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Create a Cozy Reading Corner for Your Child

Eight simple steps to create a life-long reader

By ClubMom Learning & Education and Reading Expert Cheryl Willis Hudson

Cheryl Willis Hudson is vice president and editorial director of Just Us Books, Inc., an independent publishing company that focuses on Black interest books for children and young adults. She and her husband Wade Hudson founded Just Us Books in 1988 to address the need for more African American children's books in the market place. Cheryl has authored many books for young children including Bright Eyes, Brown Skin, AFRO-BETS ABC and 123 Books, Good Morning, Baby, Glo Goes Shopping, Many Colors of Mother Goose and Hands Can (Candlewick Press).


One of our daughter's favorite toddler commands was, "Read! Mommy."

And with a house full of books and magazines, it was no surprise that she wanted a special place for her own personal library. Katura's special spot was in the corner of her room at the side of her yellow dressing table. At first, the drawers were filled with disposable diapers, baby oil, powder, spare cloth diapers, and soft baby hair brushes. But gradually, that dressing table became a makeshift-rolling library filled with her favorite stories.

As I combed and brushed Katura's hair in the morning, I'd move a book from the window shelf and place it in her busy little hands to keep them occupied. Then, as I began to braid her hair, Katura would "read" stories to me that we had shared together the day or the night before. "Read! Mommy," she'd say. Then she would point to the pictures and the words and run her chubby hands gently over the pages, turning each one with a sigh or a smile of satisfaction. She'd point to a picture of a ball and say out loud, "Ball, Mommy." Or  "Look, Mommy. See the baby!"

On the wall behind her dressing table was a large Contac paper cutout of a hippopotamus, one of the characters from her book, George and Martha. Next to that, was a handmade nameplate I had created spelling out the letters of her name. Faint sounds of the television may have wafted in from the living room now and then, but basically the only sounds we heard were my humming from time to time and our daughter's singsong voice "reading" aloud to me. By the time I'd finished her hair, Katura would also be fully dressed and we would have read several books and stacked them on top of one another in the open drawers. I realize that this little ritual was always a special time for both of us because we bonded through books.

When Katura grew a little too big to be dressed on the top of the table, we placed a small chair beside it and it converted to a library shelf of sorts. She'd still say, "Read! Mommy," but the selection was larger and now Katura could choose her own book. It was a cozy space set off from the rest of her room and her toys. It was a quiet place to be with her books and her thoughts and her imagination. Sometimes during the day, she'd settle there all by herself.

It's important for children to have a quiet and cozy space where they can go to experience the joy and wonder of reading for themselves. The area should be comfortable, yet functional. The basic items are a place for your child to sit and a container to hold the books that are at the child's level. With a little ingenuity and creativity, you can create a "Cozy Reading Corner" for a very modest budget. Here are a few tips.

1. Place a small rug remnant or bathroom mat against the wall to mark off the reading area.

2. Use a large, colorful pillow (bright solid colors such as red, blue, yellow, or green are good) or a beanbag for seating.

3. Use a toddler-size plastic chair as your child grows older and decorate it with your child's name.

4. Use a colorful milk crate as a portable storage bin/library.

5. Or put the books in a large, soft, woven basket, or a large, cloth shopping bag, or a childproof, converted baby dressing table.

6. Add your child's favorite plush toy to the setting. (You may be surprised to hear your child reading to it.)

7. Tape a few of your child's drawings to the wall to make the space really personal.

8. Gather up your son or daughter's favorite books, and you're all set.

When you begin reading to, and with, your children at an early age, they will think of books as their friends and they will treat them with love and respect.

(c) Cheryl Willis Hudson, 2006.


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