Peter Collier

Hector the Collector Peter Collier

This story is designed and written by Peter Collier for both the reader and the listener. Children will request parents to continuously re-read a story that has caught their imagination. When written in free verse, a story is both a delight to read and to hear. The reader feels accomplished when reading this story and, in the act of story telling, begins exaggerating tone, inflection, and mood. The illustrations by Simon Redekop are an expanding visual element, necessary for a clear understanding of the story. Without imaginative, detailed, and related illustrations the full scope of possible humour for the story is not complete. This story constitute several conceptual elements to motivate reading and precipitate a positive child's reading development. When constructed in free verse rhyme, while reading along, children quickly begin to retain portions of the story. Once the child begins reading independantly, such stories act as memory assisting templates to guide the beginning reader through their first reading selections. The reading successes of a child will fuel additional comprehension activities and help to jump start reading skills that greatly motivate the young reader. For the adult reader such stories are always a treat. I understand the necessity to include a reader's interests and needs as part of the story telling activities. The length of my stories are designed to be between 10 to 15 minutes, to act as a short break or bedtime activity. I have avoided making up new nouns and adjectives for purposes of rhyme, understanding that teachers do not appreciate this activity. I find that by identifying children by full name, as the story characters, it adds a sense of identity and reality. The children accept the diversity of people, which, in turn, opens the imagination to accepting limitless fictional situations and opportunities.