NORTH BRUNSWICK – Jennifer Rich has been reading to her son since the day she found out she was pregnant. She read to her stomach every night before she went to bed, going through an anthology of children’s stories several times throughout her pregnancy. She continued her ritual after her son, Ethan, was born in December 2006, and since then she has read to him during naptime and before he goes to sleep every night.
However, as a new mother, the elementary school teacher and reading specialist had a hard time finding literary resources for new parents. She and her husband, Jonathan, a former North Brunswick resident, searched online for hours to no avail. After checking out 10 books from the library about eight months ago to read and review, they realized they could develop an entire Web site devoted to helping new parents and grandparents find stories to read to their children.
“As a teacher, I understood the importance of reading to kids as young as possible, but also as a mom-to-be it was something I could do to feel that sort of connection,” Jennifer said. “There is nothing more exciting than leaving a classroom at the end of the day and knowing you got someone hooked.”
The site, www.EthansBookShelf.com, features reviews that Jennifer, a former Cherry Hill resident, wrote about books she has read and loved. She discusses, from a parent’s perspective, why the child would enjoy the book, what issues are covered, how to prepare for certain questions that may arise from the topics and what skills will be developed. She is open to suggestions from other parents about books their children read.
With the assistance of an outside company, the design of the Web site features selected books and articles and various ways to navigate specific searches, such as choosing what age group, genre and theme are sought or what topics are appropriate. For example, selecting a poetry book about community and friendship for children ages 4 to 5 produces a list of six books. Or, on the “Best Of” page, parents can sort through books about adoption, dealing with loss, tolerance, imagination or beginning educational skills. There are already hundreds of books to choose from on the site.
“It is our job to raise children that want to read, rather than children that have to read,” Jennifer said.
Jonathan said that reading provides quality bonding time between a child and a parent. Working in a financial firm in New York, he said he cherishes the time he spends after work with his son, which usually involves reading.
“We realized how important it was and how beneficial it was to read to kids and to get involved in their lives with communication and spending time,” said the Hoboken resident, who said he personalizes each book, adding his own voices and characters to them. “My son is 1 (year old) and he probably has had more books read to him than I’ve had in my entire life. It’s great quality time together. There is just nothing negative about it.”
“The more language newborns and toddlers are hearing, the better off they are. As we read, he’s exposed to vocabulary that wouldn’t normally be used in everyday conversation,” Jennifer added.
Reading time also provides Ethan, an active child, with a time to “settle himself in, relax and engage differently than on the playground,” Jennifer said.
The site, which was posted last month, accommodates readers up to age 10 but the Richs’ plan is to expand the book selections to teenagers and young adults. They hope to provide read-alouds, video demonstrations and an online book club for the children themselves.
Any listed books can be purchased through the Web site, since Jennifer said she understands the difficulty in trying to navigate a bookstore with a young child, or the titles and authors are available so that the book can be borrowed from the library.
For more information, e-mail the Richs at [email protected].