Cover, Feb. 3: “Neighborhood Lit”
Accidental Collector
I was thrilled to see your cover story for the Feb. 3-9 issue—almost as thrilled as I was last year to find the nearby Little Free Library down on the corner of Alto Street by La Familia Medical Center next to the Community Garden. It proved a wonderful, gradual way to pay forward my accidental accumulation of books from many decades. Each time I head for the grocery store (the only outings in my solitary, but happy and productive, life), I drop off a couple books there—anything from great world literature to esoteric nonfiction to cartoon collections—and many times find a book or two I'd never have encountered otherwise or one I'd always wanted to read…I regret not having any books in Spanish to share with the many vecinos in my neighborhood. Since this is clearly an important matter of public education, maybe the Santa Fe School District should figure out a way to put books en español on LFL's shelves.
Richard Balthazar
Santa Fe
Reach out
Reach Out and Read (reachoutandread.org) was founded by pediatricians in 1989. At every well-child check-up between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, the child is given a brand new, developmentally-appropriate book. Books are available in many languages.
The book is incorporated into the well-child visit: Seeing how the child relates to the book allows observation of developmental skills. By reading to the child, the doctor or nurse models reading aloud and can assure the parent that it's normal for a 6-month-old to put a book in her mouth or advise that when an impatient 2-year-old turns the pages faster than a parent can read, the parent should just good-naturedly comment on the pictures and ask questions, "Is there a puppy? Where's the puppy? Yes! There's the puppy! What do you think the puppy is going to do?"
The book goes home with the child, adding to their growing home library. And the magic of an adult reading to a child is nurtured.
Jenny Johnson, MD
Retired Pediatrician
Santa Fe
CORRECTION
The cover story on Feb. 3 gave the wrong name for the Reach Out and Read program.
