Hi Everybody. My name is Joseph. I’m eight years old and the main character in the Joseph Land series by J. Hale Turner. I happily accepted Miss Turner’s invitation (with my parents’ permission, of course) to become her young spokesperson for literacy.
It is also my pleasure to introduce her recent book for young readers just like me. The title of her book is, “Joseph’s New Camera.” You might remember me if you’ve read the story. (By the way, my Mom made me wear this suit so I can look professional.)
Back to my book, you will learn that reading wasn’t my best quality and I had to work hard so that my grades would get better in school. I didn’t know that reading could be so much fun. Although I love being outside with my friends in the neighborhood or in school, I can’t wait to read what’s going to happen next in my story or learn more about real people, animals and places.
Reading is really, really cool! And that’s why I’m here. I wish to share this special message with all my friends.
My family and I have joined Ms. Turner with other authors to alert people about A- LITERACY.
What does ALITERACY mean? It means that there are people who CAN read but refuse to do so. Now that’s crazy! How can you have a career and not read and understand what to do? I sure want my doctor to read well and know what she is doing, and that goes for my teacher, dentist and many others.
A-LITERACY is the opposite of IL-LITERACY. ILLITERACY is when people CANNOT read; because of unfortunate situations, they did not go to school or did not finish it. Yet many people who cannot read really WANT to learn. That’s why there are classes available to help people learn to read. Did you know that ALITERACY is becoming worse than ILLITERACY in our country? WOW!!! Now that doesn’t make sense, does it?
While most people in our country are able to read, many of these choose not to. I love to play video games and watch TV; but, in my family we don’t spend too much time doing that. Why? Because our brain can become lazy and we’ll end up letting too much entertainment on TV think for us. When you read a book not only are you exercising your brain, but you’re also using your imagination to picture what you are reading.
My family sets a special moment to spend reading together. It’s our quiet hour. Dad calls it “chill out” time. When I have questions, my family is there to help me understand better. Now I read whenever and wherever I can.
When you run out of books, where else can you go to? Right! The library. There are also bookstores and children’s book clubs. You can check them out with your parents. But the library is FREE and got lots and lots of books. Just be sure to return them, okay? Reading helped me to do better in school. I learned to think better. My sister, Marian, says reading helps us to concentrate and be smarter.
Don’t you want to become smarter? Good. Remember to read every day. When you get the hang of it, it’s not so bad. It’s really fun. Friends and I read books and magazines and exchange them. We even talk about the stories, and act them out. Now that’s awesome.
In one of my series, Big Papa (my grandfather) had gotten sick and couldn’t remember things. I worried about him. So when he looked sad, I took one of my books about fishing, because he loves to fish. The more I read to him the more he began to smile. Every chance I get I would read to him. Soon we were sharing the book and newspaper sports page together. He began to read along with me, and Big Papa started feeling good about himself again.
See, reading can make you feel better when people you love share nice stories with you. Like Big Papa, you begin to repeat words that are hard to say. It took a while for Big Papa to say the words clearly, but soon he was able to remember words and read more on his own. Everybody in the family was so happy.
See how important it is for us to read to others? Do you read to your younger brothers and sisters? Do you have older people in your family to read to? Miss Turner always says that “Reading together brings family closer together.” I agree. Reading together has become one of my family’s special moments.
So friends, make literacy a special part of your life. The more we read the smarter we become. Oh, and if you find someone who has difficulty reading, don’t laugh at them or ignore them. They need a good friend to help them, just like someone has helped you. Literacy teaches us to become patient and understanding.
Reading is not a chore – it’s fun! You can read at your own pace (unless you have a deadline in school). Reading daily increases your speed, but be sure you understand as you get better. Hope you will join me and my friends to fight A-LITERACY.
Friends, Miss Turner, my family and I encourage you to share this message with others. There are books for everyone of all ages. Have lots of fun. And remember LITERACY is a joy not a burden. Again, my name is Joseph Land. Thank you for giving me the chance to share my message. See you around!
Oh, and don’t forget to join me in my future adventures in the Joseph Land Series.
J. Hale Turner, Author 