It’s estimated 1 in 5 adults in America have issues understanding and reading basic sentences, according to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. A love for reading can improve a person’s life tremendously, and it can be helpful to instill that love as early as possible. There are many programs and events to help youth get excited about books and reading. One such program comes from Albuquerque resident Haven Scogin, who hosts a weekly story reading at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at the Cottonwood Corners Shopping Center in Albuquerque.
Storytime with Miss Haven takes place 7 p.m. every Friday and targets mostly toddler-aged children. However, if you aren’t in Albuquerque and are interested in attending a reading, check your local library website — local libraries such as the Santa Fe Public Library offer readings on different days depending on the branch.
Recently during a Friday evening in July, dozens of young children, many sporting pirate gear, sat “crisscross applesauce” as Scogin read pirate-themed books in the children’s section of the store. Giggles from the children hardly interrupted Scogin’s reading, with kids only piping up to answer questions or make observations on the books.
Scogin, who works in corrections in New Mexico, believes connecting kids to a love of reading early can improve their outcomes later in life.
“I do this primarily just to help people find a passion for this at a young age and keep from joining me in my law-enforcing job as adults,” Scogin said in a recent interview.
Storytime with Miss Haven has been a fixture for 23 years and often includes other activities that match the theme of the book, like crafts.
I have known Scogin for 12 of those years, and in that span I have gone to many of her readings and participated in many of her activities and events, from trick-or-treating around the store to helping choose a book once or twice for her to read on a given Friday. It was through those experiences that reading found a place within me, and that has helped me accomplish many things, like finding a love for writing, achieving good academic standings and better comprehending the world around me.
Marwa Alnajjar, a parent of a child who attends the readings, also is a big fan.
“There are not a lot of programs where people are interacting, so it is nice,” she said. “It’s also short, not a long time [and] it’s also a Friday so it’s nice for the kids to do coloring and reading.”
While Scogin’s readings have many benefits, so do story time readings in general. The University of West Alabama website highlights a few of these benefits, which include helping students succeed academically. According to the advocacy organization EveryLibrary, story time readings can also help young children learn better social and behavioral skills.
More than two decades into the story time program, Scogin is still keeping the attention of the very young kids who attend her readings. What’s her secret?
“I think you have to be yourself. Kids know when you’re not yourself, when you’re not genuine, when you are faking. You have to enjoy it as much as they enjoy doing it,” she said. “The crafts I pick, I think they are awesome. So why wouldn’t a 5-year-old think they are awesome? I try to do stuff that gets their attention.”
While normally the Barnes & Nobles in northwest Albuquerque is serene and quiet, it becomes a whole other scene during story time: The children’s section of the store is filled with young children showing off crafts and friends laughing with one another, and the excitement is evident.
That’s the part that makes Storytime with Miss Haven different from others.
“I’ve been to a bunch of other story times where it is silent,” Scogin said. “The kids aren’t involved at all, and for kids, how are you not having them involved at all?”
Aurora Sandoval is a sophomore at New Mexico School for the Arts. Contact them at rorybear001@gmail.com.
The Santa Fe New Mexican observes its 175th anniversary with a series highlighting some of the major stories and figures that have appeared in the paper's pages through its history. The collection also includes archival photo galleries.
