Purple Haze
Young readers in the making
By Lauren Bagian

Nov. 26, 2009

Monday, Nov. 23, was Literacy Night at South Mountain Elementary. A book fair was held and elementary students wore their pajamas as they listened to “bedtime stories” read by students from Northern High School and Messiah College. About 45 students came to hear eight older readers, and the night was a great success. Another similar event may take place in December.

I was stationed in a room and read Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type and Charlie Cook’s Favorite Book about eight times each. By the end of the night, I could recite the pages perfectly and knew what the pictures would look like before I even turned the page. I didn’t mind though, even as my throat began to feel sore from the constant reading, because I knew how much the elementary students were getting out of this night.

Between readings, I asked the students of each group what their favorite book was. I received answers such as Junie B. Jones, The Magic Tree-House Books and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. As an avid reader and writer, I was thrilled to hear that these young students even had favorite books, since I knew that if I asked high school students what their favorite book was I probably wouldn’t get that many answers.

Events like the Literacy Night at South Mountain Elementary are incredibly important for creating a strong foundation for young readers that will soon grow into high school readers and adult readers. Those who are comfortable reading independently do better in school and are better prepared for the harder workloads that will come with middle school, high school and finally college. Starting early is the key to building strong readers and strong students.