An interview with student leaders of the Read to Daisy Book Club

By Jaclyn Perreault

One adorable dog, fun times, and reading all come together at BHS’s Read to Daisy Book Club. This club is named for Daisy, a lovable dog who joins the group at the end of each month. As a newcomer to the book club, I quickly learned a few things. One: reading has never been so fun. Two: the amount of enthusiasm and the volume of book reports that the members churn out is quite impressive. And three: there are two fantastic students who really help run the show, Tatiana and Jareliz. They have been leading the group, whose members range in age from toddlers to teens, since summer…but I can attest that they seem like naturals already. Tatiana is a 5th grade student whose favorite subject is Math. One of her favorite activities is to play outside, especially in the park nearby. Her favorite colors are blue and orange. Jareliz is a 6th grade student at Walsh school, and her favorite subject is Math as well. Her favorite colors are orange and pink. Last week, I had the privilege to get in a quick interview with these two in the minutes before the book club. The girls shared with me some insight on how the book club works.

Jaclyn: How would you describe your role in the reading club, and what your special job is, kind of as the two leaders?

Tatiana: Well…this first started once we had summer reading club, and me and Jareliz, we were always in that club. And then Miss Mary pulled us aside because she said that we are really good readers and we helped out lots of kids who were in the club. Miss Mary asked us if we would like to direct the Read to Daisy Book Club, so then we liked the idea…so then we started being the directors.

Jareliz: We agreed to do the job, and now we help the younger kids learn how to read…and then they read to Daisy.

Jaclyn: This is good for me to know also, because I’m still new, but what would you say typically happens at your usual meeting for the reading group?

Tatiana: So, usually we would help the children pick books for their reading level, and we would be in the program room; and Daisy, she would be sitting in the middle, and we would sit next to her on a pillow, and then we would read. If it’s a long book, we would read a couple pages. Then after, we would come in and have a snack or something, and then, yeah, that’s how we would end our day. And then we would say goodbye to Daisy.

Jaclyn: Oh, that sounds like fun! And would you say that Daisy likes reading? Does she enjoy the whole event?

Jareliz: Yeah. She gets excited when she comes.

Tatiana: She at least wags her tail, and, you know…and she’s so cute.

Jaclyn: I was curious to know what your favorite thing about the reading club is?

Tatiana: Well, I like seeing that lots of kids love seeing Daisy. They’re excited when they come in; they smile, and everything.

Jareliz: Well, I like how when they come and then I see them reading, I like how usually every time they come, they’re getting better at reading.

Tatiana: You can see them improve since the first time they came. And then if it’s a while, you can see they’re improving reading.

Jareliz: Because…we know how to read, and now they learn how to read.

Jaclyn: So I was wondering also if you have any specific techniques or things that you do to try to get kids really excited about reading, and how to help them?

Tatiana: We have prizes. You see, if you read the most books and you write the book reports, you would get a prize. The two boys that have the most book reports would get a wallet…with a dollar in it. And the girls would get these cool metal…

Jareliz: Yeah…these bookmarks, with the dollar in it. But I’m not sure if she’s going to do the same thing this time. The last winners were my two brothers and my sister!

Jaclyn: And so there are the prizes…do you do anything else to try to get kids to read?

Tatiana: Sometimes if we have an event, like, for other stuff, they would need to read a couple book reports to come into the event.

Jareliz: Yeah. That’s their ticket. The book report’s the ticket for them to come in and read to Daisy.

Jaclyn: Why do you think that what you’re doing with the book club is important?

Tatiana: Because it helps the kids improve their reading levels.

Jareliz: And it helps them, probably, when they get older. When they have to read things, they have a good reading thing; and then they probably do go to a good college.

Jaclyn: Can you think of a funniest moment or a really fun time that you can remember from the reading club?

Tatiana: I remember, I think it was the first time Daisy came for the reading club. I remember when she came, we got to walk outside, and…

Jareliz: …And we got to take pictures with her. It was a nice, like, a really nice day outside, so we just decided we wanted to walk with her. When everyone went outside and we got to say goodbye to Daisy, she looked out at us…

Tatiana: …And I also think it was funny when she jumped in the car.

Jaclyn: Oh, wow! And where does she sit in the car? I’m curious.

Tatiana: The front!

I have enjoyed my time at the Read to Daisy Book Club so far, and I hope to see Daisy read and ride in the front seat sometime myself. I must say that Jareliz and Tatiana are doing a really admirable job in helping younger kids to not only build a strong foundation in reading, but to get genuinely excited about it. I’d like to applaud them for using their patience, caring, and leadership to keep alive the traditions of the Read to Daisy Book Club! I see very bright futures ahead for these two, and for the rest of the reading members as well.

Filed Under: Residents