Walter Dean Meyer asks "Do You Read With the Kids"

by Jenny Ramaley

Author Walter Dean Myers, right, and

son Christopher Myers, an illustrator, will speak

in Pittsburgh on Sunday at Hill House.

Author Walter Dean Myers is currently serving as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a position created by Congress in 2008. Mr. Meyers will visit schools and libraries across the country for the next two years to discuss reading and literacy. I wanted to share a few of his words from an article in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“Fifty percent of all meaningful education takes place in the home. What do you share with your child?” he asks. He feels that adults need to change children’s attitudes toward education, and one way to do that is by spending much more time with youngsters. “So many organizations . . . idea of mentoring a kid is giving them general advice. But what they need to do is read with children.” When he speaks to groups of professional men, Mr. Meyers often asks them if they read with kids. Often their response is, “No, we encourage them to read.” But his response to them is “That’s like encouraging adults to exercise. . . . You need to show them, and you need to do it with them.”

For the next two years, children’s books and childhood literacy will have a much needed advocate. Thank you, Mr. Meyers.

To read the entire article, go to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Feb 8 2012