How Loryn Brantz Thinks About Kids and Books

New York Times bestselling author, artist, poet, and director Loryn Brantz sharesshares how art, emotion, and everyday moments can shape a child’s early literacy journey.

As someone who works visually and verbally, what have you noticed about how kids respond to pictures versus words when they’re learning to read?

I think the most notable thing is that children really respond to almost every kind of art: simple, detailed, wobbly, smooth, and so on. They are more interested in what emotion it portrays than in the actual style. I try to keep that in mind when I start to go overboard worrying about tiny artistic details.

If you could redesign one part of the typical reading experience at home to make it easier for families, what would you change?

I’m not sure there is anything to change! I love reading with my kids. I would say, though, I never noticed how annoying dust jackets are for children until we had them. They rip them off right away! Maybe dust jackets that stay on better?

Children often have surprising reactions during story time. Can you share an example and any tips for parents on how to use these moments to support literacy and communication at home?

I think any opportunity to take a moment to talk more in depth about what you’re reading or seeing in the art is worth taking. My advice is that even if their reaction isn’t as expected — e.g., laughing at something scary or crying at something funny — try not to react to their reaction too much. You want them to feel comfortable working through whatever came up for them, and different feelings are sometimes expressed in surprising ways, especially by kids. Use the moment to find out what made them feel that way and try to describe their emotions. The more kids can verbalize their feelings, the better they will be able to regulate them.

From your perspective, what small everyday moments — outside of books — can help build early literacy skills without families even realizing it?

There are lots of ways to sneak literacy learning into your daily life. You can play games (we love Zingo), use literacy-themed toys, and watch children’s TV shows that support early literacy, like “Reading Rainbow” and “Sesame Street.” All said, I still think the most important thing you can do is read books together! We read books at mealtimes and before bed, and often at other times in between. If you’re unable to do it yourself, it’s a great activity for grandparents or family to do over FaceTime.

What do you think parents and educators often overlook about how young children build confidence as early readers?

A really great trick I learned from my daughter’s teachers about early literacy is to have children also try to read words that are just gibberish. A lot of kids will be so good at memorizing and sight-reading that it’s easy to overlook that they’re not actually reading the words. Some kids can even go for years like this until someone notices. This is a smart way to make sure their literacy skills are truly on track.

As for confidence, I would say it’s important to affirm to them that this is a hard skill to learn, but that doesn’t mean they won’t ever master it, is key. My kids love it when I talk about my own personal struggles from school. It helps them feel less alone and realize that everyone, even “Super Mom,” has struggled learning certain things before.

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