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Happy National Book Lover’s Day!

Posted on 9 Aug 2017 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

I am so happy that someone promoted having a day dedicated to book lovers. I have loved books since I was a very young child. My father collected books and stacked them all over the place. My mother kept asking him to put his puts on shelves or bookcases. He finally pleased her and built a few bookcases. He loved old books and books out of print. I have a few which are not by great writers but for me they are my treasures just because they belonged to him.

I have books about many things. I collect poetry books. I have anthologies I used in college I cannot bring myself to give away. I have a collection of cookbooks which is funny because I make my own concoctions in the kitchen and could never give anyone a recipe I created. But they talk to me at the bookstore and I end up buying titles that are more appealing than the actual content. I own art books. many of them are how to books: how to draw, paint, watercolor, and cartoon. However I have art books that focus on one artist.

I own many dictionaries: English, Spanish, French and Italian. I have grammar books and books on writing.In other words I have a lot of books.

I even collect quotes about reading and books. Here are a few:

“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” – Jacqueline Kennedy

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” – Mason Cooley

“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”

– Mark Twain

“The library is inhabited by spirits that come out of the pages at night.”

– Isabelle Allende

Happy Book Lover’s Day!

As you can see I have my books well guarded.

The Power of Reading

Posted on 23 Mar 2015 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

Read my child

as much as you can

Read about other people

in far away lands

for it will expand your mind

and your heart

you will never be lonely

even when we are apart.

Read to know where you will stand

to make the world a better place

and build ideas upon demand

Read to discover yourself

and make of you a masterpiece

Read all the great books on the shelf

they will enrich your imagination.

Reading can take you to any destination

The power of reading is amazing

So read my child and you will see

You can create your own fascination.

photos
Poems

First Day of School

Posted on 5 Sep 2012 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

I just received a photo of my grandson on the first day of school via e-mail. He started kindergarten today and his face says it all. He looks confident and stands straight wearing a brand new uniform. The photo brings me back to the day his father’s first day in kindergarten. He had his shiny new superman lunch box in one hand and a small book bag in the other. This is when book bags were simple and light. Kindergarten was a time for play and to engage in socialization. It was a time to begin to learn all the things that you would need to know the rest of your life.
My grandson on the other hand is wearing a big backpack and he looks so grown up. He already has a school resume having attended nursery school and Pre-K for a few years now; so school is nothing new to him. But he is attending a new school this year and so I hope he is able to adjust to his new environment.
But so many other children start school without any prior experience. Today, children are expected to know most of the alphabet, recognize the primary colors, identify geometric shapes and count to 100 before they put a foot inside the Kindergarten class. They are expected to have developed pre-reading skills like recognition of basic sight words. Kindergarten is simply not the same as when my son and daughter went to school. The exigencies are different and the pace is strict. Of course I devoted a lot of time to teaching them many things as a precursor to entering kindergarten but I did want some things to be discovered at school.
Today we need to make sure that five year old children are aware of their surroundings, understand the difference between good versus bad touching, and to develop some street smarts. Times have definitely changed. I just hope that my grandson’s experience is memorable and that he learns to love learning.
Since we live in different states I am making sure that I am a part of the experience. I told him I would write him a letter every week for him to practice reading. I send him activities to reinforce the skills in all areas. I want him to know me as a person and as someone who loves reading and learning. I want to restore some of those twentieth century skills like letter writing and good penmanship. I want him to be articulate and be able to write notes or messages longer than 140 characters. I believe that these skills are still part of building friendships and family relationships. I won’t mind if you call me old fashion. After all, I am a grandmother and I am entitled to be a little old fashioned sometimes.