Reading Pictures

When children are not yet reading the words, I encourage them to see themselves as readers by teaching them to read the pictures. We can learn a lot from the illustrations in a picture book. We can use lots of great thinking skills and reading strategies. We can enjoy the story told by the pictures without ever worrying about the words.

Jo is just starting to realize that books are filled with words. At bedtime he likes to point to sections of text on the page and ask what that part says. He spells out words and asks what the word says. He is on the road to reading.

But the most important thing was brought home to me tonight at the dinner table when he said, "Mama, I can read the pictures all by myself in the daytime, can't I? I am really good at reading the pictures."

I realized he is on the road to being a reader and that his love of books is blooming. Yeah!