As a child, I remember loving to go the library. At my elementary school’s library, we would spend an hour choosing books to check out or to read at the little tables. In the summer, my mom would take my brother and me to the neighborhood branch of the Knox County Public Library. We would spend time choosing what we could carry home in the Public Library take home paper bags. I loved the smell of the library, and the books. And, I felt so grown up carrying home such an important bag of books.
THE LIBRARY.2
When my kids were young, we lived in a neighborhood that had a library so close we could walk or ride our bikes to it. The building itself was relatively small, but shelves went from the floor to the ceiling. So, I was fortunate, I had access to books when my children were young, and read to them daily. We started with children’s books like Toot and Puddle, Slob Cat, and Harry the Dirty Dog. Then, we grew into what I called “chapter books” like Charlotte’s Web and A Wrinkle in Time. This in turn, led them to read on their own, oftentimes in the little branch library as well as at home.
DAILY READING
Children develop language and listening skills with daily reading. Those who’ve been read to as babies and toddlers, start to look for books independently as they grow. They soon learn to understand “what comes next ” in stories. They “read aloud with expression”, and “analyze texts for meaning”. See Reading Milestones And so, the skills and attributes that children gain from reading are like building blocks for life filled with interest, hope, value, and worth. It also creates tangible growth in abilities to predict, question, and comprehend. So, children who grow up reading are able to synthesize different ideas. Therefore, these readers see cause and possible effect and can then question “why”.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A BOOK
We at Held Law Firm understand the importance of reading, and reading early in life. Reading creates curiosity, wonder, and a sense of place in this world, and we wanted to foster reading if we could. As part of Held Law Firm’s commitment to South Knoxville Elementary School’s Historical Project, we donated about 15 children’s history books to the library at SKES. We want to thank Barnes and Noble and Union Ave Books for helping us determine the titles to choose for the K-5th grade students at SKES. Thank you Dr. Tanna Nicely, Principal, the teachers at SKES, and Craig Casteel, SKES Librarian, for the encouragement, support and interest you give the students at SKES. Also, a big thank you to the parents for all the ways in which you help your children. We can see how your encouragement and support affect the students as SKES. They are fine young people who are courteous, helpful, inquisitive, thoughtful and strong.