By Kitty Felde
Parents say no a lot.
No, you can’t stay up till midnight.
No, you can’t spend your entire allowance on candy.
No, you can’t play video games every single minute of every single day.
When do we finally get to say “yes?”
Say hello to yes.
I spoke with Kelly Linehan at the American Library Association conference. Kelly is director of the Waltham Public Library, located just outside of Boston. “I try not to say not to say no anytime my child wants to buy a book,” she says. “I say ‘no’ to a lot of other things like slime and gum and candy and Tic Tacs. Nonstop. But if they want a book – and it’s in the budget – I always try to say ‘yes’ to that.”
This is a librarian suggesting that parents actually spend money on books!
A two decade-long study, published in the journal Social Science Research, shows that the mere act of building a home library increases a child’s school success, vocabulary development, and even increases their chances of getting a job.
So start early. Set a budget. And say “yes” to the next “Captain Underpants” or “Dog Man” or whatever book your young reader begs you to buy.
Kitty Felde hosts the Book Club for Kids podcast. Her Fina Mendoza mystery “State of the Union” just received a five star review from Forward Clarion.