The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1960-03-25

1t often appears to be
too great of an invest
ment for something that
J is to be used for a short
time only.
Yet, we seldom hesitate
when it comes to purchasing
toys. The real answer is in
QUALITY not quantity. Few
books cost more than the
average toy on the market
today. Most of them are less
expensive.
A CHILD NEEDS a few Sc
lective books of his very own
at each reading level. The
thrill of ownership increases
as a child watches his home
library grow. You can pur-
chase the favorites and bor-
row the rest of the books
from your library or bookmo-
bile. A book that aschild real
ly enjoys will be returned to
again and again. Many par
ents still have books from
their childhood, a testimony
that books do last. Remember,
even if a book finally wears
out, it is still a part of the
child's mind and memory.
IT Is IMPORTANT that a
child help in the building of
his own home library, both in
the book selection and phys
zeal construction. Don't be
afraid to take your children
along on book purchasing
trips. Your child may be more
familiar with the juvenile
books than you are. Children
will soon realize that a pur-
chasing trip to the bookstore
is a different affair than 60
ing to the library to borrow
books. There is a permaneney
about this selection and they
should be permitted ample
time to examine the books.
Try to encourage variety in
your child's selections. You
want to buy the books that
they want but at various
times children lapse into
reading trends. They will
stick to one subject and ex-
clude all others. 1t may run
TO fairy tales, science, dinos-
aurs or so forth. Remind them
gently that these are books
that they are to keep always
and that too many of the
same type might become bor-
ing.
PHYSICAL
IF it. is possible it is good
for a child to have q bookcase
of his own. If you have more
than one child they can, of
course, share a bookcase and
the books as we'll. If this is
not possible perhaps one shelf,
in the family bookcase, can be
devoted to their books.
Some prefer the wrought
iron bookcases but | find that
the very small or narrow pic
ture books tend to slip
through or get caught. If you
want to build your own case
one of the most economical
types can be made of boards
and bricks. This type is not
only economical but it can be
expanded. easily. Use the
bricks as end supports and
lay the boards across. The
boards can be of any length
4 but uaually not shorter than
three feet. We have found
that a shelf 91a inches wide
is ample width for even the
oversize picture books.
If YOU MOVE the book
case can be easily disassemb-
led and this makes another
nice feature. Stain the boards
or enamel them to match the
room colors. Let the children
help with this project. Even
q small child can aid with the
sandpapering.
A case, or shelf Of their
own, encourages children to
keep their books in a specific
place when they are not in
use. They are his books and
his responsibility. The same
holds true for books borrowed
from the library. While they
are in your home they should
be kept in one specific place.
Many books have been lost
because they were carelessly
placed with the newspapers
and accidentally discarded.
There are numerous publ
cations listing books that chill
dren should own at various
ages. AS we have mentioned
before no ONE LIST will en-
tirely satisfy each child. Most
of us, however, feel more Sc
cure if we have something a,
hand to refer to. There are
numerous books about chill
dren and reading but there
are two that | find most down
to-earth and helpful. Both are
written by women who have
had years of experience II
working with children ant
books. Here you will find rea
understanding of how ant
what children think of books
Ph's't'S FENNER has au
thored The Proof of the Pud
ding, What Children Read
John Day Co., $685.. This bool
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