National Book Month: Talking about children, books and reading with librarian Barni Feuerhaken

Photo by Beth K. Vogt

October is National Book Month, an annual event sponsored by the National Book Foundation. To help parents nurture their children’s love for books, I interviewed librarian Barni Feuerhaken, who earned a library science associate’s degree from Fullerton College in California. Feuerhaken earned her degree once her three children were in school. She worked in Fullerton College’s library for three years. Since then, she has worked in public and private elementary school libraries.

Beth K. Vogt (BKV): How can parents help their children love reading?

Barni Feuerhaken (BF): Children are natural imitators and tend to value what their parents consider important. Books should be readily available in the home and being read and talked about. Books should be an important part of family life.
The easiest way to involve your children in a love of books and reading is to read to them. If you have a hard time reading out loud, don’t worry about it. The more you read aloud the better you’ll become – just keep at it. And don’t think you have to just read children’s books to your children all the time. Read the cereal boxes together at breakfast, the comics or suitable articles in a magazine or the newspaper. Remember the idea is to read, read, read and then read some more.

Photo by Beth K. Vogt

BKV: How important is reading aloud to your children?
BF: Reading aloud to your children is crucial. In addition to promoting a love of reading, it creates a strong and wonderful bond with your children. One of the first memories I have as a child is the sound of my mother’s voice reading to my twin brother and me. It’s a very precious memory. When you read to your children, they have your undivided attention. You and your child enter into the world the author has created together.
When my mother, who lived with us for 17 years, was bedridden, my high school daughter would go into her room and read aloud to her some of the books they had shared over the years. They had a great time reliving those stories and the time they spent together. It helped them both get through a very difficult time.

Photo by Beth K. Vogt

BKV: If my child has a learning disability and reading is a challenge for her, what can I do to help her love reading?
BF: Two of my children had reading problems. The first thing to do is to get the problem diagnosed and work on a solution. Get your child whatever help she needs to overcome the difficulty. She may need to start from scratch and learn from the beginning, or she may just need some specialized help to build on the skills she already has.
Celebrate every success, regardless of how little it seems. Model your love of reading. If you are not a great reader yourself, going through the extra help with your child may improve your skills as well. You can learn together.
There is help out there and it does work. Both of my boys are great readers today. I’m so thankful we invested the time and effort it took to help them get through their reading difficulties.

Look for part 2 of my interview with librarian Barni Feuerhaken on Monday, October 19.