The Gift of Reading

As the holidays draw near children become more and more excited. Babies and toddlers may not understand exactly what to expect, but their senses are aware of bright lights, jingling bells, and the delicious scent of Christmas cookies all contributing to an anticipation of celebration. Secrets are kept and presents hid. To children it seems like time has slowed to a crawl as they countdown the arrival of Christmas Day. A fun, free way to pass December days with children is to surprise them with library books. Instead of buying, borrow! First, visit the library and find twenty-four books or movies to wrap individually. The library has scores of holiday books, and many other topics to match the interest of girls or boys. Once December 1^st rolls around the fun begins! Allow your children to open one book for a surprise every night, and enjoy time together reading. At the end of the month bring the books back to the library and get new ones! This is a wonderful way to encourage reading with reluctant readers, and the gift of literacy doesn’t cost a penny. Sharing stories, telling tales, and spending time together does require a time investment but the benefits are endless. Reading to and with youngsters helps to fuel children’s creative side and develops a love for the written word. Literacy begins at birth as babies listen to speech around them, and oral language development builds a foundation for later reading success. Solid evidence from research findings show that the more children ages 0-5 hear books read aloud, the more prepared they will be for learning to read upon reaching kindergarten.

The library has an extensive collection of books for adults too. While wrapping presents for loved ones this holiday season, take time to wrap yourself up in a good book! Reading is a gift that never grows old and is always full of new discoveries. 

This video is provided by Fairfax County Library  
and recommended by Ashe County Library!

 

Dates to remember in December:

The Inditers, a young writers group will be exploring Story Cubes, a creative story generator, on December 5 at 4:00 p.m.

The Library’s Saturday Music Concert Series features community favorites, Henry Doss and Scot Pope on December 8 at 1:00 in front of the quilt display.

Join us for “Get Crafty” classes! All ages and experience levels are welcome. Learn how to make Reindeer Origami, to decorate your Christmas tree or table-top, on December 13 at 4:00 p.m. This month’s crochet class meets on December 15 at 10:00 a.m. to make Santa Hats. Bring your own yarn; hooks are provided. Call 846-2041 for more information.

The Ashe County Garden Club is providing a beautiful Christmas tree for the library. The tree will be decorated and on display December 8.

Adult programming offers “Pace Yourself” Computer Classes on Tuesday mornings at 11:00.

Children’s department will be visiting Lansing for “Story Time at Town Hall” on Friday, December 7 at 10:30 a.m. Check the library calendar for December Story-time, Tot-time, and Afternoon Adventure dates. Regular schedules will resume in January.

A special family story-time is scheduled for Thursday, December 20 at 4:00 p.m. Lea Booth will be sharing “A Gift from the Lonely Doll,” by Dare Wright. “A Gift from the Lonely Doll” features Edith and her friends, Mr. Bear and Little Bear, and a generous act of kindness that helps all of them understand and celebrate the meaning of the holidays.