Friends' Memorial Public Libary - sharing a love for reading
Spending quality time reading together helps to improve language skills, and listening skills, and will foster a lifelong love of reading, letting you travel to new places and meet new people, explained Patty Kunicki, Friends' Memorial Public Library Director.
"The Friends' Memorial Public Library not only has books that you can check out with your library card and carry home with you, but the Library also offers ebooks through "Libby", a library app."
Miranda Ackley, a teacher at the Kane Community Preschool explained that reading is important for child development in many ways by helping build language and communication skills. Early reading promotes an interest in books, reading, and learning. Most importantly, reading is a great time with a child.
"The children at our preschool love to meet new people and listen to the stories. Coming to the library is one of their favorite things to do."
On Tuesday, Ackley brought the 4-year-old children to the Library so Executive Director of the Kane Area Community Center, Michelle Palmer, and Library Director, Patty Kunicki, could take turns reading paragraphs from the book "Big Bunny" by Rowboat Watkins. Palmer described the story as a silly story of a giant bunny who loves to eat truckloads of carrots. It is a story told by a grandmother cabbage while the grandchild cabbage asks a lot of silly questions.
Palmer got her love of reading from her mother and there was never a day that she didn't have a book at her side.
"I am following in her footsteps."
She added that reading sparks the imagination and takes you to another place. She reads to relax and can't go a day without reading. And, while reading mostly on her kindle, she always has a few backup paperbacks handy as well.
Lastly, she added that the children always enjoy their visits to the library but enjoy it even more when a new person comes to read to them.
On Wednesday, the same book was read to Ackley's 3-year-old students by Ashley Parik, a visitor from Woodridge, IL. Parik, being in Kane to visit family (Palmer's niece), had the opportunity to sit and share the love of reading with the students.
Loving reading ever since she learned how she has always thought of reading as a way to escape from the everyday monotony of life. She explained that books can instantly transport you to different time periods, new worlds, and help you see different perspectives.
"I love that! My Grandma Kay used to work at this library and it was great to be here to be reminded of those memories. Reading today was the highlight of my trip home and I can't wait to do it again."
The Library would like to welcome new readers to story times. If you are interested and have some spare time to fill, stop in the library and ask how you can volunteer to become a guest reader. Your time sharing your love of reading will help to plant that seed into the hearts of young readers.