Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Visualizing: books with no pictures

I've been reading a Racso and the Rats of NIMH to DS5 before bedtime. Last night, I asked him if he remembered what happened in the chapters we read the night before. He told me to wait, closed his eyes, and started telling me about the picture he had in his head. "There's Racso, and he's with Christoper, and there they are laughing and rolling around in the mint leaves. And there they are all crushed, and now they're piking them and putting them into a pile." Etc. He then told me, "That's what I do with the books without pictures - I make a picture in my head, then I can go back and see it later." I just thought that was so cool, and I had to share.

Very cool! I was excited when DD7 said something similar because I can still picture some of the scenes from books I read as a child. What treasures!

DS5 was doing this the other night with an adult book he'd asked me to read aloud - assuring me he'd like it though I had said he wouldn't. I thought he was asleep, but he was actually quite absorbed (many eyerolls from DS7, who saw nothing appealing in Anita Brookner). He told me how he imagined scenes looked, and places he had been that he was reminded of. I think his fabulous kindy really started his enthusiasm for non-picture books - his teacher read out stories at rest time that were often quite grown up.

That's really cool that he's able to use his imagination to "see" what you're reading about!

That's so cool SPG! Write that down in the baby book.

That's very smart of him to do that! I ma sure it makes the story more interesting too.