When summer’s sliding into fall,
You hardly notice it at all
Until one day, the meadows nod
With aster-stars and goldenrod:
And in the orchard, thees bow low
With burnished apples all aglow:
Until a starling flock screams by,
Like some dark shadow on the sky
That fills it full, and then moves on,
And when it goes – the summer’s gone.
Taken from “The Golden Book of 365 Stories” by Kathryn Jackson.
My parents read to me from this book every night when I was a child. Recently I’ve dusted it off and have been reading it to my puppy. I started doing it because the first few nights she spent with me were hard for her. She struggled to settle down in her crate. I moved my bed closer and talked to her to let her know I was there. Within a week I noticed the sound of my voice was working to help her calm, but I was becoming bored with my own ramblings. I decided to dig out this old book and it worked like a charm. Within a month, just picking up this book made her snuggle in and settle.
Reading out loud has many benefits as stated on Carnegie Learning’s blog: “Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook, writes that “every time we read aloud to a child, we’re sending a “pleasure message’ to their brain.” Trelease says that this reaction is partially sparked by feelings of happiness and self-worth caused by someone else investing time in our enjoyment. (. . .) Dr. Keisha Siriboe similarly notes that reading out loud reduces stress and generally makes us feel more appreciative and relaxed.”
Never underestimate the power of reading out loud. Whether to improve your own skills, to soothe a hyperactive child, or comfort a new puppy to sleep. Reading to someone can change you, and them, for the better.
Happy September!
INGRID E FABER 