For the Love of Books

“Good literature should always make life larger.”

- Gladys Hunt

Beth told us while we were on home stay, “If you want to hide something from an African, put it in a book.”

While this statement initially made us burst out with laughter and surprise, there are some deeper, more consequential implications to this claim.

Beth explained to us that the typical African family doesn’t own very many books. If they own any at all, they probably have one Bible and maybe one book of prayers. These are values possessions. When a child is young, he will discover that book at some point and will want to touch it, as young children do. The parents, however, will say, “No! Don’t touch that!” because they don’t want the child to soil and ruin their only book. From that moment on, though, the child is developing a schema that books are bad. Books are not meant to be touched.

How tragic.

While Africans have traditionally relied on oral story-telling, there is still something to be said for the value of a book. Personally, I adore books and reading, and children’s literature is quite possibly my favorite!

A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children

is not a good children's story in the slightest.
- C.S. Lewis

The best book I’ve ever read on the importance of good literature in the lives of children is called Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt. In this book, Hunt so eloquently explains why it’s essential to read with and to children of all ages on a regular and frequent basis. It starts with words.

Words are a gift from our Creator, and words and experiences go hand in hand. Helping children learn to put their experiences into words will help them to see the many possibilities of words. Not only do books allow children to have new experiences, it is in books that they meet dragons and unicorns and are supplied with feelings of courage, joy, wonder, and loyalty.  Books matter to children, and children matter to God.

A young child, a fresh, uncluttered mind, a world before him

 -- to what treasures will you lead him? 

- Gladys Hunt

 As we are training children up in the way they should go, “to what treasures will we lead them?”

Good books can be good teachers, especially when paired with the lasting truths of the Bible.

What is good literature? A good story is enjoyed by all readers. Children enjoy the words and the characters, and adults can enjoy the deeper meanings. These are often books that tend to grow right along with their readers which make them so pleasant to read over and over again. These books answer questions about what the world is really like, how we are supposed to live in it, and how we can be ourselves.

No book is really worth reading at the age of 10

which is not equally worth reading at the age of 50.

-Gladys Hunt 

Hunt also address the differences between milk and honey. Milk is the physical care and the meeting of basic needs. Honey is the sweetness in life that makes life worth living. Children need both, but not all parents provide their children with honey. Parents are the child’s first and most important teacher, and they are the ones who will teach a child what is valuable in life. The things that parents make time for and spend the most time doing are the things that children are going to learn are the most important.

With so many things vying for our time it has become harder but even more important to choose what is best for oneself and for one’s family or classroom . Sometimes this even comes down to choosing between good, better, and best. Regardless, a choice must be made. Children are observing our actions all the time, and they are learning and developing their morals and values based on ours.

It is my desire as a teacher and as a future parent to show the children in my life what I believe to be true and important by letting them see it modeled in both my actions and my words.

I love books and believe in the importance of literature in the lives of children. I have yet to see a story read in an early childhood classroom here in Uganda. While reading a book "just for fun" is a common practice in classrooms throughout the States (although it's becoming a losing battle in many schools now), I've learned not to take such simple pleasures for granted.

 I want my students to develop a love for book and reading. Not because books in and of themselves are valuable, but because the lessons learned and emotions felt through reading and personally experiencing a good story are empowering and impact us in a uniquely positive and lasting way. 

“The more you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

- Dr. Seuss