The Digging-Est Dog: The Concept Of Reading

When my father was a child, my grandmother bought him Dr. Seuss books. Every night my grandma would read to my father. Once my father knew how to read, he would read stories to my grandma. He traded the Dr. Seuss books in for a series of books that held various fairytales. When my father went to college he kept the Dr. Seuss and fairytale books. My grandmother started a family tradition that my father would soon pass down.

Growing up, I only had one sibling, an older brother. There are six years in between our ages. At the time my brother was in fifth grade. He already knew how to read. I was just starting to learn how. Every night, my father, brother, and I sat on the couch. I remember my dad telling my brother and me to pick out a book each night. Dr. Seuss books lined the shelves of my dad’s closet. They were the same books that my grandmother had given to my father. My father let my brother read while I listened.

As my brother and I got older, I was the only child that still read with our dad. It was not until first grade when I grasped the entire concept of reading. The first book I read by myself to my father was “The Digging-Est Dog” by Al Perkins. It was the first higher level book

I was used to reading small 10 page books with simple vocabulary. Now I faced reading stories that continued past 10 pages. I struggled once again to read the stories from the fairytale book. The stories had a deeper meaning and higher vocabulary. Just like before, my father helped me sound out the words and also understand the meanings. It was not long until I could fully read the stories with ease.

Since my childhood, I have been exposed to reading. My reading skills began with easy reads to now college-level material. It is amazing how much one 's vocabulary extends to a higher level. The best thing you can do for a child is to teach them how to read and I have my father to thank for teaching