Reading for fun and information

Educational experts cite many reasons why reading is important for children: It promotes their imaginations, exposes them to different places and things, and expands their vocabulary.

But reading can be fun and that sense of enjoyment was palpable as children and parents huddled together in the hallway to read nonfiction books at Number Five School’s Literacy Night on Dec. 7.

Nonfiction was this year’s theme and third- and fourth-grade students narrated a PowerPoint presentation produced by library media specialist Robbin Sicherman and ESL teacher Luz Hernandez-Lee that served as primer about the components of a nonfiction book.

While a fiction book may have a table of contents, nonfiction books feature several different parts including text with photographs, diagrams, a glossary, an index, resources and a bibliography.

“We want to teach them how to access a nonfiction book,” said second-grade teacher Christine Gibbons, who included parents in that educational process for them to participate in Parents as Reading Partners, a program sponsored by the state’s PTA that asks parents to read to their children daily for 15 minutes and emphasizes that reading can be fun as well as informative.

That fun was seen as children moved from the auditorium following the presentation into the hallway and selected books stationed in bins on tables to read with their parents.

Third-grader Daniella Sarro and her mother, Joanne, sat and read a book about astronauts. “I like reading nonfiction books that have real facts,” said Daniella, who is in her third year of attending Literacy Night and likes it, “because I like reading books.”

Nearby, second-grader James Kelley and his mother, Kelly, read “The Sky is Full of Stars” by Franklyn M. Branley. James said he enjoys Literacy Night, “because I love all the people and I love to read.”

Number Five School also promotes reading throughout the school year through its Book of the Month program funded by the school’s PTA. This month’s book is “101 Freaky Animals” by Melvin and Gilda Berger.

Peninsula Public Library’s Children’s Librarian Carolyn Matulewicz helped the students sign up for library cards and every child went home with a nonfiction book provided by the PTA. Bookmarks were also given to the students and there were raffle prizes.

As the children were encouraged to wear their pajamas, school reading specialist Vicki Loweree said, what could more fun than, “reading in your PJs and curling up with a good book.”