Mom and child reading
Education, Enrichment

Tips And Facts On Early Reading

Tips to Raising a Reader

    1. Read to your infant (even newborn!) regularly—Nursery rhymes & lullabies.
 -use emotion in your voice
-show pictures
2.  Read to your toddler and preschooler for at least 30 minutes per day.
 -ask your child questions about what you’re reading
-let her “pretend read” areas where she’s memorized the story
 -point out letters and, when she’s older, words
3.  Visit your local library for story times and get assistance from librarians on appropriate book selections for your child.
4.  Let your children see YOU reading, and enjoying it.
5.  Don’t push a child beyond her developmental ability—you want to foster a love of reading, not a resentment of it.
6.  Turn off the TV and encourage reading instead.
7.  Have a variety of reading materials in your home—magazines, encyclopedias, newspapers, and lots of books! Visit the library often for a constant supply of books.
8.  Once your children ARE reading, make sure the books they read are appropriate for their reading level—if they get frustrated, they won’t enjoy it.
 
Fun Facts
We found a great blog (from the University of Southern California) that, in celebration of March into Reading Month, looks at some fun facts behind some of the most beloved children’s books. One of our favorite tidbids? That Maurice Sendak initially intended to feature horses in Where the Wild Things Are, but he was unable to render those animals well so instead he drew caricatures of his aunts and uncles.


Library Storytimes

A great way to foster a life-long love of books and reading in your child is to participate in your library’s weekly storytime! Here’s a guide to the locations and storytimes for the New Orleans Public Library and its branches. Please note that the times and dates change often so you might want to call the individual library branch for hours and to confirm the storytime information. You can also visit the library’s main website.
 
Main Library
219 Loyola Ave., New Orleans
phone: 504.596.2560
Babyjam (0-3 yrs old): Saturdays at 10:30 am; Book-based craft (5-11 yrs. old) Saturdays at 11:30 am

Alvar Branch
913 Alvar St., New Orleans
phone: 504.596.2667
storytime: Mondays at 10 am, Saturdays at 10:30 am
 
Central City Branch
2405 Jackson Avenue, Building C, Room 235 (in the Mahalia Jackson Center)
phone: 504.596.3110
storytime: Wednesdays at 9:30 am*
 
Children’s Resource Center
913 Napoleon Ave., New Orleans
phone: 504.596.2628
storytime: Wednesdays at 10:30 am
 
Cita Dennis Hubbell Branch
725 Pelican Ave., New Orleans
phone: 504.596.3113
storytime: Wednesdays at 10:30 am, Pajama Storytime Thursday 5:30 pm
 
East New Orleans Branch
5641 Read Blvd., New Orleans
phone: 504.596.0200.
storytime: Tuesdays at 10:30 am.
 
Rosa Keller Branch
4300 S. Broad St., New Orleans
phone: 504.596.2660
storytime: Mondays at 10:30 am; Reading to Rover the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm
 
Latter Branch
5120 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans
phone: 504.596.2625
storytime: Tuesdays at 10:30 am
 
Martin Luther King Branch
1611 Caffin Ave., New Orleans
phone: 504.596.2695
storytimes:   Wednesdays at 10 am and Thursdays at 11 am
 
Nix Branch
1401 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans
phone: 504.596.2630
Storytime: Wednesdays at 5:30 pm

Newsletter Signup

Your Weekly guide to New Orleans family fun. NOLA Family has a newsletter for every parent. Sign Up