Children's Authors Speak About Reading
Katherine Paterson, Ashley Bryan, and More Inspire IRA Members
Jun 17, 2009
On May 5, 2009 hundreds of educators packed a conference room at the Minneapolis Convention Center to hear celebrated authors Annie Barrows, Katherine Paterson, Ashley Bryan, Seymour Simons, and Martin Sandler discuss ways to use literature and provide access to books. The range of their comments included works of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
Fiction Reveals the Human Condition
- Annie Barrows, the creator of the delightful Ivy and Bean books, talked about listening to the kid inside and identifying with the viewpoint of the child within. She looks upon books as windows and mirrors. Books serve as windows to teach us about the world beyond where we live; they are also mirrors reflecting our own feelings and helping us understand our own emotions and those of others, too.
- Katherine Paterson, one of the all time greats of children’s literature, who created such unforgettable stories as Bridge to Terabithia, amused the audience with anecdotes of her author visits and underscored the necessity for children to learn to write by reading. She said that it is in reading that the child learns about emotions and how to express them on the printed page.
Poetry Promotes Love of Language
- Ashley Bryan, a poet with a talent for showmanship, as well as writing, led the audience in group recitations. According to Bryan’s philosophy, words on a page of poetry must be spoken. When performing a poem, the reader engages in the oral tradition. Following Bryan’s lead, participants clapped, snapped, shouted, and whispered lines of verse, demonstrating how words on the page can come to life and gives children joy in reading them.
Nonfiction Enhances Knowledge of the World
- Seymour Simon, an award-winning author of science books for children, thinks of science as poetry, too. He writes as if he is explaining a scientific phenomenon to himself, using comparisons and photos to enhance the words on the page. Just as Simon feels empowered by putting scientific facts into words, he says children feel empowered by reading their own writing to the class.
- Martin Sandler, a writer of nonfiction for adults, as well as children, reminded teachers that reading history can be more compelling than reading fiction. One amazing piece of research he shared was the unbelievable chain of events that surrounded the search for the Northwest Passage, recounting the story highlights from one of his adult books, After hearing him speak, the writers in the group took away his valuable message: "Never write down to children."
The impressions these scholars left with the audience were more than the knowledge of their words. They reflected their passion. They are dedicated lovers of literacy. More than anything else, they made those who heard them cherish the written words. Parents, teachers, and writers, absorbed wisdom at the feet of the masters.
Get more conference information from the International Reading Association.
Works Cited:
Barrows, Annie. Ivy and Bean-Book 1 .Chronicale Books LLC, ISBN-10:0-8118-4909-0
Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. Harper Collins Children's Books ISBN 0-690-01359-0
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