The Acton Free Press Wednesday March 22 Acton library looseleaf An opinionated homily on how to raise readers As librarians we are frequently asked by anxious parents for books that will encourage their offspring to read Sometimes we are also asked to provide remedial reading assistance While we are quite capable of dealing with the first request we have always had to refuse the second Remedial reading assistance a highly special lied skill one that we dont possess In truth very few children really need that highly specialized skill most children will learn to read quite capablyjust as seeds grow quite naturally- provided they have the right environment What is the right environ ment Well in most cases it quite simple Start by turning off the television set If youve got the intestinal fortitude and this part of the treatment should start long before you are trying to induce read ing 2 Spend as much time as you can with the child looking at books and reading to him Half an hour of bed time story every night is still one of the best settling down ceremonies around 3 Have lots of books magazines newspapers and printed materials in your home simple familiarity with the printed word from the crawling Ingit stage to the make- believereading It stage makes a whale of a Read yourself children learn by Imitation and half of what you want your child to learn about reading is the casual takeit attitude toward the art Relax dont push en courage dont nag late Enroll your child in the library story hour age 3 up give him his very own library card bring him to the library often and let him browse 0 K youve got pro blems little Johnny reading and hes already in grade two Start with step one above and work your way through them all No child is ever too old to be read to You just have to choose the right level Talk with the child teacher and try to find out if your child exhibits signs of real functional disorder such as perceptual or visual hand icap Find out what kinds of remedial help are available through the try to teach drill or rehearse without thoroughly under standing the methods your childs teacher Is using Above all be patient- children grow at different rates and nonreaders denly turn Into bookworms just when youve given up in despair Come to the library for help we can steer you in the right direction to find books for nonreaders reluctant readers or avid readers We can also supply story tapes and records for subtle en couragement Reading clubs during the summer provide continuity and stimulation and a reward at the end What does the library do to help parents and junior readers First of all our collection Is loosely graded into three basic units socalled picture books early readers and gen eral juvenile fiction and fiction In general these units are Intended to serve the follow ing kinds of children nonreaders the readto and beginning readers will probably start with the picture books These books are rarely wordless and there is a wide variation in the format but the one unifying element is that the pictures arc a major part of the book intended to tell the child a good deal about the story even without the bene fit of the words We do have a few really wordless books some board books for the very youngest children and the captivating series by Mercer Meyer about a Boy a Dog Frog and their var ious adventures Beginning readers in the first two or three years of their reading careers will find the Early Reading collection more to their taste Pictures are still a feature of this group but there Is increasing emphasis on words and especially words In sizes combinations and quantities that will suit the abilities and attention span of this group The Dr Seuss books the I Can Read series and other similar volumes are found here Neither of these collections should be regarded as mutu ally exclusive and children who are reading should not be discouraged from dipping into the picture collection Some of our best childrens literature is to be found here The child well along the road to independent reading will find a wide range of In and reading levels re- resented in the general collection Depend ing on the child individual progress collection will probably appeal to the grade or thereabouts child and up The library tries to maintain a good collection of the old faithfuls as well as providing many of the new titles that come out Chances are if you browse through the Junior library you will find most of the favorites you enjoyed as a child A word about parental guidance A significant number of childrens books today deal with subjects that would not have appeared in juvenile literature a few years ago Even at the picture and Early Reading levels there are books on birth death family breakup and other such situations from real life Many of these books are not only useful but also often beautifully written and illus trated Naturally we do not select books which seem to us to offend against good taste However some parents may not wish their children to barrow these books We will not for that reason remove them from genera avail ability instead we urge all parents to read and interest themselves In what their children are reading and to provide guidance according to their own standards Such guidance may be particularly difficult to exer cise with older children For this age group we have created a Red label collec Hon Books dealing with realistic situations In a more Hawks sometimes first back in Spring RED TAIL HAWK common to tins area is featured ma story by bird watcher Jeff Harvey Plan Summerfest at Georgetown park Summerfest will embrace aspirit a feeling of involve ment The Halton Hills Arts Council is offering a unique event to the community in the form of a Summerfest on Saturday June at the Georgetown fairgrounds Summerfest will embrace a spirit a feeling of involve ment and will help rekindle the flame of community spirit organizers say will be a collection of local groups organizations service clubs and Individuals interested in displaying and selling to the public while offering a day of pleasure for all the family and community to enjoy Organizations that have indicated their interest in participating so far Include Acton Citizens Band Arts Crafts of Georgetown Credit Valley Artisans Historical Society George- tuwn Cliuutl Girls Pipe Band adult way or those dealing with sensitive subjects will have a red seal applied to the spine We have deliberately not togged this collection with any of the usual young adult labels If asked we will explain the nature of the book or if about to be borrowed by someone we think too young to it we might suggest that their parents a look at ft first In general terms our philo sophy is that if given enough choice and leeway children will find their own reading level and if given the encour and incentive or attractive interesting mater ial they will progress with eagerness along the path to reading skill Georgetown Little Theatre Hills Public Libraries Halton Scottish Country Dancers the Horticultural Society the Palette and Pencil Club the Rug Hook Guild and the University Women Club Although organizers an tlclpate receiving revenue from admission fees com missions concession space rentals etc they require a cosh base to cover necessary initial expenses such as advertising printing etc Moreover such a fund an or its equivalent value in donated services can be used for a match funding ap plication to Win tan In order to meet these Initial financial objectives therefore sponsorship is being sought Representatives of Sum will be contacting people in the community for assistance Library- activities Acton Public library has a month full of activities planned for residents in April A film festival is planned for April with Queen of the Stardust Ballroom playing on April I m Alright Jack on April 14 The Belles of St Trinlans on April and Topper Returns on April 23 The shows will begin at m and there is no ad mission charge A workshop in the pioneer art of rug hooking is planned for Saturday April and Saturday April This two- week workshop will be in by Shirley Lyons By Jeff Harvey By the latter stages of February and early March the first real waves of migrating birds are arriving from the United States Among these are various types of hawks birds of prey which vary from the large majestic soaring hawks to the sleek stream lined falcons which include some of the fastest creatures on this planet The RedTailed and Red Shouldered Hawks are examples of the former and occasionally they stay with us all year More often than not however they move south for the winter When many of them arrive late in the season they can be seen circling high in the air rarely flapping their wings but letting strong lofty currents carry them along These two hawks are both similar in size the Red Tailed 18 inches long on the average with a of about four feet while the RedShouldered is very slightly smaller The Red TaUed Hawk Is the most abundant and well known hawk in Eastern North America and the reddlBh tail feathers can be seen easily when the sun permeates it In flight The Red Shouldered hawk is so called because of its reddish shoulder patches Both of these birds have suffered because they are alleged to attack domestic The FAMILY GROUP meets at St Josephs Church Hall Church E Mondays at 8 Info tuition Aft Only 3 Hits on curt its laugh till birds such as chickens and other fowl but these reputa tions are often gross exaggerations as hawks do a great deal of good keeping rodent populations at a mini mum while keeping other pests in check Other diurnal daytime birds of prey Include the falcons such as the Peregrine Falcon and the Kestrel both of which ore typical members of the genus The peregrine un fortunately has suffered due to widespread use of DDT the now banned pesticide which has nut this species into the endangered class The Kestrel or Sparrow Hawk is more common locally in and the small inch falcon can often be seen perched on hydro wires at roadside Other members of the hawk family include the which like their predecessors hunt only by day and also like the others have extremely acute hearing and a sense of smell though the latter has not been entirely confirmed Most common of these In the Acton area Is the Sharp- Shinned Hawk a beautiful bird which sometimes remains with us all year At our bird feeder this hawk has made several raids on the winter occupants rarely with much success one to ensure a healthy Note Hawks and other balanced population for birds have their place in this future generations to enjoy world and their wild rights All hawks are protected by should be respected by every- law The Classifieds that reach call LOOK DOUBLE HAPPINESS RESTAURANT Trv Oar DeUcknu Fish Chips or our Chinese Cuisine HOURS Mondayto Thursday Friday Saturday 10 a Sunday 12noonto8pm I Telephone 8532060 ACTON SENIOR RESIDENCE Exclusive Homelike Atmosphere Coloured TVs Large Sun Lounge To Walkout Private Garden Home Cooked Meals Run By Qualified Nurse BE INDEPENDENT WITH QUALIFIED SUPERVISION All Inclusive Rates FOR SENIORS DAY CARE SPECIAL RATES 8531020 AMPLE PARKING POTATOES 89 SUGAR 89 Schneiders- lib Pee WIENERS DUTCH reefir flu 89 Stokely Peas or ia ox ftSAP 47 119 ITOVVVllKiM Bicks Pickles 99 Cououokd Sib Blue Bonnet Margarine Duncan Hines Cake Mixes Liquid Bleach Kelloggs Special K Cool Whip 99 ui159 79 140 ACTON ifcn to