Earlier this week, I was in an oversized charter bus gathering knowledge-thirsty tourists at Waikiki Beach to make the sacred American pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor.
Ouai is famous for countless attributes and historical moments — from the sandy white beaches to delectable homegrown produce to Elvis single-handily doubling tourism after Blue Hawaii.
But, in the minds of most Americans and the world, Ouai is best known as the site of the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. It is the single-most visited site on the island, with many competing attractions, events, restaurants, and festivals.
However, on the 45-minute haul from Waikiki through the bustling city of Honolulu, our bus driver, Kailani, taught us the area’s rich history, pointing out significant details while cracking jokes about daily Hawaiian life on the most populated island.
Another tourist asked Kailani how he knew so much about his home city.
He laughed that he had no choice because he grew up in a native Hawaiian family who spoke of and celebrated their history.
But then he added, “We were too poor for air conditioning, so on the days that it would be hot, my mother would tell us to go to the library and read if we wanted to cool down. If we complained that we didn’t have air conditioning, my mother would tell us to get a book and learn how to install it. So, when we were out of school, walking to the library often was our daily routine. Then the librarian started showing us books on things we weren’t asking about, and we also learned a lot about Hawaii that way. But we also learned a lot about the Mainland that seemed so far away. I can talk to almost all my passengers about their homeland, even if it isn’t America, because I read books at the library as a bored and hot kid. If you aren’t taking advantage of your local library, you are missing out on a lot of knowledge you will have to pay to get later.”
Not long after, I noticed that Carnegie Library had posted a photograph of future Sayre kindergartner Libby Lewman, the 6-year-old daughter of David and Melissa Lewman, on her achievement of reading 1,000 books before kindergarten.
I was curious.
Of course, I already knew early reading is an essential foundation for future education.
After all, the National Library of Medicine says on its website, “Early reading was associated with early academic success.”
The American Institute for Research adds, “Early reading is an important indicator of future academic success, and early reading development has been well-studied, demonstrating the importance of early reading growth for reading performance in later grades.”
Libby’s mother, Melissa, is a teacher at Sayre Public Schools. She says they stumbled upon the program two years ago by happenstance when visiting Carnegie Library.
“It is called the 1,000 Books before Kindergarten. Libby started in March of her Rainbow Lane year, so it took us a little over a year to finish. But there isn’t a specific date when kids can start. Kids can start it whenever and work at their own pace,” Melissa said.
The program is year-round and also can be done online. The libraries in Elk City and Sayre both offer it for young readers.
