This may look like your garden variety, impossibly cute
teddy bear, but it is actually a sophisticated tool for building readers. This
is a Read to Me Bear.
Meet Princess Priscilla, the Read to Me Bear that lives in
the children’s area of my library. Priscilla, named for the consort of The King
(yes, that King), approaches her role as Read to Me Bear with unflappable calm and a fashion sense that would do Kate Middleton proud. She appears,
bright eyed, soft and furry, every day, sitting on her pink tufted throne,
ready to be read to by the young people of our neighborhood.
The tag on her paw explains the protocol for a royal reading
session:
Her subjects celebrate Princess Priscilla’s birthday every
year in January with a storytime of favorite bear stories: The Three Bears, Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, and Corduroy. Though she began her rule ten
years ago, Princess Priscila remains three years old in TBY (In Teddy Bear Years,
teddy bears stay whatever age their child owner wishes.)
So, she’s cute. What does that have to do with reading?
Research has shown that children develop reading fluency
best when they read to a nonjudgmental listener. They can relax, focusing on
the story instead of their performance, when the listener is someone – or some thing – that is there to simply listen.
In reality, this pint-sized bit of regal fluff is a reading powerhouse, turning kids onto books and reading with a furry hug.
Priscilla recently got a new gown and crown, compliments of
the Friends of Kingstowne Library. The Friends, like myriad library friends
groups everywhere, donate their time to raise funds for cash strapped
libraries. In ways large (funding literacy and STEM initiatives, paying for
author visits, and summer reading programs) and small – a new dress for a teddy
bear – library friends groups make a
difference for readers in their community.
Thank you, Kingstowne Friends! The Princess is most pleased.
