Who knows what will happen

Friday, September 23, 2011

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Here’s a cool idea: Read to your kids long before you think they’re able to understand what it is you’re reading to them because you never know what it is they already can understand.

That seems to be the theory behind the program started by the Friends of the Merrimack Library which has put together a gift bag that will help parents get their kids on the road to learning to love books (or, one supposes, the electronic equivalent.)

Each gift bag, said our story in last week’s Merrimack Journal, contains new board books for a baby, a bib, a list of books that might be of interest to new parents, and information about programs at the library.

The program has been going on since 2001 and the Friends have already given out 150 gift bags. Originally, the program was funded by the Friends, but Fidelity Investments’ Community Outreach Program once provided a $2,500 grant.

But the grant has been depleted, our story said, and now the Friends rely upon members’ dues and other funds from sources such as book sales, raffles and tote bag sales.

Of course, the Friends welcome contributions from you.

Here is something else our story said last week:

“It is important to encourage early literacy. Preliteracy skills are developed when parents read to their children even before they can talk,” said Joanne Marston, the administrative assistant at the Merrimack Public Library.

She meant, of course, before the children can talk. Obviously the parents can talk or they wouldn’t be able to read to the kids.

If you think you might feel a little funny reading to a month-old child, remember that you probably already sing to that child and reading isn’t that much different. We don’t really know how much a baby understands, but what we do know is that singing and reading to that baby certainly can’t hurt anything.

So, why not do it? Why not do both? OK, not at the same time unless you want to read while your spouse sings. Or you could sing the book to your baby.

One thing you can do is get more information about this, and help the Friends. They’ll be at the Merrimack Fall festival/Business Expo on Oct. 1 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Mastricola School. Go say hello. Or sing it.