Learning to Read

I recently read that the number of people in the US that list reading as a favorite leisure time activity has been increasing steadily for the past five years. I was reading long before it became popular. I read voraciously when I was a child, long before there were computers and video games.

A few years ago, I was at a funeral and ran into a cousin that I hadn’t seen since the last funeral. We discussed how long it had been and he lied about how good I looked and I commented that nobody seemed to recognize me any better than I recognized them. He replied, “You should have a book in your hand. Then everyone would know it was you.”

I have done my best to pass along my love for the written word to my young relatives and have had moderate success. I read the Mickey Mouse version of “Jack the Giant Killer” to my baby brother night after night after night. After night. I was thrilled when he learned to read (and thrilled to report that, as far as I know, he has never aspired to be like Jack).

I allowed my great niece to choose a book when we visited a mall book store. She wasn’t yet old enough to talk, could barely walk, but she insisted on “A Child’s First Dictionary.” Nothing I showed her enticed her away from her first selection, so that's what we bought. She insisted I read it to her over and over and over. And over. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to read a dictionary out loud, but once is enough.

Some of my nephew’s favorite books were the Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective series by Donald J. Sobol. Several years ago, I heard Mr. Sobol discuss writing at a book fair in Florida. He talked about getting the first book published. He sent it out again and again and again. And again. A gazillion times in total before he found a publisher and Encyclopedia Brown hasn’t been out of print since. I can’t remember the number of times, Mr. Sobol submitted his book to publishers; I just know it was unbelievable to me that he had that much perseverance, that much faith in his own ability.

Night after night after night. Over and over and over. Again and again and again. Perseverance. That's what it takes to learn to read.