This week has been designated
”
Love of Literacy Week
”
by the Gilroy Unified School District. I am enjoying finding out
the Literary Picks of notable locals on The Dispatch’s front page,
and discovered that I have read all but one of the favorite books
noted so far.
This week has been designated “Love of Literacy Week” by the Gilroy Unified School District. I am enjoying finding out the Literary Picks of notable locals on The Dispatch’s front page, and discovered that I have read all but one of the favorite books noted so far. I hope that everyone in Gilroy has the opportunity to take time out this week and read a good book. I expect that all of our schools will participate in DEAR (drop everything and read) Friday from 1 to 2 p.m. If you aren’t working, take advantage of this hour and curl up with a good book!
I have loved to read since I was 4 years old. At one point in my life, I was reading a book a day. As I grew up and attended college, started a career, started a family, I had less time for reading. My husband at one time read only technical material. He started reading for pleasure shortly before we got married. I bought him “The Hunt for Red October” when we were leaving for a weekend in the Hamptons. It rained, and he got hooked on reading (and submarines …)
Once I had children, I started reading again every day. I would read “Runaway Bunny”, “Goodnight Moon”, “Love You Forever” and everything by Beatrix Potter to my children when they were infants. As toddlers, they had memorized all the Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle books. Once my children started school, I began to add books to our monthly budget. Although we all have library cards, we still enjoy an evening spent in a bookstore.
Every time my family has moved, and there have been many moves, we give away some of our books.
After 16 years and five moves, we still have over a thousand books in our house.
We don’t own an X-box or a Playstation and our children are somehow managing just fine. Two of the three Apuzzo children are avid readers. My oldest child reads two to three books a week for pleasure. Her teachers tell me that she is always reading in class, a trait she inherited from me.
She now reads many books that I have just finished, and she is enchanted with “The Lovely Bones.” My son is a rainy day reader. He reads out of boredom or necessity. I insist that he read for at least 20 minutes every night. Since failure to read equals no computer time, he reads. My youngest loves a challenge, so she reads a difficult book one week and than an easy one. She just finished “The Hobbit” and is now starting the newest Lemony Snicket book.
My husband reads for pleasure on an almost daily basis. I am afflicted with the “can’t put a good book down” syndrome, and have started reading anthologies so that I can finish a story and still get some sleep. I highly recommend “For the Relief of Unbearable Urges” by Nathan Englander.
As the holiday season nears, I will read “Maria, A Christmas Story” aloud to my children, and then treat myself to the hilarious “Santaland Diaries” by David Sedaris. I always give and receive many books and book giftcards at Christmas, although I am in dire need of another bookcase to house all these books.
As we strive here in Gilroy to improve our test scores, it is imperative that we teach our children that a love of literacy is not a one-time event. “Love of Literacy” week may officially end on Friday, but the love of reading is a long term commitment.
If you or your children do not have a library card, hurry to the Gilroy Library and get one. The cost is nothing, and the payoff is tremendous … a lifetime love of literacy.
Denise Baer Apuzzo has lived in Gilroy for 5 years. She is married and is a parent of three children who attend Gilroy public schools. You can reach her at: lu*****@ea*******.net. Her column is published each Thursday.
