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The greatest gift a young child can ever receive, is to be read to, and then have the desire to read on his own. People young and old, love to be read to. Regardless of our age, having a story told to us is a powerful experience. It’s an organic exchange of energy; the book becomes the nexus between the giver and the receiver of the content. Most importantly, the giving of time is required for this contract to hold up, and give the experience some traction.
Children’s books are structured in a layout of simple and declarative sentences: nouns, verbs and an adjective or adverb is all you need. “See Spot run.” Subject, verb, and direct object. However, it’s how these words are spoken that makes the difference. It takes energy from the giver, to hold the attention of the receiver. Punctuation, is an important method to create tension in a story. Exclamation points get the receiver’s attention. Get it! Moreover, vocal inflection creates tension in the simplest of narratives. Wild or minimal hand gestures and facial contortions can also create and accelerate conflict and drama. (All of this stuff also happens in a staged play, which in nothing more than a story being told to us by some actors.) We all need stories, regardless of our age.