Read, Read and Read Some More!
In my humble opinion, reading is the key to all knowledge. There is nothing quite the same as holding in your hands a new book waiting to be opened and explored, or a tattered old book, whose worn and weary leaves are indicative of the experience and knowledge it has already passed on to its readers over the years. Books to me are not treasures per se – rather it is what is within. I know many people who pride themselves on keeping their recipe books all smart and clean, sitting on the kitchen shelf as it they have never been used. My recipe books are tattered and (though not purposely) torn, with splashes of the recipes left on many of the pages, as a kind of testament to the author! I have no compunction about breaking the spine of a book if it is not readable – to me, the sign of a good book is how tattered and well-read it is.
I am a bookworm
– there is no escaping the fact. I have
a passion for books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Hannah is undoubtedly bookworm number 2 of the family – she loves to read (as well as listen time and time again to her favourite stories on audio CDs). She particularly loves fictional stories and swallows up books avidly. She also has the benefit of having an open mind so far as books are concerned, and is not at all bothered about sticking to one or two specific authors (as many people are). The biggest problem Hannah and I have is deciding which book she is going to read next!
Jonah, on the other hand, has inherited a definite genetic predisposition from his Father towards non-fiction and reference books. He is not a novel reader – up until the day he left the schooling system, I don’t know that he had actually read and finished one complete book (other than the really short ones provided by the school). However, give him the Guinness Book of Records, a book on Dragonology or Roman architecture, and he’s as happy as a pig in the proverbial. He is fascinated by weird and wonderful things, facts, facts and even more facts – he loves the sky, the stars and the planets; he will read through a whole reference book on all the James Bond 007 films; and he will avidly look through books on inventions and historical discoveries.
To take into account the needs and likes of each child, I felt I had to ensure a time to browse and enjoy “big” books, as well as encourage the reading and completion of fiction novels. I consequently tackled the two tasks completely separately.
In our weekly timetable are three or four periods set aside solely for fiction reading. Each session is about 45 minutes long, and I generally sit and listen to each child read out loud for around 20 minutes at a time. The rest of the time is spent on their own reading (they usually crash out on their beds for this lesson). With Jonah, due to his short attention span, it is often necessary to give him a target, such as the number of chapters I expect him to read; more often than not, Hannah does not need this direction, and is happy to read until I say stop.
I have to say that this method has been really very successful. Initially, of course, the children need careful guidance about which books they might enjoy, or those which you, as a parent, feel are appropriate for them. If you are unsure as to the type of books your children ought to be reading, then the Internet can prove incredibly useful. There are many, many websites which recommend lists of children’s books, according to age and ability. If possible, I have found it a good idea to introduce your children to the books you loved as a child – you then have a great time “rediscovering” it, and you are able to discuss your own thoughts about it as your child gets through the story.
Our
I shall spend a little time now discussing the novels which I have successfully introduced to my children in the hope that it will assist and possibly even inspire some ideas for any parent either struggling with their child’s reading, or looking for some more wholesome, challenging reads for their child.
So far as our daughter was concerned, I was able to be quite brave with her reading. She was desperate to read the Harry Potter books, so I conceded at this point and she read “The Philosopher’s Stone”.
Next, however, we moved onto “Charlotte’s Web” and, rather than wax lyrical about what a lovely, readable book this is, I decided to let Hannah describe it in her own words:
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From “
To my absolute delight, Hannah was hooked! I found myself having to tell her off for reading at the dinner table! Fantastic! To be fair, it took a while for her to get into the story, and the language used is quite old fashioned and, of course, Canadian/ American. However, once she got past that, there was no stopping her. On a visit to the local library, we found the DVD of “Anne of Green Gables” and I made the deal with Hannah that as soon as she had finished the book, we would rent the film. This was another incentive that worked really well, and I have to say that the film is absolutely delightful.
Once Hannah had polished off Anne, I felt it was important for her to have a slight change before ploughing into the sequel (“Anne of Avonlea”). We decided to investigate a series of books called “The Spiderwick Chronicles” – principally because the books themselves are produced so beautifully. These were what I class as “gentle” books which proved to be a happy and successful read for Hannah. Unfortunately it was quite a costly exercise for us, since she read through all five books in four days! Given my passion for reading, however, I was in no way going to complain.
Unfortunately I made the mistake of allowing Hannah to watch the sequel to Anne of Green Gables before reading the next couple of books. She loved them, of course, but it seems to have dissipated her motivation for continuing to read the series. She has now moved on to the Enid Blyton series “The Naughtiest Girl in the School”, with a view to starting “What Katy Did” once this trilogy has been polished off.
Jonah required a different approach to Hannah. It was important to introduce him to just the right book, otherwise I was in danger of facing the brick wall that we so often face when Jonah thinks something is too difficult or too boring. After doing copious research via educational books and the internet, I decided on an author used by the National Curriculum – Morris Gleitzman. The book was called “Two Weeks with the Queen” and was used at Key Stage 2 level as a school reading scheme book. As luck, or fate, would have it, I couldn’t get hold of this book for love nor money, but discovered that this author had written a lot more books which, I decided, must also be suitable for this age group.
Jonah’s first book triumph, therefore, was “Toad Away”. It is a brilliant read for children who perhaps would not stick to a more traditional story. I have recommended it to other parents and I know they have also succeeded with it for that same reason. I shan’t go into the story now, but trust me – it’s worth a look for any child who is a reluctant reader.
After this success, we tried a couple of other, slightly off-the-wall stories, but to no avail. In the end, and I’m not entirely sure how it came about, Jonah read “Emille and the Detectives” by *********. This is a much more traditional tale which, to my surprise, Jonah persevered with to the end.
Toad Away (Maurice Gleitzman)
Emille and the Detectives
Jim Eldridge*
DANDY, BEEZER AND BUNTY JOIN OUR SCHOOL!
It happened quite by chance one Saturday afternoon, but it was one of those times for which you just want to throw open your arms and praise God!
Hannah and I had decided to investigate a local second-hand bookshop. We wandered into this shop and were faced with wall-to-wall, wall-to-floor, and wall-to-ceiling books. Evidently this was going to be Heaven!
We were shown through to the children’s section, where we spent a deliriously happy 45 minutes picking up and putting down book upon book – all dusty, musty and a little tired – but still gloriously literary. We found many old Enid Blyton books, which Hannah has been gobbling up of late, as well as the Anne of Green Gables series. We then noticed four or five bookshelves full of old children’s annuals – the sort that Gary and I would have collected as children. I picked out a 1979 “Sandie” annual for Hannah to have, and chose a 1997 “Beezer” for Jonah, both at the bargain price of £1.50 each.
A week later, we had returned to the bookshop and purchased another 3 annuals each. The children simply did not want to put them down. The great thing about these old annuals is that they actually contain what I would call proper stories (which, in turn, require proper reading). I know they are only cartoons, but the stories are often three or four pages long, the language is highly acceptable, and the English is good. It was no surprise that Hannah enjoyed these books; however, for my reluctant reader son, these books were a God-send. I can honestly say that he had never, up to that point, brought a book to the breakfast table, refusing to stop reading whilst he ate his cereal! Although I disapprove of reading at the table, in principle, I was too thrilled at this new-found enthusiasm to protest.