Don't Stop Reading!

My fourth graders urge me to read to them every day. So I oblige. But the 15 minutes can be extended when the action of the book whips the students into a frenzy, causing them to beg for more from the book. I love it when the students are so into a book, so desperate to know more that they beg for more. As I finished the book Dear Mr. Henshaw the class wanted more and couldn't believe that the book was completed. They wanted Leigh's parents to remarry and "live happily ever after." Students began relating their stories about how they had not seen their dad for two weeks, two months, or since age 2. The mood in the room became very somber, and one young man burst into tears. He was missing his dad. How powerful words can be. How important books are in the lives of all of us. However, I think I will choose a more light-hearted book for the next reading.