The importance of reading books

My daughter, who is 7 years old now, only started to learn phonics and reading when she was 3 years 8 months old. Before that, I was too busy to teach her to read.

She learned phonics for about 11 months, after that, she was still not able to read fluently. Then she read the Peter and Jane series books 8a, 9a, 10a, 11a, 12a and 12b over the next few months. By the time she finished book 12b, she was reading very fluently.

Just before her 5th birthday, she started to read Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.
Charlotte's Web was my English literature textbook when I was in Sec 1 in Raffles Girls' Secondary School. I was amazed that my girl could read Charlotte's Web at 5 years old. There were some difficult words that she did not know, but she could read most of the words without any help.

Charlotte's Web is a masterpiece, widely regarded as the best book written for children. It is also the all time best selling children's book (before Harry Potter). The book teaches the importance of friendship, and about life and death. My favourite quote from the book :

"'Why did you do all this for me?" he asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.' 'You have been my friend,' replied Charlotte. 'That in itself is a tremendous thing.'"

The following are some of the wonderful children's classics that she has read. All the books are original and unabridged, except for Gulliver.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl (Author)
My girl found this book very funny, she was giggling very often as she read the book. She learned about the consequences of bad behaviour, and the importance of good behaviour. I like the part of the book that describes poverty and hunger. Charlie's family is so poor that they can only afford to eat cabbage soup every day. Most children in Singapore never experience hunger, and I think they should read books like this so that they know how lucky they are.


Wonderful Wizard of Oz
L. Frank Baum (Author)
W.W. Denslow (Illustrator)
My girl was captivated by the exciting adventures in the book. She read the entire book silently on her own. I bought her the original version of the book, with wonderful illustrations by W.W. Denslow. The book teaches the importance of friendship, as Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion helped each other through dangers and hardships. It is also wildly imaginative, filled with interesting and fascinating characters.

The Little House on the Prairie
Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author)
Garth Williams (Illustrator)
The book was about a 5 year old girl Laura, who traveled with her family and settled on the prairie, about 130 years ago. At first I was not sure whether my girl will like the book, since some of the chapters are not easy to read. For example, one chapter describes in detail how the father built the little log house, entirely by hand. Another chapter describes how the entire family were infected by malaria and almost died. But my girl identified herself with Laura, who was the same age as her. She was also attracted to the lovely illustrations by Garth Williams. She told me that she liked the book very much. The book teaches about how to survive in the wilderness, how to endure hardships, and about a family sticking together.


The Adventures of Pinocchio
Carlo Collodi (Author)
Roberto Innocenti (Illustrator)
I first saw this book in the library. I was so impressed by the magnificent illustrations, that I immediately ordered a copy from www.amazon.com. This edition features a translation of the full, unabridged text. The original Pinocchio is very different from Disney's version. The story is very dark, and some of the events are frightening for young children. My girl, who just turned 6 years old when she read this book, is matured enough, and she enjoyed reading the book very much. She learned about the terrible consequences of bad behaviour, and more importantly, that a good child should love and take care of his/her parents when they are old and sick, like what Pinocchio finally learned to do at the end of the book. As a parent, I learned that when a child would not change his bad behaviour no matter how hard we tried, then the best way for him to learn is to let him suffer the consequences.




The Trumpet of the Swan
E. B. White (Author)
Fred Marcellino (Illustrator)
This is another masterpiece written by E.B. White, author of Charlotte's Web. I think that every parent and child should read this book. The story is about a trumpeter swan, Louis. He does not have a voice. Louis learned to read and write with the help of a boy, and also learned to play beautiful music with a trumpet stolen by his father. He worked very hard to repay his father's debt, and in the end, he saved up enough money for his father to pay back the trumpet. His wonderful music also helped him to win the love of beautiful swan.
My girl likes this book better than Charlotte's Web. It is deeply moving, and at the same time very funny. She learned that children should work very hard for a better future, and to repay their parents' kindness.



Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice Through the looking glass

Lewis Carroll (Author)

Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)
The original books are difficult for a 6 year old child to understand. So I found this edition, with the unabridged text, and very lovely illustrations to help my girl understand better. Though the original text is difficult to read, she happily read every page. Each page is filled with absurd encounters and funny characters, this book can truly fire a child's imagination.


The Happy Prince
The Selfish Giant
Oscar Wilde (Author)
I have always loved the story of The Happy Prince. But I only read the abridged version when I was a child. I bought the original text written by Oscar Wilde for my girl. I found myself reading the short story over and over again, and each time I was deeply moved. Oscar Wilde's writing is incredibly beautiful, and easy for a child to understand. The story teaches my girl about compassion for the poor, self sacrifice, and friendship. Every child should read the original version of this book.
Every child should also read The Selfish Giant, also written by Oscar Wilde. The story teaches the important value of generosity and sharing.


The Boxcar Children
Gertrude Chandler Warner (Author)
When I first borrowed this book from the library, my girl finished reading within a couple of hours. The next day, she read the book from the beginning again.
The story is about 4 sibling who have recently lost their parents and on the run from their grandfather whom they have never met. It is a very rare children's book that shows how children can survive on their own without adults. It teaches about how to be resourceful, responsibility, and how siblings should love and take care of each other.


Jonathan Swift's Gulliver
Jonathan Swift (Author)
Martin Jenkins (Editor)
Chris Riddell (Illustrator)
Gulliver's Travels is a classic of English Literature, it is required reading for many high school students in USA. The book is considered one of the best examples of satire ever written. Swift's sharp observations about the corruption of people and their institutions still ring true today, almost three hundred years after the book was first published.
Children may not completely understand the human satire, but they will be absolutely fascinated by the fantastic voyages of Gulliver.
The version that I bought is a very good adaption that is true to the original story, yet it is more easily understood by young children. Every page of the book contains excellent illustrations by Chris Riddell. My girl enjoyed reading the book. I actually asked her to stop after she completed the first 2 voyages, because I thought that the last 2 voyages may be too difficult for her to understand. However, she insisted on completing the whole book, and I am surprised at her level of understanding. Though my girl read and enjoyed this book at 6 years old, it is probably more suitable to children 12 years old and above.

Swift powerfully exploits his imaginative resources to ask unsettling questions about politics, science and human nature. It may not be suitable for kids, but it is literature of the very highest order. (Source:Gulliver's Travels)



Matilda
Roald Dahl (Author)
Matilda is about an extraordinarily gifted young girl who has idiot parents. When she goes to school, she encounters a beastly head mistress who terrorizes both students and teachers. Children can be inspired by Matilda's courage to stand up to bullies, and that extremely intelligent children like her should also be nice and compassionate towards others.

Weslandia
Paul Fleischman (Author)
Kevin Hawkes (Illustrator)
My girl likes this book very much, and she has read this book many times. She loves to examine the beautiful illustrations. It is about a boy, Wesley, who creates a whole new civilization in his backyard. The book not only explains what is a civilization, it also teaches children about individuality.


The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis (Author)
Four siblings walk through a wardrobe and discover a fantasy world called Narnia. They experience compassion, bravery, generosity, greed and betrayal, sacrifice, martyrdom, suffering and redemption on their way to maturity before ascending to their rightful places in Narnian history.

The Story of Doctor Dolittle

Hugh Lofting(Author)

A brilliant story about a doctor who could understand the languages of animals.

Quote from the afterword in the book :

"The message that Hugh Lofting conveyed throughout his work was one of respect for life and the rights of all who share the common destiny of our world."

The mouse and the motorcycle

Beverly Cleary (Author)

A lonely boy befriends a talking mouse who falls in love with his toy motorcycle. Children learn about the meaning of friendship, forgiveness, and helping each other.

The Velveteen Rabbit

Margery Williams (Author)

The book tells the story of a toy rabbit who wishes to become real. It is a classic tale of love, friendship and learning to be yourself

Mrs Piggle Wiggle

Betty MacDonald (Author)

Amazon review:

"Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has been wildly popular with children and adults for over 50 years. Children adore her because she understands them--and because her upside-down house is always filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies, and her backyard with buried treasure. Grownups love her because her magical common sense solutions to children's problems succeed when their own cajoling and yelling don't. For the child who refuses to bathe, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle recommends letting her be. Wait until the dirt on her body has accumulated to half an inch, then scatter radish seeds on her arms and head. When the plants start sprouting, the nonbather is guaranteed to change her mind about that bath."

Mary Poppins

Dr. P. L. Travers (Author), Mary Shepard (Illustrator)

I enjoyed reading Mary Poppins as much as my girl. Mary Poppins is a nanny who makes ordinary events extraordinary. I learned how children should be treated, firmly and strictly, but still allowing them to enjoy their childhood. My girl learned that bad behaviour can get a child into trouble, and she really enjoyed reading the magical adventures of the children in the book.

Prince Caspian

C. S. Lewis (Author), Pauline Baynes (Illustrator)

This book, together with The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe, are part of the Chronicles of Narnia.

As a very busy full time working mommy, it is really wonderful to listen to my girl read all these classics to me everyday. I have not read many of these books before, and I find myself learning so much along with my girl. Reading is not only about learning grammar, vocabulary and comprehension. More importantly, we learn about good morals and values, life experiences and a wide variety of knowledge.

Many experts advise parents to read to their kids. But I find that it is so much better to teach a child to read as early as possible, and then ask her to read out loud instead. My girl has a deep understanding of the story, and she is able to remember many details of the books that even I have forgotten.