No one can deny the impact of reading on children. Studies suggest that a child’s interest in reading has more influence on his or her academic performance than socio-economic factors. According to a study conducted by the United Kingdom’s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) involving 31 countries, young people from even the most deprived backgrounds did better academically than their more affluent peers if they regularly read outside school hours, but availability of reading material in the home played a large role in developing a child’s reading skills.
Though I didn’t realize how fortunate I was at the time, growing up in a home of teacher-parents who were avid readers played a huge role in my own academic progress as I moved through my school years. It’s easy for me to see now how privileged I was through being exposed to the richness of books from an early age, though not everyone around me had been afforded the same. That’s one of the reasons I feel so honored to be part of the Altrusa-sponsored children’s book fair this coming Saturday. The event will take place at Barnes & Noble in Fargo, and books purchased will be donated to local Habitat for Humanity homes. If you’re out and about on Saturday, please stop by and be part of this exciting event, which will include visits by several local authors (yes, I will be among them) as well as the kind-hearted Altrusa folks. Hope to see you there!
For more information, please see my “area voices” post, which allows for a full viewing of the Altrusa flier.
http://www.areavoices.com/peacegarden/
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