Sometimes the happiest memories from your childhood are those of sitting in bed with your mother or father while they read out loud to you, from a short picture book or as a “daily chapter” in a longer story that introduced you to the marvelous works of literature you still enjoy today. For other people, it might be the illustrations they remember best, like the humorous and detailed drawings that Sir John Tenniel did in 1865 for Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” If you want to revisit your childhood favorites, or introduce your children or grandchildren to the books you remember enjoying, then a site like Melissa Northup’s ChildhoodReading.com is a good place to start.
7S: What is your favorite childhood story, and why?
MN: I think I can narrow my favorites down to three. “The Empty Pot,” by Demi, “The Quiltmaker’s Gift,” by Jeff Brumbeau, and “Grandpa for Sale,” by Dottie Enderle and Vicki Sansum. As an illustrator myself, I am drawn to the illustrations of stories in general. For these three favorites though, I am drawn to them for their hidden meanings. “The Empty Pot” is told like a Chinese legend of perseverance and honesty, “The Quiltmaker’s Gift” is a magical tale of generosity and “Grandpa for Sale” helps a child to see that “not everyone has a price, and not everything is for sale.”
7S: Do you think that parents can use an online site to read with their children?
MN: Absolutely! Since the 1997 creation of Childhoodreading.com, we have had readers from all over the world visiting and sending feedback about their excitement to have these stories available for them to reminisce their own memories of favorite childhood stories. The passing on of this history and knowledge to their children or grandchildren is especially much easier now, since technology has come so far with the devices that are available today A parent can bring their iPad or Nook or Kindle, etc into their child’s room to read them a bedtime story. I never would have imagined this was possible when I was a child, but I know some children that have devices like these of their very own.
7S: If someone has a favorite story that they’d like to see illustrated on your site, can they request it?
MN: Yes, I certainly love to receive messages from fellow readers, and would be willing to take personal requests for additions. One thing I consider when adding stories and illustrations to Childhoodreading.com is whether the content is available for “fair use.” In US copyright law, this means that excerpts of copyright material may be quoted for purposes of teaching without the need for permission from or payment to the copyright holder. The copyrights for many of the stories found on Childhoodreading.com have expired, putting them in the public domain. This makes it easy to provide them for free.
7S: What children’s books do you recommend to help kids develop a love of reading?
MN: There are so many good books out there, and with different ages, interests and ability levels, it’s hard to list only a few. I think a good place to start for reading-aloud to non-readers is the Winnie the Pooh series. When my daughters were each two, as soon as they could sit unassisted, I would read-aloud to them while they were in the bathtub. I read fairy tales and poems, nursery rhymes and classics. I think “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” by Roald Dahl was one of our very favorites. Now my eight-year old is reading all of the books in the Geronimo Stilton series herself, but I still take the time to read-aloud the Laura Ingalls Wilder “Little House” series. This time we get to spend together reading are some of my favorite moments of each day.
7S: What tips do you have for parents who want to encourage their children to read more books?
MN: I think the most important thing that a parent can do to help their child develop a love of reading is to read to them. Read to them every day. Let them see you reading something for yourself. Help them to know that reading is a part of life — It helps us relax and it helps us accomplish a task; It helps us build something and it takes us on an adventure; It makes us laugh and teaches us valuable lessons about life and relationships. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what reading can do in peoples lives, when people read to the children put in their care.
