Cherished books a good way to celebrate Family Literacy Day

In honour of Family Literacy Day, which was Jan. 27, NorthernLife.ca asked a number of well-known Sudburians about their favourite books to read with kids.

Dan Lessard, media and public relations officer, Health Sciences North

For my three-year-old Geneva, we've been reading two companion books: "Grumpy Bird" and "Boo Hoo Bird.” Geneva and I do the actions and have a laugh. My six-year-old Vienna and I have enjoyed recently the Robert Munsch classic "Mortimer." She loves singing like Mortimer and laughs when the parents and all the other adults in the book can't get Mortimer to use an inside voice (kind of like Vienna sometimes!). We also love another book called 100 Bible Stories, that takes some of the more famous stories of the Bible and makes them understandable for kids.

France Gélinas, MPP for Nickel Belt

We have in our book shelf at home a Pagemaster adaptation from the novel by L. Frank Baum of "The Wizard Of Oz". It is about 20 years old and by the looks of the book, you can tell that it is well loved. We have a grandchild who is very energetic and does not like to sit still very much, but he will sit and listen to that story. One of our children struggled in school and his teacher suggested that he read out loud for 15 minutes every night. At first, it was a bit of a battle, but as he started to get into the story of the book, he would look forward to it. We would talk about what he had read and what it meant. I have good memories of those reading sessions.

Norm Blaseg, director of education, Rainbow District School Board

I love children's books. Three books I often read to my four children and to elementary students were "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch and "Tikki Tikki Tembo" by Arlene Mosel. Family Literacy Day is a wonderful opportunity for parents/guardians and children to read together. When we read with children for the joy of reading, we develop in them, at the earliest of ages, a love for the written word. It is the foundation for all learning.