How to Read a Story
Kate Messner and Mark Siegel
Chronicle Books
‘In my beginning is my end.’ – that profound, oft quoted line from T.S.Eliot’s East Coker is the essence of this amusing look at readers’ joys of discovering a love of reading, which is of course, the beginning of – one hopes – a lifelong journey of, explorations and enchantment, delight and endless discoveries.
I am somebody who wants all children to begin their learning to read journey with picture books (along with lots of talking, rhymes and poems) and this book nurtures that notion being essentially, a 10-step lesson on how to read a picture book. So, to Step 1 ‘FIND A GOOD STORY.’ Seemingly the dog has already made the choice – tick.

STEP 2 ‘FIND A READING BUDDY.’ – the book’s finder is sufficiently snuggly. Job done.
On to STEP 3 ‘FIND A COSY READING SPOT.’ – plenty of options there, but …

Back to the book – or rather the front (cover). Lots can be gleaned from this. That’s STEP 4 taken care of … now for the really exciting part:
STEP 5 ‘OPEN THE BOOK’ and essentially, begin reading (or should that be, making meaning?) Hang on, it’s not my book … let’s begin then, “Once upon a time …” – yippee! We’re off into another world peopled with amazing characters.

(How cleverly the makers of the book orchestrate the reading with character snaps and different fonts. – STEP 6).
STEP 7 – make sure your partner can see the pictures – definitely important if it’s a picture book of course.
STEP 8’s about tricky words. Use picture cues – agreed. Sounding them out – that’s the words – OK but as a last resort.
The next bit’s really important Not actually a step, rather a kind of time out and concerns anticipation and prediction of what might come.

– Love it!
Vocalisation is the crux of STEP 9 – make exciting parts sound exciting.
Oh no, we’re nearly there: quick keep turning the pages and find out how the story ends … and STEP 10 – we’re there … say,

Well, not quite for as I said, that’s really only the beginning. You can … go back and start again (if it was a good story – like this one surely is) or find another. Well, that too, But, do the former, I’d suggest. It’s such fun and more … and …
From cover to cover, this is a delight. I love the playful nature of the whole thing – so important in any learner experience. (Oops! the teacher bit of me needs to shut up again.) I love the way the silent cast of characters (all engaged elsewhere at the outset) is gradually drawn in and become participants in the whole shared reading experience. I love the way those characters, and all the others, are portrayed in those watercolour and ink illustrations of Siegel; and how they and their roles serve to further engage and delight readers and listeners. A book to celebrate.

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