MY READING - MAP

My reading map represents me nowadays thinking on the path and the place that literature has had during my life. This path is divided into two parts, the first one when I didn’t know reading but I enjoyed literature and the second one when I started school where I learnt to read and literature started to be boring for me. Now, we are going to discover what happened and take the positive and negative aspects that we can take into account in order to motivate the literature in children.

My first memories are about when I was not able to read. My mother and I used to be sat on a very comfortable sofa and she read me during hours. Some of the books that she read me were “The three little pigs”, “Little Red Riding hood”, “Cinderella” and “The Sleeping Beauty” but my favourite one was about a cat and its kitties, I loved It! And I also loved the way that she read me, she changed the tone of her voice and made a lot of gestures, sometimes I felt I was living it. I also remember that I learnt the books that my mother read me by memory and when I was alone I turned the pages while I was telling what was happening in each page despite I didn’t know reading because the pictures remembered me what happened in each moment.

The following memories are about when I was at school where I learnt to read. I didn’t like reading so much so from that moment I have only read the obligatory books that my teachers have ordered me in each course not only in school but also in high school. Therefore, in school I read books of the collection “Steamboat”; the best one for me was “Amalia, Amelia y Emilia”, I enjoyed with it; the collection “ Altamar” such as “Simón, Simón” or “Carlos Baza Calabaza”. In other way, some of the books that I remember from high school are an adaptation of “El Quijote”, “Around the world in 80 days” and “Rebeldes” for me this was the best one because I felt identified with the characters and I enjoyed reading it. The only books I have read on my own during this period of time were the collection “Los cinco” and some books of “Kika Superbruja”. Finally, in University I have read books about education such as “el valor de educar”.

In conclusion, following the path of my reading map first the characters of the stories were animals and the princesses and princes that appeared in the videos I saw and the way my mother read made me lived it.  Then, the books that I remember are those that their characters and situations introduced me in the adventures that they lived. Therefore, I can claim that to motivate children to be interested in literature, we have to give them books adapted to their ages and we have also take into account the importance of change the tone of voice, make gestures, use images, characters and situations that makes the children to be identified and involve them. Literature teaches a lot of things and should be shown in different ways not only reading it but also singing, dancing, watching videos and through storytelling among others.

Now, I would like to know about you!

What do you think about the role that literature have had during my life? Have you felt identified with any situation, book etc.?

What do you think about the things that I have suggested you in order to motivate children to be interested in literate? Do you think that there are more things that we should take into account?