Is Literacy Just Giving a Book?

Is literacy simply a matter of giving someone a book and expecting that they will be able to read or learn to read it by themselves? Or should improving literacy in our community be a little deeper one that involves seeing, touching, hearing, smelling, and sometimes even tasting?

I had an experience this week that really made me stop and ponder.

While looking for a fun, interactive learning experience for one of our kids’ culinary classes, I happened upon a healthy-eating video that seemed perfect for the class and the age group we teach. It was simple, healthy, tasty, and featured one of those recipes kids could make themselves. I was excited!

However, as I searched for the written recipe, I found none. As I looked for more information about the foods being used, I found none. There was nothing to taste. Nothing to touch. Nothing to read. Nothing to share. Nothing to do except push the forward and back buttons. I could hear the video, but the questions I had could not be answered. I could see the chef but she could not see or hear me. It was a great little video. But I had to wonder: If a child simply watches a video, does that really encourage the love of learning and literacy ?

Here at Wimberly’s Roots, we believe that doing our part to improve literacy among the children and adults we serve means creating experiences that engage all the senses.

As 2026 comes to a conclusion, we want to continue fostering learning through seeing, reading, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting, and asking questions.

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You can see the instructions. You can read the words aloud or quietly to yourself. You can hear those around you and ask questions and have those questions answered. You can smell the ingredients. You can touch them. You can take handwritten notes. You can taste the finished food. You can reinforce what is new for you with others around you.

It is this kind of hands-on, multisensory learning that we believe can make a difference. And we are starting to see the impact of what we do—even when that impact begins with just one child, one adult, one recipe, one piece of paper, one conversation or one book.

My Mom used to tell me often when I was lonely “If you have a book, you will always have a friend.”

I think she was right.

If you have a book nearby as you read this, take a moment to really experience it. Notice the type of print. Look at the glorious images. This is the magic of a book. Hear the sound of the pages as you turn them. Practice saying the sounds of words you don’t know out loud. Notice the scent and touch of paper in your hands. And, perhaps most importantly, taste the friendship of the written word in your mind.

If you have an opportunity to share that book, point out something special, a passage, an image, a color, or a word when you pass it along......Have a conversation....Ask a question....Share what you see.

Improvements in Literacy is the job of all of us as a community. Give a book. Share a story. Create an experience. Make a Friend. Pass literacy on.