DCML Digest, Vol 28, Issue 15

[Donald D. Markstein]

> Yes, as mentioned earlier, simply reading the stories out loud - with 
> some summarizing of course, and "easification" of vocabulary - might e 
> the ticket.  That is what my mother did with me and the original Barks 
> (and others) stories, and I was able to read before age 5!  Somehow I 
> figured out the curious spelling of English and was able to read the 
> Barks (+) stories on my own before the First Grade, with some 
> difficulty of course, but I remember looking forward to the mail every 
> 4 weeks.  My mother purchased a subscription for both Unlce Scrooge 
> and WDCS and maybe even for the separate Donald Duck series.

Certainly, the summary was very important. But I never "easified" 
anything. I did, tho, pause occasionally and (in a different tone of 
voice, and without pointing at the page, so they'd know it wasn't part 
of the story) explain an unfamiliar word. (Or concept -- by the time 
we'd finished Huckleberry Finn (I read them prose as well as comics), 
when the oldest was about 8 or 9, they had a pretty good idea why 
certain words were used, which polite people don't use today.) I figured 
our nightly reading sessions weren't just fun for all concerned -- they 
were also part of the kids' education.

Besides, I wouldn't want to spoil the rhythm of Barks's sparkling 
dialog, another thing very young children appreciate as well as adults.

We're planning a big road trip in a couple of months, and tho the kids 
are grown and we'll have a grandson (going-on-4) along, reading aloud is 
part of the in-car entertainment we've planned. Unfortunately, we can't 
do comics, since it'll be impossible to position everyone so they can 
see the page, but we've chosen stories we can all enjoy.

Quack, Don