Nine Out of Ten Kids Surveyed: A Rant, of Sorts

Nine Out of Ten Kids Surveyed: A Rant, of Sorts 

When I was a school librarian, a regular feature of my job was the worried parent who would ask me what to do about their child who would only read…well, you fill in the blank: comic books, sports books, magazines, nonfiction, Captain Underpants books, Disney books, series books, books way too easy for him/her, books way to hard for him/her, “trashy” books of any description…basically, any kind of book that didn’t fit the parent’s idea of what a “good” book—or even a good mix of books—might be.

Now, I had some sympathy for these parents; how could I not feel for someone who wants their kids to love good books? And indeed, lots of what I did as part of my job was to try to gently expose kids to genres, authors, and kinds of books they might not otherwise have thought of; to help them not be stuck in a rut, to expand their literary horizons. (And as a parent myself, I’ve certainly had my own literary run-ins with my kid.) 

But basically, more than anything, I wanted the kids to love reading. I know, and knew, that research was on my side: kids read better, and do better in school, who read recreationally and enjoy reading. And kids enjoy reading more when they get to choose what they read. Who enjoys something that feels like a chore?

I thought of those anxious parents, and those book-loving kids, when I read the Kids and Family Reading Report published recently by Scholastic. While the focus of the report is on the future of the printed book in an online age, one particular finding stuck out for me: 

89% of kids say their favorite books are the ones they picked out themselves.

89%! Nine out of ten kids! And of course, when kids enjoy reading, they read more, and enjoy it more, etc. etc. in an endless loop that makes librarians weep with happiness. 

So why do so many schools distribute (and often require) summer reading lists that seem designed to subvert that feeling of ownership, to make reading into a chore, to do the very opposite of what we know turns kids on to reading? This is a question that’s been consuming children’s literature bloggers in recent weeks, resulting in masterful rants like this one at The Reading Zone and elsewhere (thanks to Jen Robinson’s Book Blog for the link to the discussion).

Conversely, there’s a neat article on the Scholastic website celebrating the importance of “bad” books—really, it’s a paean to free choice in kids’ reading, especially over the summer. The types of books the author suggests—graphic novels, series, how-to books—are genres that kids often get into for themselves, not because someone told them the books are good for them. 

I know many of the people reading this already believe in the importance of free book choice for kids. And of course—as is also documented in the Scholastic report—parents can help their children find and choose good and enjoyable books. But it’s just been something that’s struck me over and over, how important it is for kids to find their own reading paths. I was at the same school long enough to see it happen in front of me: year after year I saw kids dive headlong into series books or specialized genres that their parents (and I) might think of as vacuous, only to move on to more sophisticated and varied fare once they felt ready or when something else sparked their interest. Many of these kids grow into thoughtful, sophisticated readers and thinkers. They felt like books were something that belonged to them, not their parents or teachers or even their librarian.

And getting out of their way and letting it happen, was, ironically, something I was really proud of.

July 16, 2008

Comments

[Lee]

For his entire sixth grade year my son endured a force march of 27 books, none chosen by him. Homework every night involved reading a set number of pages and writing a structured "critical" response to what he had read. Never an enthusiastic reader it has taken two years for him to finally pick up a book on his own again. The teachers who assigned this work are young and enthusiastic but, I think, clueless about kids who aren't book-lovers and avid readers. I was afraid he would never read again.

[MotherReader]

I'm just catching up on this discussion and I went to the report and was more caught by this part:

Parents are a key source of book suggestions for their children but nearly half say they have a hard time finding information about books their child would enjoy reading.

The report also highlights that parents underestimate the trouble that kids have finding books that they enjoy.

That's where these lists come in to offer suggestions to kids and parents. The kids might like the books better when they choose them, but they also might not know or try other things that are out there.