Neighbor News
Celebrate Love to Read month!
Briarcliff author Jane F. Collen supports the February challenge, encouraging kids and parents alike to read the way they never have before.
Getting your kids to read is not always easy. Finding time for you is even more difficult. That’s where the February Challenge comes from. As the shortest month, it’s a great time for people to try something new. Love to Read month started in schools and libraries around the country, but it sometimes struggles once it leaves school grounds. It’s time to pick up the slack.
Briarcliff author Jane F. Collen suggests that scheduling time to read may actually be the key. We want reading to be a spur of the moment activity but it often gets lost in our long hectic days. Establish a good routine by setting a time (each night) for reading, plan weekly visits to the library, and lets remind each other what books can really do. Books broaden our perspectives by giving us temporary access to other worlds. They allow us to see how others approach problems and they force us to consider how we would react if we faced those problems. They are a mirror made of language.
The February Challenge asks people to step outside their comfort zones. Can you finish one book in a month? Two? When’s the last time you went to the library? When’s the last time you re-read something you love? The February Challenge isn’t about stuffing as many books as you can into 28 days. It’s about trying to look at books differently – from our most cherished stories to the ones we never considered. Below is a list of five new things to try during Love to Read month.
1. Think of a book you used to love, something you haven’t read in awhile. What made you first pick it up? What details stuck with you? Do you think it would mean the same thing to you now as it did when you first read it?
2. Visit your local library and find something you always wanted to read but never tried. A lot of people have a wish list of things they want to try but never got around to. What is it for you? Animal Farm? Wuthering Heights? Shakespeare?
3. Visit your local bookstore. Do you have one? Ask about local authors or town history. Are there town legends that someone finally got down on paper? You may be surprised to know that your neighbors are published.
4. February 26th is Fairy Tale day. Pick your favorite fairytale. Do you know where it comes from? Did you learn it from Disney, from a bedtime story? Try to find an alternate version of the story, maybe one from a different culture or one transposed into a different time period.
5. Think of a book you despised – it’s okay to admit we all have at least one. Why do you think you dislike it so much? Was it the writing, the characters, did you have to write an essay about it? What would you change? Do you think you would like it if you tried reading it again?
Can you think of more? Tweet them under the hashtag #FebruaryChallenge.
Jane F. Collen is a mother, lawyer, and author from Briarcliff Manor. Her stories about Enjella the Tooth Fairy have won a Mom’s Choice Award each year for the past three years. You can reach her and Enjella on Facebook, Twitter, and Enjella.com.
