Exploring Books Together

What’s the difference between reading a book on your own or as the member of a book club? Elementary children in second through fifth grade have had the opportunity to find out.

Next week Meher School librarian Mari Ponghamsing will welcome families to the third session of her Parent-Child Book Club to discuss bestselling author Kelly Yang’s book Finally Seen. This book tells the compelling story of ten-year-old Lena, who moves to America to live with her parents and younger sister after remaining in China with her grandmother for five years while her parents established themselves in a new country.

For each of the sessions, Mari has chosen a book that would offer parents and children enjoyable experiences learning about diverse human experiences. This book selection corresponds with our recent “Links of Love” project, when people of all ages wrote loving messages to people immigrating to our country and community.

Parent Karina Madrigal has enjoyed participating in the book club with her third grade daughter, Hanna, and says she found Finally Seen particularly poignant. “Reading the book with Hanna gave me wonderful ways to talk to her about my experiences when I was younger coming to America as an immigrant. Lena’s struggles remind me of my own life when I was adapting to a new culture.”

However, the themes of the book go beyond struggles to learn a new language and adapt to a new culture. Finally Seen describes the hesitancy anyone might feel learning to express uncomfortable feelings and speak out about what they believe.

When families gather in the library for the book club, they sit with others in the same grade, and Mari gives them fun questions to discuss. She says the club’s goal is to encourage children to love reading and for parents and children to take advantage of the rich discussions reading together can provide. 

Asking children questions about the characters in books and the challenges they face provides important learning from the time children are young. When preschool teachers pause during reading a book and ask children what they think a character is feeling or what they predict will happen next, students build cognitive and social-emotional skills.

Research shows that when parents read out loud to children, it strengthens the parts of their brain associated with visual imagery, story comprehension, and vocabulary. More importantly, what can compare with the loving closeness of reading together? 

Exploring books together at home and at school also encourages children to become storytellers themselves. This can occur at any age. Preschool children often “make books” by dictating words to their teachers, and elementary children love writing their own stories. Next month we are going to launch an exciting book publishing project for students in preschool through fifth grade.