There's nothing like a good fiction story to stir a child's imagination. When a child discovers the joy of reading, it's often by way of a story that is introduced by the words, "once upon a time..." or another clever hook. I still remember with great fondness one of the first stories that I read as a child - The Little Engine That Could. Today's list of famous fiction for kids (and us adults too) seems endless, from The 39 Clues, to Harry Potter, to the Diary of a Whimpy Kid.
However, in all of the excitement to expose our kids to the wonder of fairy tales and myths, we sometimes forget just how wonderful well written non-fiction can be for our children. Since they get plenty of non-fiction in school, we might be inclined to neglect that part of our children's reading repertoire. I believe that if we leave all of the discussions of science, biology, and the like, solely to those times when a child is in school, they may associate such learning only with the challenge of making a grade, instead of appreciating the beauty of such information in of itself.
Therefore, I suggest that we commit to exposing our kids to more animals, oceans, stars, planets, math, art, music, and creativity. This will help them to contemplate the wonders of what they can see and accomplish in the real world. Next month I'll review a few such recommended books for children.
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