My toddler daughter and I had an unexpected literacy moment last month: at the doctor's office! We regularly see a pediatric ophthamologist because my three-year-old wears glasses (in her favorite color, purple, of course). Two visits ago, we found out from our doctor that in addition to wearing glasses, she would also have to start wearing an eye patch for a couple hours a day.
Just as this news--and the prospect of making her wear an eye patch--was sinking in, Dr. C ducked into his office, and smiled as he and handed us Jacob's Eye Patch, a hardcover picture book all about wearing an eye patch. "Here," he said, "I give this to all my little patients when they start patching. It's written by the mother of a patient of mine, and look--here I am on page six!" (He proudly pointed to a page in which Jacob's mother tells a woman on the street all about the "great doctor on East 40th Street." What a shout-out!)
Over the next few weeks, as my little girl got used to her new patching routine, we read the book constantly. At least once a day. The story features the things she likes (ice cream, going to the toy store), the things that get on her nerves (grown-ups who talk to much and slow down her down when she's trying to get ice cream and go to the toy store), and the new thing she was dealing with in her life (the eye patch).
I was so happily surprised to receive this book from Dr. C because having an unexpected literacy moment at the doctor's office makes my daughter's reading life all the more rich. It helps her connect the dots between what she experiences and what she reads. The best part was that at our next visit, I mentioned a friend whose daughter also started patching, and he whipped out another copy of Jacob's Eye Patch for me to give her! Talk about opening a world of possible for kids! Dr. C has it covered.
Last week I shared this story with some folks in the office, and it turns out that a few of us have used books to help us through medical experiences. Brooke told me that when her sister got a hearing aid as a child, they read Patrick Gets Hearing Aids as a family. She said, "My twin sister and I would read this picture book all the time. It helped me learn more about her experience before and after getting hearing aids." Similarly, Mike said that when he had to get his tonsils removed, he read Grover Goes to the Hospital to help him understand what the experience would be like.
As a surprise literacy moment, this experience was really great for us as a family. Of course, doctors do not usually hand over a book about whatever current health issue our child is experiencing, but Scholastic does have lots of book lists to help deal with illness, life experiences, and even dentist anxiety!
Have you ever had an unexpected literacy moment with your child? Let us know in the comments!
