Favorite Authors
- May 5, 2018
- 2 min read
We've all done it. You pick up a book with an interesting title, but when you notice the author, you change your mind and quickly put it back. Or the reverse, you've picked up a book from a familiar author, and the title doesn't matter. You have to have that book.
That's nothing unusual for adults, right? But, have you ever noticed the same thing in children. I'm not talking about fourth or fifth graders; although, it is certainly true by that age. I'm talking about kids as young as preschoolers.
I can pick up a book in front of a group of three or four-year-olds who have been exposed to a variety of authors before and say, "This is a Mo Willems book" or "This is a David Shannon book," and from that point I have their undivided attention. It doesn't matter that I haven't read them the title, shown them a single picture or even the cover yet; they are hooked. They can't wait to hear the book. They know right away that this book is going to be funny, and I know that the book is going to teach multiple teachable moments.
Isn't that what preschool is all about learning as much as you possibly can through play?
In the same respect, some of my favorite authors are ones that will throw a word in here or there that causes me to stop and think, "what?" I look up the word, and my vocabulary is one word richer. I've mentioned in the past that I prefer rather unrealistic fiction. Isn't it amazing to know that you can learn something from the most fantastical books?
Some of you may not be interested in one new vocabulary. Well, take the Chronicles of Narnia. That is a very fantastical set of books, yet look at everything they have to teach.
Pick up a book by your favorite author this weekend, and see what you can learn!
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