Why We Share Literature with Children

Why Do We Share Literature with Children?

Textbook Reflection: Chapter 1

There are many reasons to share literature with kids of all ages. One of the most important reasons is because reading is fun and sharing what you love is contagious. If you are excited about a book and share your excitement, your students will be excited also. Books are also shared because it aids in the acquisition of language and language development. Research shows that the more children read, to better their vocabulary will be. Another key reason to share literature with children is that books help them develop empathy, which is a stronger emotion than sympathy. Empathy is the ability to share another person’s feelings. Sharing books with children also helps them become lifelong learners and readers. Children may become series readers, serial readers (following an author or genre) or both. Sharing books with students also helps them see themselves in books as they read autobiographically. Reading can help students see into a “mirror” to help them understand who they are and that they are not alone. Reading also helps students live vicariously through the written word. They can experience different cultures, interests and experiences to broaden their view of the world. They can also experience consequences through literature that will, hopefully, make them think twice about some of their own actions. Reading also helps children and teens with their philosophical speculations. As students grow, they begin trying to form their own opinions and discover who they are and how they fit into society. Reading can also be for the pure joy of the written word. By sharing books, we are teaching others to love the beauty of the written language. Books also fuel the imagination. The written word can spark the inventive streak in students as they start thinking “What would happen if…”. And finally, books transmit culture and share the wonder of all different types of people around the world and pull the reader out of their own personal bubble.

While reviewing all of the wonderful reasons we read and share books with children, it makes me stop and reflect on what type of library collection I would like to have: one that is full of diverse books that will help students find themselves in the written word and help them understand those who are different from themselves. It makes me think about more than escaping in the story as I read, but how each of these books might become meaningful to students.