For the Love of Reading
By Heather Trim
(As seen in "MOMENTS", Published Dec 1, 2010)
I read it with my five children to get their opinions. On each page there is a silly little rhyme and they had to find the child on the page and a raccoon, two spoons and more. Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman, the pictures are engaging and colorful. Eventually, all my children were fighting over who would find the next item—which is a sure sign of their approval. Hide!!! is an interactive book that children and parents both will surely enjoy.
When we talked with Jeff Foxworthy about his new book he told us about when he first read it with his 16 year old daughter. “We made a contest of finding the things the pictures. When we got finished she looked at me and said, ‘This is the best one yet.’”
He believes that it is essential for parents to read with their children. Foxworthy’s grandmother was admittedly not a very educated woman but always told him, “People that don’t read are at the mercy of people that do.” When he was six years old his she enrolled him in a summer reading program at the library, and he won an award for reading the most books. 24 to be exact!
“Because she did that, I’ve loved reading my whole life,” he said and mentioned that there is always a stack of books not only next to his bed but also next to his children’s beds.
Reading together is great one-on-one time and instills a love for reading for years to come. Foxworthy said that his daughters enjoy reading so much that even in 10th grade his youngest wanted to read “The Hobbit” together. “I may have said no to going to Toys R Us but I never said no to going to Barnes and Noble.”
Check out the Q&A with Jeff Foxworthy (As seen in Connect Statesboro, Nov 10, 2010)
Check out the Q&A with Jeff Foxworthy (As seen in Connect Statesboro, Nov 10, 2010)