December Story Hour
December 20
1:00 – 2:00
Join us for a few stories, some tasty holiday treats and a take-away craft!
Ages 4 – 8
December 2025 Newsletter
A Love for Reading and How Being Read to Inspires Writing
There are very significant personal rewards that come from having a love of reading and being read to.
• Children who love to read get to feel the joy of being lost in a good book. The real world falls away. Your child is inside the story and gets to experience the adventures right along with the characters. In fact, to your child, it feels like he or she is the main character. This is a pleasurable and rewarding experience, and it can be life changing.
• Reading shapes the way children understand the world. When your child is lost in a book, he or she can live in another time in history or visit a faraway place and live a completely different life. Maybe your child meets a character and thinks, “This person is just like me,” or “Wow, I’ve never looked at things this way before.” Reading becomes a meaningful experience that expands your child’s horizons.
• Getting absorbed in books shapes who your child is. Well written books align with things that young readers relate to, like growing up, connecting with nature, facing fears, and navigating friendships. When readers identify with a character who’s going through these things, they enter the character’s mind, and they get to think and feel in new ways. It gives children a deeper understanding of other people, of themselves and the world they live in. Reading is a deeply formative experience.
Simple Ways to Help Your Child Fall in Love with Books
Loving books and getting lost in stories is powerful, and it has such a profound impact. It’s exactly what we want for our children, so what are some simple things you can do to help your child get there?
• Read aloud to your child a lot when he or she is young. This is the number one thing parents can do to help their youngsters fall in love with books. Snuggling up with a parent and listening to stories is a wonderful experience that shapes your child in positive ways.
• Help your child find good books to read. Books that pull your child into the story will get him or her excited about reading. You can help your child figure out what those books are. Some kids like realistic or historical fiction, while others prefer fantasy, adventure, or mysteries. Whatever genres your child enjoys is their prerogative.
• Make reading a part of your family’s everyday life. Encourage your child to read and let your child see you read. Have conversations about the books that everyone in the family is reading. Make sure there are lots of books around the house.Discuss unfamiliar vocabulary that might arise. Use voice inflection to change the presentation of characters. These suggestions send your child a clear message that reading is important—and fun!
Getting lost in books, and having that experience repeatedly, will make your child a reader. Reading for pleasure will become part of who your child is, a core part of his or her identity. Your child will always be able to look to books for knowledge, pleasure, and inspiration. A love of reading will enrich your child’s life now and long into the future.
Book Suggestions for December – Fabulous Five*
The Snowy Day – a classic! Ezra Jack Keats follows the path of a young boy on a snowy day, adventuring and delighting in snow.
The Mitten – Jan Brett is a not only a master of cultural storytelling, but she also has the gift as an artist to portray her stories. Look closely and you’ll discover clues.
Trees of the Dancing Goats – Patricia Polacco recounts a long-cherished childhood memory. This story celebrates the miracle of true friendship.
Wolf in the Snow – Matthew Cordell’s beautifully illustrated nearly wordless book is a great springboard for putting your own words to the pictures. Another example of friendship and trust.
Brave Irene – award winning, William Steig, writes about a determined young girl who braves a fierce snowstorm to deliver her mother’s ball gown to a duchess.
• The Fabulous Five will be featured each month with some of our favorite book recommendations.
