Dick and Jane, Saved Us!

While I was out for an afternoon with A and B on Saturday, on our after the play performance traditional routine which leads us to The Book Loft in German Village, Ohio. B was on a mission in their children's section to find a book SHE could READ! B is in first grade and an emerging reader. She picked up a few books, sat on a stool and described how she looks at the cover to see if it would be a book she would like and then opened the book to see if she could read it. After several attempts, you could hear and see a bit of frustration coming. I thought Mom better start helping. Th Book Loft has 32 rooms of books and the children section is packed with books, a few front covers showing and a lot of spines showing, so I began to see what I could find.

I thought maybe a holiday book would be good for her with the holidays here but she wasn't too excited. The front cover didn't really make her jump with joy but when she opened, Dick and Jane A Christmas Story and began reading, there was a difference. She was doing her goal and stopped to announce, "Mom I can read it!" She was so happy and proud.

I knew what to look for to help her, but it wasn't easy to find a section of books that were good for emerging readers to feel independence. She needed repetition of text this book provided, she needed the use of basic sight words, she needed the characters to remain the same. Maybe she needed the same things I did back in first grade. I remember reading and reading Dick and Jane. In my basement, I still have homemade certificates for each book I read in first grade with the title and foil star sticker from my teacher. I think Dick and Jane is a frequent title on those certificates. Maybe my own reading life just came full circle.