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Mahurangi Matters asked NZ author Kayleen Hazlehurst, who grew up in Warkworth and now divides her time between Queensland and Mahurangi, to list some of her favourite reads for children and young adults.
I have always loved animal stories, especially when the animal characters seem real. A true story that interested me recently appeared in the June edition of the Hinterland Times, in Queensland. The article
Unleashing Literacy with Story Dogs discussed a programme that paired assistance dogs with children to help improve their reading skills.
The dogs created a calm space while the children worked for 20 minutes on a new story with the help of a volunteer. About 2800 Australian children in 400 schools were involved in the Story Dog Programme and the results have been astonishing. Children, who might not look forward to going to school, were excited about having some time with their story dogs.
There is a kernel of a good idea here. Reading should be fun. When the child ran into a hard section, the volunteer would say, ‘Poppy doesn’t understand that piece. Can we read it to her again.’ Imagine the child’s delight to discover that someone else in the room needed their help to read.
When a child struggles with literacy, it takes time for the penny to drop that those black squiggly things on the page represent familiar ideas and thoughts.
I remember feeling ashamed because I had difficulty reading at school and had to attend special lessons in a cold, dark room at the end of the hall. The nice pictures, I could understand. But, even though Chicken Licken thought the sky was falling because an acorn hit him on the head, all those hieroglyphics called words were much more scary.
The message behind the Story Dogs programme is that creating a reassuring and happy environment while learning to read will create a love of reading. The first book I thought was hilarious as a kid was
The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss. Another favourite is You’re Only Old Once! A book for Obsolete Children (7 years and older). These Dr Seuss books are great fun, even for parents.
Some award-winning books to look out for in local libraries are:
The Wonderful Things You Will Be, by Emily Winfield Martin (baby-3 years)
Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak (1-5 years). Adapted to film.
Maybe, by Kobi Yamada (2 years).
Strictly No Elephants, by Lisa Mantchev (2-5 years).
The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (4 years and over).
Books for older children, or to read together as a family are:
Whale Rider, by Witi Ihimaera (10 years-adult), and his Te Reo stories.
This Farming Life and Under a Big Sky, by Tim Saunders, NZ farmer.
The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, an engrossing series by Alexander McCall Smith.
