When Marianne MacDonald first went into teaching, she loved reading books to her students. Today, she does early intervention for kids with disabilities so the only reading to kids she does is to her two youngest grandsons.
“As soon as I see them they say, ‘Read to us, Grandma!’ says MacDonald, who hosts the “Come West Along the Road” radio show on WTMR 800AM on Sunday at noon and runs Trad Tours, a travel company that takes music lovers to Ireland.
So when she saw an opportunity to bring a story hour to the Irish Center’s newly refurbished library, she proposed it. “It just came to me one day that it would be fun to read to kids again,” she says. “The library is such a great place. They’ve got some real treasures up there. And it’s great that they’re doing things at the Irish Center for young families.”
Her first Irish Storybook Hour will be held at the Irish Center Library on Sunday, June 11, for kids from 3 to 7 years old, starting at 2:30 PM. Come early and stay later for live Irish music and dancing as the Next Generation, a group of young traditional Irish musicians, hold their session starting at 1 PM with a party afterwards to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the project. At 3 PM, the Ceili Og, a dance for all ages with instruction, will also help further the party atmosphere of the day at the Irish Center, 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia.
On tap for Story Hour: three Irish-themed books appropriate for kids from toddler to early elementary school.
There’s Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato: An Irish Folktale by Tomie DePaola (pictured above) about “the laziest man in all of Ireland” who lets his wife do everything on their farm. Then, one day, his wife is injured and he’s afraid he’ll starve to death. He meets a leprechaun who offers him the biggest potato in the world if he will only let him go. Chaos (which kids will love) ensues.
Leprechauns also feature in the book, Fiona’s Luck by Teresa Bateman, about a clever little girl who develops a plan to get the luck of the Irish away from a Leprechaun king who has locked it up.
Maisie McGillucuddy’s Sheep Got Muddy by Kelly Grettler takes kids on a tour of the Emerald Isle as Maisie tries to find her best friend who happens to be a sheep.
All three are picture books with delightful illustrations.
“I always encourage parents to read to their kids,” says MacDonald. “In fact, I’ve taught parents how to read to kids. You have to read beyond the story line, put in a lot of emotion, stop to ask questions and point out the pictures. That’s what holds their interest.”
The benefits of reading to kids is measurable. Kids who are read to develop their cognitive skills, increase their ability to concentrate, and develop their imagination and creativity.
“Kids who are read to have a wider vocabulary than kids who aren’t read to,” says MacDonald. “But one of the biggest benefits is the love of reading literature. My own feeling is that the love of books and literature will stick with them forever.”
