ran The Circus, though I actually enjoyed reading this one for Dr. Seuss’ whimsical rhymes and made-up words—but I only had one true favorite chapter book.
Reply
Matt Dahl
5/21/2013 04:35:11 pm
The Harry Potter books have been extremely formative in my penchant for reading, an activity that I have cherished since a young age. One memory of Harry Potter stands out in particular - lying on my parents' bed with my sister while my mom read aloud from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I'm unsure as to why I can distinctly remember that it was the fourth book - I don't remember any specific scenes being read - but I'm utterly convinced of the fact. I must have been fairly young at the time, too, no old than seven because the memory is from when I lived in Florida and we moved that year. Anyhow, what I do recall is my mom often abridging the text on-the-fly to change complex words into more accessible synonyms (for someone at that age, at least). It was probably a good idea, but I remember being able to read along to some degree and notice when she said a word that didn't sound like how the written equivalent would be phonetically rendered. I'm not sure why that specific memory stands out today so clearly. Needless to say, however, I subsequently developed a love of the Harry Potter books and have since reread the series countless times. (My mom, however, still hasn't progressed past the fourth book, as I was able to tackle the rest of the installments myself!)
Reply
Ana Daurio
5/21/2013 05:12:12 pm
I remember reading the The Poky Little Puppy with my mom almost every night as a child. I don't think I quite realized it then but looking back on it, the fact that the book included food of some sort makes me think even as a little five year old I was a foodie. I also remember after reading the book I begged my mom to make rice pudding for me and we made strawberry shortcake together. Although the moral of the story is somewhat vague, I think what I enjoyed most was that last moment before going to bed of sitting down with one of my moms or dads and reading a book about cute puppies and food. It would make me more tired after reading a book and it gave me something to dream about as well. Although there are many many other books that were significant in my childhood this stuck out because I was really into puppies when I was younger and I really liked that each page was stiff like the hard cover of a book and the edges were shaped like a puppy.
Reply
Han Zhang
5/21/2013 05:31:05 pm
I distinctly remember one book from my childhood. It was the collection of Calvin and Hobbes comics called "The Days are Just Packed." I stumbled upon them in the book section of a used goods store with the rather apt name of "Nearly New Store." I was browsing the books when I stumbled upon a giant old edition of the Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. It was roughly 2,000 pages long. Intrigued by the massive tome, I struggled to pick up the book with my frail excuses for limbs. In the process, I shook loose the book that was right next to the dictionary. Because of the peculiar size and shape of the comic collection, and due to my inability to move the dictionary, I shifted my attention to the comic.
Reply
Emily Ho
5/22/2013 02:40:03 am
My dad and mom are first generation immigrants from China and when my sister and I were born, my grandmother on my fathers side moved to Newton to stay home with us while my parents worked. When my sister began Kindergarten, it was just my grandma and I at home everyday. Instead of always watching Chinese videos and reading Chinese books, my grandma would sit at home with me everyday and read english vocabulary books with me. My grandma and I learned to read english together.
Reply
Olivia DeAngelo
5/22/2013 03:56:38 am
My fondest memory with a book is when my mom read "Good Dog Carl" to me and my brother. We would cuddle up in her bed on either side of her and listen to her read. We both loved dogs so we especially loved "Good Dog Carl" She read with enthusiasm and gusto. Throughout the story, my brother and I would point at all the pictures and ask her questions about what was happening. When the story was over, we would ask her to read it all over again, and she always did. Each night, we would ask her to read it to us but she usually said she would read something else to us.
Reply
Connor MacBain
5/22/2013 04:03:06 am
One of the earliest memories was reading the "Why is this night different from all other nights" picture book with my grandparents. They had signed up for a children's book club through their temple, which sent a children's book or young adult novel relating to Judaism to them every month.
Reply
JennyM
5/22/2013 05:42:51 am
When I was little I loved learning new words and reading new books. When I learned to read, my favorite book was about a hippopotamus. In the book a little hippopotamus travels around a house he lives in with other animals, and on each page, there’s a new pattern or something that the animals have in common, and each page ended with the question “But what about the hippopotamus?” The last page of the book ended with the hippopotamus, who eventually joins in with the other animals, but then it says “But what about the armadillo?” which I thought was the funniest joke. I read it so often that I stopped reading the words and just memorized them.
Reply
Jenny Morris
5/22/2013 05:43:52 am
When I was little I loved learning new words and reading new books. When I learned to read, my favorite book was about a hippopotamus. In the book a little hippopotamus travels around a house he lives in with other animals, and on each page, there’s a new pattern or something that the animals have in common, and each page ended with the question “But what about the hippopotamus?” The last page of the book ended with the hippopotamus, who eventually joins in with the other animals, but then it says “But what about the armadillo?” which I thought was the funniest joke. I read it so often that I stopped reading the words and just memorized them.
Reply
Joe Joseph
5/22/2013 05:50:29 am
I brought in a treasury of stories written by Roald Dahl. He was by far my favorite author as a child, and I can vividly remember reading every single one of his books. For example, his book “The Witches” has been my go to reading books for many many years. What I appreciate about Roald Dahl’s writing is that he can take a dark, scary subject matter like witches and spin the work to be humorous, while still maintaining a bit of that scary aspect. I also remember the book “Danny, the Champion of the World” because it was the first book I read that I considered to be incredibly long. I doubted that I would ever be able to finish it because its length was so daunting, but I succeeded eventually and I have cherished that book ever since for helping me prove to myself that I was capable of reading a book of that length. I also remember the book “James and the Giant Peach” because of its incredible description, something Dahl is famous for. I can specifically recount reading the section of the book when James tries eating the peach for the first time -- the way it was described made me want to run out and buy a peach to eat because it sounded so incredibly delicious. I had the same experience with the BFG, in the section about the special drink that tastes like cream soda and strawberries (or something along those lines). The way he wrote made me fully engrossed in the world within the story, and I think Dahl was extremely influential in inspiring to be such a voracious reader when I was younger.
Reply
Daoxu
5/22/2013 06:10:19 am
My earliest memories of reading involved reading the Chinese versions of Tom and Jerry in book form. Despite the constant fighting between Tom and Jerry, my favorite episodes and books would always be parts where they would work together (for some reason or another). In an effort to convince me to practice Chinese (I lived in Japan at the time) they wanted me to read my cartoons and other entertainment in Chinese.
Reply
Staci Kozlova
5/23/2013 06:04:34 am
When I was a kid, I loved Winnie the Pooh. I had the sleeping bag, posters, books, movies, stuffed animals, giant bouncing balls, clothes: the works. Winnie the Pooh was the first book I read by myself. I remember sitting on the floor at preschool, and I got so excited when I saw that book. I know now that kids will just memorize books that they’ve read with their parents and pretend that they’re reading by themselves, but this wasn’t the case. I had never seen this book before. My teachers were excited to tell my mom, but my mom wasn’t surprised. Apparently, teachers and doctors had been telling her that I was a gifted child since I was born (where all of that went is another question).
Reply
Mike Pezza
5/23/2013 06:04:49 am
Every year on Christmas Eve, right before bed my sisters and I would gather eagerly in the foyer, waiting for my mother to bring us the reindeer food (oatmeal and glitter). Once we finally got it we would run out on the front yard to joyfully sprinkle the mix over the snow covered grass. After a few minutes of us running and spinning around we would run back inside for our favorite part of the night, the story. Our father would read us The Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve, after we spread the reindeer food and before we put out the milk and cookies. As he read he would speak in different voices for the different characters and most importantly, he would give my sisters and I cues for sound effects. We would stomp out feet to simulate the reindeer on the roof and ring bells for the jingle bells as the reindeer would take off and land. We still do this now, although we are all grown up, every time we sit down to read the story I think back to those Christmas Eves I spent lying on the floor of my sister’s room, too excited to sleep, and waking up early in the morning with butterflies in my stomach. The story will always hold a special place my heart and is probably just as special to the rest of my family, it is one of my favorite traditions and one that I will carry on one day with my children.
Reply
Rachel Hargreaves
5/23/2013 06:13:46 am
I brought in the book “You are Special” by Max Lucado because it was not only one of my favorite stories when I was a kid, but I found it interesting that even though I’d read it a thousand times, I never really understood it. All I knew was that it made me feel really good every time it was read to me. The premise of the book is a small town made up of wooden people called Wemmicks, who were crafted by a man named Eli. The Wemmicks walk around all day with a box of stickers, giving gold stars to the talented or pretty Wemmicks and grey dots to the uncoordinated or blemished Wemmicks. The main character’s name is Punchinello, and he is a Wemmick who is absolutely covered in grey dots. He becomes so insecure that he even stops leaving his house until he one day decides to go see Eli. While there, Eli picks up the little Wemmick and tell him that what the other Wemmicks think doesn’t matter, what matters is what Eli himself thinks; that Punchinello is pretty special. This story may seem like a pretty straightforward metaphor for how we all act like Wemmicks and judge one another. But that and the whole Eli as God metaphor was right over my head. Looking back at it now, it may be a sort of cliché book, but it contains all the right messages. High school and life is full of competition and judgment, but I can see why a six year old wouldn’t see that message right away, as they are still absorbed in the innocence of childhood.
Reply
Rachel
5/23/2013 06:18:17 am
Reply
mike pezza
5/23/2013 06:28:13 am
Every year on Christmas Eve, right before bed my sisters and I would gather eagerly in the foyer, waiting for my mother to bring us the reindeer food (oatmeal and glitter). Once we finally got it we would run out on the front yard to joyfully sprinkle the mix over the snow covered grass. After a few minutes of us running and spinning around we would run back inside for our favorite part of the night, the story. Our father would read us The Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve, after we spread the reindeer food and before we put out the milk and cookies. As he read he would speak in different voices for the different characters and most importantly, he would give my sisters and I cues for sound effects. We would stomp out feet to simulate the reindeer on the roof and ring bells for the jingle bells as the reindeer would take off and land. We still do this now, although we are all grown up, every time we sit down to read the story I think back to those Christmas Eves I spent lying on the floor of my sister’s room, too excited to sleep, and waking up early in the morning with butterflies in my stomach. The story will always hold a special place my heart and is probably just as special to the rest of my family, it is one of my favorite traditions and one that I will carry on one day with my children.
Reply
Kevin Zhang
5/23/2013 06:30:30 am
I remember the morning of my first day of school. Going into the building, my mom led me through the chaos of the crowd that had gathered around the front door. Fortunately, my classroom was the first door on the right, so I did not have to rush deeper into the school with the rest of the stampede. The faces of my two best friends, Winston and Korey, did not stand out from all the strangers in the room that I would soon have to become friends with. They must have been put into the other kindergarten class. Ms. Fitch walked over and bent down so we could be face to face. “Hi. My name is Ms. Fitch. What’s your name?” I glanced at her once with contempt and turned my head the other way. She shuffled so she could face me again and asked the same question, to which I turned my head for a second time. “That’s alright. Why don’t you play with the other kids while I talk to your mom.” I went to the far corner of the room where the sandbox table stood because there was only one other person there. He introduced himself as David and asked for my name. I ignored him.
Reply
Francesca Sands
5/23/2013 07:16:05 am
Like most kids, I expected to hear a story every night before bed. My dad read to us most nights because he was at work all day, so nighttime was the time that we got to spend with him. He was a great reader, and used theatrical voices for each character. Every story he read came alive, and I was highly entertained by his enthusiasm. One day, he came home with a large book called Read Me a Story, Please, and it was filled with a variety of fifty stories. On the title page of each story, there was an indicator of how much time the story would take to read: two minutes, five minutes, or ten minutes. It was actually a very useful feature. My dad would say how much time we had to read, and we would figure out which stories could fill that time. That collection of stories taught me how to negotiate and how to find the best deal (did I want one 10 minute story, two 5 minute stories, or five 2 minute stories?) The skills I learned were valuable, and I also got to hear a slew of new stories.
Reply
Daoxu Ye
5/28/2013 07:27:21 pm
I started reading with manga, the japanese version of comic books. Since Japanese was the first language I learned, I had a basic understanding of the language such as how a single word can have multiple meanings. Although it was an incredibly confusing start, the manga I read are probably my most distinct memories from my childhood.
Reply
Rachel Hargreaves
5/28/2013 07:28:51 pm
Reply
Kevin Zhang
5/28/2013 07:30:33 pm
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
June 2016
Categories |