Anna Dewdney was the bestselling author and illustrator of the Llama Llama book series, along with many other popular children’s books. She sadly passed away Saturday September 3, 2016 at the age of 50 from brain cancer. She has been an outspoken advocate of children’s books and children’s literacy and her last request to fans was simply to “Read to a child”.

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Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama series is a personal favorite of my 14 month old daughter. She loves the rhythm of the stories and the bright and colorful pictures. I love the easy rhyming scheme and the great lessons which are fully realized in short and relatable stories. Llama doesn’t want to go to sleep when he is alone in his room, but Mama Llama reminds him that she is always nearby. Llama doesn’t want to share his toys with the new neighbor, but Mama Llama teaches him that sharing isn’t so bad. All of these stories are short and relatable to small children and their parents and their resolutions can help to teach young children important lessons.

Reading to a child teaches them to be human

Anna Dewdney’s essay in the Wall Street Journal is an important piece which discusses how books can teach children empathy and how to interact with other children and adults. She wrote, “When we read with a child, we are doing so much more than teaching him to read or instilling in her a love of language.  We are doing something that I believe is just as powerful, and it is something that we are losing as a culture: by reading with a child, we are teaching that child to be human.  When we open a book, and share our voice and imagination with a child, that child learns to see the world through someone else’s eyes.”

There are so many reasons to read to a child, but do we ever consider how reading to a child can teach them how to be a good human being? This quote puts an even greater importance on children’s books and the act of reading with your children, and I think it is one of Anna Dewdney’s greatest legacies.

Finding the lessons in your favorite books

Children are sponges and they absorb a little bit of everything that they see, read and hear. When choosing books for your kids to read, you want to ensure that you are choosing books that instill the values that you want your kids to possess. Does this mean that you should only ever read books that have a crystal clear message spelled out about being a good person? Absolutely not! You can read all kinds of books to your kids and draw important messages from each one! While reading a book to your child, draw your own inspiration and lessons from the book and talk to your kids about the type of people you want them to be. Reading books about characters who make mistakes also teaches kids to be human and opens up other discussions as well.
Llama Llama Red PajamaShop on Amazon

Read to your child to bond with them, to help them develop a love of learning, and most importantly, to help them learn about themselves and others.

To learn more about Anna Dewdney and her books, check out her website. To read her full essay on empathy and children’s books, click here.