BOOK REVIEW: ‘Read It’ Delights Young Children
by Sheila Dembowski
"You are holding a book. What should you do with it? Open it, and you will find out." These are opening lines found in the inside front cover of Read It, Don't Eat It! by Ian Schoenherr.
In this delightful picture book the reader is given reminders, some gentle and some more obvious, of the importance of taking good care of the books we read. This is a great read-aloud for younger children as they begin their journey with reading. It also could be used by older siblings to read and discuss with younger brothers and sisters the rules of proper book care etiquette.
The book introduces us to a variety of animal characters, from a bunny and a bear, to a monkey and a pig, all of whom provide simple, direct and sometimes humorous examples of what to do and not to do to a book. The easy reading text and colorful illustrations allows the reader to read the book within minutes or to take each page and expand the discussion to talk in more detail of what could happen.
As a school librarian, I try to focus on lessons with primary students about the importance of taking of books for several reasons, most importantly, the personal responsibility every person takes upon themselves when they borrow something that belongs to others.
It was once said, "Books, like friends, should be few and well-chosen. Like friends, too, we should return to them again and again - for like true friends, they will never fail us...."
Sheila Dembowski is a school media specialist at Easton and Riverside elementary schools. She can be reached at sdembowski@dce.k12.wi.us.
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