I am a book. Read me.
Photo by Adrian Korte @adkorte
I remember special moments of childhood. Dad looked through the wooden media console in the living room, specifically the shelf with the vinyl record, selected an album out of the neatly organized collection, arranged in alphabetical order, under D for “Danny Kaye Sings selections from: “Hans Christen Andersen.” He pulled out the black disc, placed it on the spinning plate, lifted the tone arm, and set the cartridge with the needle on top of the record. The comforting, static, crackling buzz would spit out of the speakers and me and my sibling’s ears perked up in anticipation of the orchestral accompaniment that followed…
“I’m Hans Christian Andersen…I have many a tale to tell…
· More than 393 million children have failed to gain the basic literacy skills at age 10
· 45 million Americans are functionally illiterate and cannot read above a fifth-grade level.
Today, April 2, 2023 has been designated International Children’s Book Day. The Hellenic Republic, Greece, is hosting International Children’s Book Day with the chosen theme:
“VAGELIS ILIOPOULOS”
This event has been occurring since 1967 around the time period of the date of Hans Christian Andersen’s birth.
WHO WAS HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
“The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.”
Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805, in the town of Odense, near to Copenhagen Denmark.
He was a maestro, the constructor and popularizer of eventyrs - the adventure story, fairy tale, and folk tale all wrapped up in wonderful, magical, teaching moment greatness. He also penned plays, novels, travel books, and autobiographies. His works have been translated in over 150 languages from Zulu to Azerbaijani, showcasing how his stories have a global appeal, transcending age, religion, national, and cultural lines.
Click here to see list of languages and locations.
“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift.”
Mr. Andersen’s stories have inspired many movies, ballets, plays, animated movies. His pen strokes and his mind palace are seen in some of Walt Disney’s movies such as Frozen, harking back to the Snow Queen. And who doesn’t remember the tale of the emperor’s new clothes and the moral lessons of don’t go along with the crowd, listen to your inner voice, trust your gut? The Harvard Business Review stated that your mind continuously processes information that you are not consciously aware of, not only when you’re asleep and dreaming but also when you’re awake. I remember reading the book, The Gift of Fear, and how the author plainly expressed how our brain is processing so much data that our body and gut and senses are either warning us or educating us and sometimes we need to tune in, respect and react to protect ourselves, get out of danger or trust that it’s safe. How about that for a lesson packed up so compactly that even a child can process. Just because the emperor is a Diva, the fabric weavers are deceivers, the clothing - invisible, fizzable like bubbles before they disappear. He wears a charade, the horses neighed, the king got played, and the child said for the home run win: “Look at the King.”
And that is what made Hans Christian Andersen brilliant, iconic, and appealing. As Rudyard Kipling said so eloquently in his poem IF, describing what makes a man a man: “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch”. Andersen could simultaneously ignite both the adult and the child’s mind with concepts, ideas, feelings, and powerful lessons heftier than a child’s instant comprehension, but graspable and processable with concepts from a child’s perspective that resonate distinctly with human moral values of humanity.
He had the power of story and the gift of imagination. Click on the link below if you would like to read some of his other lesser known works. https://americanliterature.com/author/hans-christian-andersen
HOW TO CULTIVATE LOVE OF READING IN CHILDREN
If you are a teacher, a parent, an older sibling use the classroom, school, library, bookstore, a special quiet place in the home or apartment, bedtime to introduce your student or your child to a plethora of stories with characters they can relate to as well as characters who are different from themselves. The first will help students feel a sense of belonging in your classroom, and the second will help strengthen their empathy skills. “When books serve as mirrors, reflecting a child’s lived experience back to them, they allow children to validate their experiences by identifying with similar roles and experiences through literature. If only a single perspective or racial identity is presented, then it can seem as if the child who is unrepresented does not belong in this space and a child who is overrepresented may come away believing they are of greater importance in this space than they are.” (Tschida et al., 2014)*
What was your favorite children’s story book when you were a child? Comment below.
Actionable Step – Read a story to a child in your life. Read a book just for yourself. What title did you choose? Comment Below.
“We read to know we are not alone.”
GIVEAWAY
Starting today April 2, 2023, International Children's Book Day, I will be giving away a signed, autographed copy of my children’s book “Talk About the Monster” (for ages 5-11and beyond) to the first 5 people who participate in this challenge. (Click on link)
1. Follow my IG account Mistofer_Christopher
2. Like and comment on my post on International Children’s Book day with your favorite children’s book growing up.
3. Tag your bestie parent or teacher and share the post.
References
*Turn the Page, Speech-Language Pathologists: Adequate, Authentic, and Accurate Representation as a consideration in the Selection of Picture Books for Use in Treatment, Sierrah Harris and Amanda J. Owen Van Horne. Copyright c 2021 American Speech Language Hearing Association