Go read a book
In case you missed it last week, we kicked off something new on our Kid’s Zone blog called Read This Book. Here’s what’s happening: we’ve asked a long-time friend of Hope Clinic, Sally Kimmes to highlight a few extraordinary, fun and imaginative children’s books each month for our Hope Clinic kids.
Here at Hope Clinic, we are huge advocates for encouraging kids to read great literature. Reading is an incredibly important activity for children as they grow and develop.
Reading helps train a child’s brain to focus, it improves their eye coordination as they read along the page, and it also teaches a brain how to experience an escape beyond what is being experienced right now in real life.
Books offer kids valuable insights into a world outside of their own. This can give a child an opportunity to understand how others think. Books can also give kids the chance to feel things that they might not have experienced before.
It’s easier for kids to learn and process real life situations in a story first before they experience them first-hand in real life. Both kids and adults will be more prepared for the challenges of life when we read and learn how to escape for a bit on small adventures inside a book.
Meet Sally. She’s a librarian.
We caught up with Sally to ask her a few questions about who she is and her work. Here’s what she had to say.
What library is lucky enough to call you their librarian?
I currently work at Edinbrook Elementary School located in Brooklyn Park. We are a part of the Osseo Area Schools and this is my seventh year as a School Library Media Specialist.
What is the best part of being a librarian?
The best part of my job is connecting the right kid to the right book. When kid’s come back and tell me that they just couldn't put the book down... that’s priceless.
How important is good, quality literature for growing kids?
I think that good literature plays a huge roll in a child's development. I recently read a quote by Albert Einstein that I just love:
"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairytales."
Stories allow children to exercise their imagination and their brain in ways that are not possible through visual media (which we are bombarded with every day). But when you read a story, you get to own everything about the world inside that book. I always tell students that they can go anywhere and do anything through a good book!
You can find Sally’s book recommendations over in the
Photo credit: Tom Eversley