There is something totally inspiring about a person who dedicates their life to a mission that is impossible to complete. A mission impossible, if you will.
Lynda Johnson Robb is one of these people. Speaking at the BookSpring Storybook Heroes Luncheon on May 6, 2015, she recounted how her interest in helping children love to read was perhaps the thing she was most proud of in her life. That is, perhaps, with the exception of her children, represented on this occasion by her daughter, Austin lawyer Catherine Robb.
In a warm and personal conversation at the Radisson Town Lake, the mother and daughter team recounted the importance of reading aloud with children: “The love of reading is born in the laps of those who love,” said Lynda Robb, driving home the ability of reading aloud with children to increase comprehension and strengthen the social bonds of family that are so important for optimal human growth.
Lynda Robb spoke of being the first volunteer for Reading is Fundamental, and later board president, and Catherine described how her mother would never miss a chance to grab anyone who would listen to talk about the importance of reading aloud to children. They spoke about a family favorite called The Westing Game, a 1979 Newberry Medal winner by Ellen Raskin in which sixteen potential heirs try to unravel the secret behind a paper magnet’s death. They relished reliving the memory of how much that particular book meant to them.
One particular instance came to mind. While Mrs. Robb was reading the chapter book at night to her daughters, one of them stole away with the book to keep reading ahead late at night. When she was discovered, at first Mrs. Robb was upset-she wanted everyone to stay within the story together! But it was a tribute to the author that the book was so compelling, and to Mrs. Robb herself that the child’s desire was so strong to keep knowing that she would break the family pattern to find out what came next.
Ultimately, the gift of reading is a gift of choice and freedom, even when it might not be exactly what a parent expects or wishes for their child, Mrs. Robb explained. Tastes change; books that were once popular fade, and new authors bring new ideas for new generations of children. In the end, what the child wants to read and be might be something better that the parent could ever dream of. And that’s the hope for the future that reading brings to us all.
After the event, Mrs. Robb visited the BookSpring offices with our long-time volunteer, Wayne Glander. Mrs. Robb expressed support for the creative way that BookSpring is carrying on the work of both Reading is Fundamental and Reach Out and Read, as we search for new ways to advocate for literacy with children who don’t have access to books or the family traditions of reading aloud to each other.
There were other local heroes celebrated at the event as well; Michele Walker-Moak, our former board president and community relations lead for Applied Materials; The Junior League of Austin for their dedicated volunteer support, and Drs. Clift Price and Karen Hayward for bringing Reach Out and Read, which brings books to children and families through their doctors. All of these people demonstrate a lifetime of passion for literacy.
May we all be so inspired to read to the children in our lives, and pass this gift on to others through whatever means we have available: time, money, or expertise. We may not be able to stop poverty at its roots, but we can provide the hope that through reading, individual children and their families can overcome social limitations through increased imagination, information, and deeper connections to the people and things around them.
That’s what launching children into a world a reading is all about. It’s a worthy impossible mission, where progress is made child-by-child, through personal, caring relationships, great stories shared, and a life well-lived.
