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:"hursday. February 1?. I994 The .Picton Gazette/ 3 Wd children’s author addresses literacy worksh0p~ ly Rick Fralick taff writer The joy of reading has been a onstantinJanet Lunn‘s life for as png as she can remember. i “I‘ve always been a reader â€" Iven before I could read. my older titer used to read to me," the sud-winning children‘s author old a group of about 35 parents ttending the firstâ€"ever literacy ‘orkshop Feb. 12 at Pinecrest emorial School in Bloomfield. “I never got over the joy of learnâ€" ng to read.“ she added. “The ought that I could lift tho’se ack letters oil" the page and make hem into something filled the with gander." Unlike television. Lunn theoâ€" -s that reading a story forces children to use their imaginations. by leading them to envision plot lines beyond what the author has written on the page. . “People get stories from TV. but they don‘t get to add their own ideas and vision." “Everyone who reads. learns how to use‘their imagination," She said, adding that any writer works in coâ€"operation with the reader. in ' that. anyone who reads a book will have their own version of the story. as distinct from other readers of the same story. Lunn cautions parents that it is up to them provide rich literature and foster a love of reading in their children. ”IV is so seductive. it‘s a great babysitter. but think about lanâ€" guage such as one finds in the Bible. Where will our children get this language if we don‘t give them the books?" Lunn asked. “But don‘t fall into the Hardy Boys trap." she entreated. "YOU pick something wonderful â€"â€" something they‘ll remember all their lives. and your children will have a sense of language they would not otherwise have had." Lunn recalled that reading to each other was a popular pastime . within her family. especially when her five children were young. When her husband was dying six or seven years ago. they mainâ€" tained the tradition of reading to each other right up to the time of his death. . ' “It‘s not a bad way to end your life: it’s not a bad way to spend your life.“ she said of the enriching power of the written word. Janet Lunn was born in Dallas. Texas and came to Canada at the age of 17 to study at Queen‘s Uni- versity in Kingston. While there. she met and eventually married Richard Lunn and never did return to the United States to live. Since 1968 she has lived in an old farm house on Pleasant Bay in Hillier Township. Earlier. Pinecrest principal Dave MacKay referred to Lunn as one of the natural resources of Prince Edward County. especially where the promotion of reading with children is involved. . Of the Parents as Partners â€" Encouraging Literacy Develop- ment ‘at Home project. MacKay describes it as an extension of what is being accomplished in the schools‘ peer tutoring programs.- where older students help younger students improve their literacy skills. ' . Peer tutoring co~ordinator _ i Rhonda Martinussen now has all of the schools in the Prince Edward public system onâ€"line . with peer tutoring alter developing and implementing pilot projects last year at Pinecnest and North Marysburgh schools. “The parents have been so pleased with peer tutoring that’the Parents: Advisory Council at Pinecrest‘ asked me to put on something for the whole county." MacKay said. adding that the workshop was sponsored by the Ontario Secondary School Teachâ€" ers' Federation, the Ontario Public School Teachers Federation and the Parents' Advisory Comicils9f both Pinecrest and Kente schools. “I liked the idea because it'ssa nice partnership'betvveen the par:- ents and the teachers." he said. This is the first time Pinecrest; has tried a‘projectof this nature and based on response from par: ticipants_ MacKayi says he Wflf‘ hold another next year. l . Attendees could choose two' of four workshops to attend on Satâ€" urday morning: - 7 The aforementioned Rhonda - Mai‘iiriussen spoke on the subject ' of one-to-one tutoring strategies for overcoming reading difliculu'es. Marg Goode oi" .CML. Snider . , School in We [in gton gave a pre- . . sentation on helping parents work with children .to‘ develop good spelling and writing skills. - Sophiasburgh teacherMarlene Watson shared her Reading Readiness Workshop. entitled Hushi. that 311sz the question: What are some of the important ingedients ,of becoming a reader? And Nancy Jackson of Queen ‘ Elizabeth School in Picton dealt with strategies to motivate student reading and improve reading abil- ity through library resources. MacKJay says an advantage of the literacy project is that it gives parents some practical hints they oantake home and use right away. _