Six years ago, I received this inspiring note from a girl named Jasmine, whom I have never met. It was sent by her mom via private message.
Jasmine: “I love Oh, Mateo series. I love collecting them, but I still don’t have #2 and #13. They’re not available in bookstores. Mateo is my favorite character; thank you for writing. I am now reading those books to my baby brother.”
Me: “Thank you for reading to your baby brother. By this wonderful gesture, you are making sure he will be a book lover like you! Where in Manila do you live? Maybe OMFLit bookstores would have those two missing books. Thank you again! Hope to meet you and your little brother soon."
Jasmine: "Thank you very much po for your reply. I also want to meet you in person.”
ooo
Six years later . . .
Jasmine: “This time, he’s reading on his own.”
Me: “Oh, wow! What a pleasant morning to wake up to! Thank you for sending me this photo! I will treasure it forever!”
Jasmine (after two weeks): “Done with 15 books—15 nights of bedtime!”
Their mom also posted these photos on her FB page, which I saw after she had accepted my friend request. Her added message delighted me even more: Her little boy had read the stories to her!
With her and her husband's permission, I am privileged to blog about it all.
This has to be triple grace for a reading advocate like me: 1) my last post was about dads (not moms) being better story readers to children; 2) this post is about a sibling reading to a younger sibling; and 3) the younger sibling, reading on his own at age 6, is now a book lover too!
In my book talks, I explain the reasons why I write for children. Now I have a special reason added to my list: Jasmine.
When I first received her message in 2015, I thought it was just a passing fancy for her.
It's 2021, and I am told of the harvest! She consistently read to her younger brother, now aged 6 and a bookworm, too. To say it is a bountiful harvest is an understatement. It is unprecedented.
With the pandemic, however, it could be replicated in many households.
Parents could emulate Jasmine’s by encouraging their older children to read to the younger ones. The reader, aside from feeling a sense of responsibility by helping with her parents’ role, aids the listener in boosting his knowledge, enriching his vocabulary, and kickstarting his comprehension and communication skills—while improving hers in all those areas as well.
Virtual schooling today has been a mixed bag: kids at home thrive without the pressures of face-to-face classrooms; others have struggled without facilities and the social environment. Educators were unprepared—it’s been a year of trial and error and forced flexibility for online learning.
But with a child like Jasmine, parents may have found the perfect model for love of reading.
Like a broken record, I reiterate that reading books is incredibly rewarding. It encourages kids’ imagination to go into overdrive, honing their creativity and critical thinking.
And most important of all, kids who read can mine and find gems in God’s book, the Bible.
ooo
This book, commissioned by the Philippine Eagle Foundation, inspired this reading advocacy.
Written by son #3, JR (then 10 years old), and moi
Illustrations by a dear friend, Longlong Pesquira, gratis et amore.
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