National Reading Day | Video

Amy Fox | 1/23/2013

Kids of all ages filled up the story room at the Minot Public Library for National Reading Day. "It`s just a day for everybody to recognize how important reading is in the life of all of us," said North Dakota First Lady Betsy Dalrymple.

The annual event introduces reading to kids to help build literacy skills. "Oh, I think kids love books, you know, the younger they are exposed to books, the more they`re going to love books," Dalrymple said.

Studies show by reading to your child at a young age, they will have better reading comprehension.

For Nessa Braaflat, she’s been reading to her boys since they were born. "Reading is a lifelong skill that you can do when you are two or when you are 80,” said Braaflat. “So, it`s definitely something I want to instill in them and for them to love it too.”

"I would urge all parents to read with their children or set aside time to read even when children get older,” said Dalrymple.

For Nessa and her sons, Jack and Tace, they`ve made it part of their weekly routine to visit the library. "We come at least once a week,” said Braaflat. “We like to get new books. We get 8-10 new books, so we have something fun to read at bedtime every night."

From puppet shows to story time, Jack always looks forward to trips to the library. "Because we listen to it and stuff, that`s all.”

But, for Jack`s older brother, Tace, he`s learning how to tell his own stories. "I`m almost learning how to read, but my mom is still reading to me though."

The Souris Valley United Way is helping kids, like Tace, learn to read through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program.

“Books get mailed to the children ages 0-5 right to their homes, so they get a gift every month,” said Dalrymple.

As we continue to pass down our favorite stories to our children, we can only hope we are providing our kids with the tools they need to learn to read and become successful in life. To learn more about Dolly Parton`s Imagination Library program, call 839-2994 or visit their website at www.svunitedway.com.

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