Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment

When I was in kindergarten, I fell in love with books. I loved the words and the pictures, and it became my lifelong dream to write stories like the ones I was reading. So, imagine my joy when I saw that a local university, Stony Brook Southampton, was implementing a year-long program in writing children's literature. I was very excited, and I applied immediately.

It got better. I discovered that the Children's Lit Fellows program is conducted almost entirely online and pairs its students with prominent children's authors who teach them how to write books for young people. After being accepted, I learned that I would receive direct, one-on-one instruction from famous children's author Emma Walton Hamilton. I was familiar with her work, and I was thrilled.

For the next year, Emma taught me the deep intricacies of writing for children (it's much more complex than it appears). Emma is a talented and knowledgeable instructor, and slowly I learned how to write books for kids. I also learned that Emma has a fascinating history and is highly accomplished in many different fields. She is a bestselling author, won a Grammy award, is a master teacher, and also happens to be the daughter of a very prominent celebrity. When my year in the program concluded, I wanted to share Emma and her expertise with the world, and I was delighted when she agreed to be interviewed by me.

We're sitting in a trendy book store in Sag Harbor, Long Island.

"Emma," I began, "it's so nice to see you again. Can you tell everyone about your early life?"

"Sure," she nodded. "I was born in London, England, in 1962. But my family and I moved around pretty often. California, London, Switzerland, New York City. This meant I switched schools often."

"That must have been difficult."

Emma nodded. "Books and reading were my constants growing up. And the school library became very important to me. Wherever we moved, whichever school I went to, the library was a constant, familiar, and safe haven. I loved when the librarian read aloud to me, and I loved learning how to use the library. It felt like I had been given the keys to the world."

"And did you write also?"

"Yes," Emma said, "As a child, I wrote constantly. Besides reading, writing my own stories was my favorite activity. Funnily enough, I never imagined myself as a professional writer when I was young, but my mom did. Whenever people asked, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' I'd reply, 'A vet!' or 'An actress!' But my mother would always say, 'She says that now, but she's probably going to be a writer.'"

And this brings us to something very interesting about Emma: her mother is Dame Julie Andrews. Yes, that Julie Andrews. The great actress. So I asked her a question I had been wondering for over a year: "Emma, what was it like growing up the daughter of Mary Poppins?"

Emma smiled. "The truth is, she was just 'Mom' to me. But sometimes funny things happened. I have a clear memory of being in a children's clothing store, and seeing life-size cardboard cut-outs of Mary Poppins on display. I must have been about three years old, and I was with a nanny. I pointed to one of the cutouts, exclaiming, 'Look! There's Mommy!' And I noticed two women nearby, smiling broadly. One said to the other, 'Isn't that sweet! That little girl thinks her mother is Mary Poppins!'"

I found this hilarious.

"Another time," Emma continued, "I came home from high school to discover David Bowie in my living room. David Bowie! My Dad [Oscar-winner Tony Walton] was meeting with him about a certain project, and I went weak in the knees. I thought I'd never wash the hand that shook his again!" We both laughed at this one.

"What was it like seeing your mom in the movies?"

"When The Sound of Music came out, I was very young," Emma said. "It was hard to watch, because I didn't like seeing my mom in danger, even if she was in the room with me. She was a movie star, but I saw her as 'Mom.'

And she always made a huge effort to create a normal life for us all. She always made us breakfast, and she was pretty tough on us keeping our rooms clean and strict bedtimes and so forth. I do remember wishing she really could just snap her fingers—Mary Poppins style—and make my room clean itself!" Emma thought for a moment. "But in one way, she really is similar to Mary Poppins: my mom really does have a 'magic bag.' The purse she carries is packed with everything a person might need. We have a running gag between us that whenever we're out and about together, I say 'Mommm…You wouldn't happen to have…?' And whatever it is, she has it." But the bag is heavy, so I usually end up carrying it!"

I smiled at this, because there are worse things in life than carrying Mary Poppins' magic bag. "Emma, I know you sometimes write books with your mom. What's it like collaborating with Julie Andrews?"

"It's a close mother-daughter partnership where we finish each other's sentences," she said. "And we abide by just a few golden rules. First, on the rare occasions that we disagree about something, the best idea wins. Next, when we're stuck on something, we take a bathroom break. Like magic, the answer always seems to appear. And last, if we're not having fun writing it, they won't have fun reading it."

When Emma linked fun to reading, it triggered a recollection. "Emma," I said, "can you talk a little about your book Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment?" (this was a number one bestseller on Amazon).

"Sure," Emma said. "In Raising Bookworms, I wanted to answer a very important question: 'How can we get our kids to put down the electronics and pick up books?' The premise of the book is this: the degree to which kids love lit is commensurate with the degree to which they equate reading with pleasure. When children are very small, reading is associated with love and pleasure. But as children grow and start reading independently, reading often becomes a 'chore.' The key is to cultivate and maintain connections between reading and pleasure."

"How can we do this?" I asked.

"We can encourage reading through 'cross-pollinating.' Look for activities that build on ideas in the books young people are reading. Bake a recipe, build a model, or play a game inspired by a story. Visit a place mentioned, or attend a relevant museum exhibit. Listen to music, watch a TV program, or see a movie that expands on a theme or topic in the books they read."

"So when a student reads a book, we should create real-world activities that go along with the story," I said. "That's rather brilliant."

Emma nodded. "Other suggestions include giving books as gifts, keeping books everywhere (especially the bathroom), playing storytelling games, listening to audiobooks when traveling, and providing books on a child's heroes and passions. Of course, modeling is key as well—children need to see the people they love and look up to reading. So it's important for parents, teachers, and librarians to be visibly enthusiastic about reading."

"Do you ever work with school librarians?"

"Yes!" Emma said. "I love school librarians—I think they're the most interesting, compassionate, broad-minded people. I love how they help students."

"When you visit school libraries, what grades do you focus on?"

"All of them," Emma said. "It's never too early or too late to teach kids to love lit. For preschoolers and the early grades, I focus on reading aloud and related activities. Again, the key lies in keeping the focus on pleasure. I never try to force small children to sit still and listen to a story—that squelches their natural enthusiasm and creates associations between reading and frustration."

"Do you have any techniques that librarians can use?"

"Sure," Emma said. "I always introduce the book before I begin. We look at the cover together, read the title, and talk about what the book might be about. I also read with lots of emphasis in my voice. I like to personalize the story if I can—setting it at their school or in their town, swapping out their teacher's or the librarian's name for one of the characters. I'll also invite them to participate, encouraging them to finish sentences, provide sound effects, fill in the blanks, answer questions, point things out in illustrations, and act things out. This brings books to life."

"Do these techniques work in elementary school libraries also?"

"Yes, but I 'age it up' for them. I like to play reading, writing, or word games with these students. And we do activities related to whatever I read to them. For instance, if I'm reading poetry out loud, we'll write a group poem together. Or we'll do book-based activities together. Let's say I'm reading from our book The Very Fairy Princess: Valentines from the Heart. I'll have them make their own valentines like the ones in the book. I might also invite them to create their own illustrations for what I'm reading, or I'll help them make their own 'books' from construction paper, or bring along a related snack or other activity. This is lots of fun for everybody."

"You do creative book-based activities with elementary students," I observed. "They must love that. What about middle-school students?"

"Middle school is the golden age for reading and writing. Middle schoolers love the idea of being a professional writer, so this is a great age for author studies. If I'm doing an author visit about one of my own books, I'll read from the book, do some Q&A, and tell 'behind the scenes' stories. I'll show pictures of my writing studio, my dog, and anything else related to writing or the book. If I'm doing a writing workshop, I'll bring in prompts and exercises and storytelling games. Middle schoolers love this stuff, and it's a great opportunity to kindle the dream of becoming a writer."

"And what about high-school students? As a high-school librarian, I'm very interested in this."

Emma thought a moment. "This is a tougher age group to get to open up. So I spend a lot of time earning their trust, being candid about my own life and writing process, and looking for ways to connect with them as individuals, rather than as a group. Besides that, I believe that we're never too old to enjoy being read to. We're all hungry for story, no matter what age we are. Maintaining or reigniting a love of reading in this age group is the goal. And part of this involves reading out loud to them, which they love. Another part of this involves teaching them to write their own stories."

I was intrigued. "To write their own stories?"

Emma nodded. "I do writing exercises, games, and prompts with high-school students as well. And I ask them to write about themselves and their own experiences in their own words. I tell them I'm not concerned with their spelling or grammar or punctuation—I'm interested in hearing their unique voices and points of view. I usually start with a 'free write,' where they just write whatever comes into their minds for three minutes as a warm-up. I also might encourage them to write from someone else's point of view, by bringing in random photographs from magazines and asking students to write a monologue or a journal entry in the voice of that character. Reading and writing like this helps students to see the written word in a new and different way. It becomes relevant to their lives."

I pictured Emma in school libraries, teaching students of all ages, and somehow it just seemed perfect. I thanked her for spending this time with me, and for teaching me how to write children's books. And she shook my hand, and wished me well, and then she was gone.

As I sat in the bookstore and looked at all the stories there, I thought about the things Emma said, and I looked forward to applying her wonderful techniques in my own school library. I thought about our marvelous profession, and I thought about the bliss and insight that reading has brought to my life. Emma is right. We need to give books and stories to our students, no matter what age or grade level. Kids crave stories, and they need them to understand themselves, and to understand the world.

Our job is to foster their natural desire for books and for stories. And, if it fades as kids get older, we must inspire them to rediscover it. Let's help our students fall in love with reading forever. If we do this, they will hold books in their hearts and hands long after they have left our school libraries. And this will be an enduring gift as they read the eternal story of the world, and as they compose the new and unwritten stories of their lives.

Further Reading

Emma Walton Hamilton. http://emmawaltonhamilton.com/. Accessed May 28, 2018.

Hamilton, Emma Walton. Raising Bookworms: Getting Kits Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment. Beech Tree Books, 2008.

Julie Andrews Collection.http://julieandrewscollection.com/. Accessed May 28, 2018.

Reading Rockets. "Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton." YouTube, Feb. 7, 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ps3IcgTM4Q.

Stony Brook Southampton. "Children's Lit Fellows." https://www.stonybrook.edu/southampton/mfa/childrens_lit/. Accessed May 28, 2018.