National Reading Month Showcased at Canton Public Library

It’s been a busy month for the staff of the .

That’s because March is National Reading Month, and fostering a lifelong habit of reading among children and young people takes on epic proportions at the library.

Librarians and other members of the staff are busy with activities designed to encourage all people, young and old, to read, including guiding 900 Plymouth-Canton first graders in finding books in the children's section. The library maintains a running list of book suggestions for all readers.

“Reading is a great activity for parents and children, and many of our programs at the Canton Library are designed to get children interested in reading,” said Kristen Kostielney, the program specialist for the library.

A final program on March 29 to mark the end of library month is still being planned, Kostielney said.

“We’re still working out the details,” she said. “But we will have guest readers, activities, gifts for children and many activities.”

Reading is fundamental

Sandra Gould, a children’s librarian at the Canton facility, said reading with young children and encouraging them to pick out books is the first step in building a dedicated book aficionado.

“[Parents should] read with then and to them on a regular basis, preferably daily and certainly at bedtime each night,” she said.

Another tactic may be to allow children to pick up reading through observation, said Gold.

“Parents should let kids see them reading – be good role models,” she said. “Make the home a print-rich environment. Reading should be seen as just as fun and essential as eating to grow into a healthy, happy, and productive individual.”

Special attention should be paid to book selection based on age appropriateness as a way to ensure reading becomes a coveted activity for children – especially the little ones.

“[Children’s readers] have controlled vocabulary, large typeface, a limited amount of text per page, a lot of repetition of words and rhyming, and simple illustrations on each page,” she said. “They are distinct from picture books in that those do not necessarily have controlled vocabulary and are really meant to be read to the child – more of a shared visual experience.”

Many of these readers – which are often phonics-based, said Gould – are located in a special color-coded section in the children’s room. The colors organize the books by level of difficulty to help parents make an educated choice for their child.

This year, many books for teens have supernatural subjects, including zombies, vampires, werewolves – all with a little light romance thrown in, said Gould.

Julia Scott, a Canton Township resident who attended a mother-daughter reading session at the library, said her daughter Rhiannon, 11, likes vampire books and historical fiction, but also learned a lot from the book selection for the group, author Judy Blume's 1972 classic, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great. Giving Hope Women's Giving Circle provided a grant for this group.

"I always try to look for books that we can read together, and stories that have life lessons,” Scott said.

Judy Elliot, who attended the discussion group with her daughter, 11-year-old Kinsey, agrees.

“I like books that have a message because there’s so much that I want to teacher her,” she said.

Rhiannon Scott said reading has been a part of her life as long as she can remember.

“I like to read for a half an hour before I go to bed, but I read more often than that,” she said.

The Canton Library offers recommendations at http://www.cantonpl.org/kids/booklists.

Upcoming events

March 22: 5th Grade and Up Book Discussion, 7 p.m.

March 23: Senior Book Discussion Group, 2 p.m.

March 24: Plymouth-Canton Schools Lunchtime Program, 10 a.m.

March 26: Tween Make a Memory Box, 2 p.m.

March 29: March National Reading Month Celebration, 7 p.m.

March 30: Kiwanis Story Time, 7 p.m.

April 14: Lunch and a Book: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, 12 p.m.

April 18: Adult Contemporary Book Discussion, 7 p.m.

April 19: Vinter's Book Discussion, at Vinter's Winery, 7 p.m.

April 25, 27, 28, and 30: Family Story Time, 10 a.m.

April 27: Senior Book Discussion Group, 2 p.m.

April 26 and 27: Family Story Time, 7 p.m.

April 26: Baby Story Time, 10:30 a.m.

April 29: Family Story Time, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.