The Enchanted Hour

 

The Enchanted Hour: 

The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction 

by Meghan Cox Gurdon
304 pages
NonFiction

The author, a Wall Street Journal children’s literature reviewer, explores the effects of reading to young children in this scholarly work. She also shares anecdotes from her personal life as an educated and high achieving mother of four, who reads to her young children for an hour each day. The book covers a range of children’s ages through teens, but the majority of research seems aimed at children age 3 or under.

The book is dry and clinical in parts, discussing statistics or specific medical studies for pages at a time. I initially had a hard time getting into the book and connecting with it. Overall, it was an interesting book and I’m glad I read it. But it is not a fast read; it takes some work to get through.

We have always read aloud to our children - although not for an hour at a time. Reading this book did invigorate my reading with the kids. I began using better voices and pausing to explain words. Reveling in the shared experience with my children. Understanding what happens in the background of kid's little minds helped me target those areas. It made our time together feel magical and special.

Many classic books were mentioned and it made me want to read them! The author also often references and praises Harry Potter. Ugh. She seems to encourage quantity over quality in children’s literature. Throughout the long book, she never addresses age-appropriateness in selecting works for children, which I would have liked to see.

Getting up on my soap box: Reading is only beneficial if you are reading quality works. Many advocates seem to get on the reading bandwagon but don't stop to think about quality of content. It makes a huge difference! What you are reading is just as important as the fact that you are reading. Reading a bad book can be harmful to children who are still forming their individual consciences and getting a sense of the world.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Parents, especially those with young children.