Magic in books

I apologize for the lack of posting this week. Things have been a little hectic this week with projects and meetings that need to take place before the start of the next semester.  Today I was asked if I gain magic powers whenever someone read a book and I laughed and said "maybe." I think however, that there is an element of truth in that statement.  I think we all gain a bit of magic whenever we read, especially if what we read connects with us.

Connecting readers (or people who might become readers) with books is one of the job functions of a librarian, but it is also the role of teachers across the globe.  I honestly don't remember not being able to read, or learning how to read per se (just how to sound out words that I didn't instantly recognize), but I do remember the first book that really grabbed me.  It was Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary and it was read to my first grade class by one of the best teachers I have ever had Mrs. Pat Primoli.  I related so much to Ramona and what she went through in that book and I couldn't wait to read it for myself.  This was the spur I needed to turn into a voracious reader. 

According to BuildOn.org nearly 900 million people worldwide cannot read or write.  Literacy is so important that throughout history people have been forbidden from learning these skills because illiterate people are easier to exploit and abuse. I urge you to take the time to read today and every day you can, and to read with the children in your lives.  It really does only take one great book to turn someone into a lifelong reader, and lifelong readers are lifelong learners and that it ultimately the goal of every educator. To create lifelong learners.