Category

State Librarian

Kansas Center for the Book, News, Reading, State Librarian, children
Governor Sebelius Read to Preschoolers
November 20th, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?

The State Library of Kansas and the Kansas Center for the Book joined Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius on Monday, Nov. 17, as she read Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson to Topeka Salvation Army preschoolers. Sebelius serves as honorary chair for the fourth annual Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Week, Nov. 16-22. You can view a video of Governor Sebelius reading on the State Library’s home page.

“Reading to our children is one of the simple steps we can take to encourage imagination and help establish a life-long love of learning,” said Sebelius. “Gary and I loved reading to our boys when they were young and we both continue to urge parents and families to read to their children.”

State Librarian Christie Brandau explained, “A child develops language skills before he or she is able to speak, and they develop literary skills long before they can begin to read. So much learning capacity occurs in a child’s first three years that it is imperative that we read to every baby, toddler, and preschooler.”

Brandau added, “Kansas has nearly 200,000 children under the age of five, and their future achievement depends on their literacy. Reading to a child for 30 minutes per day from infancy helps prepare a child to learn. In addition to highlighting the importance of reading to children, this week also promotes the library as a renewable resource of reading material.”