Kids and Summer Reading

Nevyn

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-kim/kids-and-summer-reading_b_674435.html

Last week, researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville announced that they had completed a three-year study on children and reading. The study was based on the observation that students who don't read during the summer show distinct disadvantages compared to those who do. Summer vacation is, after all, three months long; and reading, like any skill (especially when you're young), is something you apparently use or lose. According to The National Summer Learning Association, to not read at all during the summer is akin to missing two entire months of school: still one more disadvantage in the long list faced primarily by kids from low-income households.

The research team discovered that simply providing children with twelve free books over the summer resulted in higher test scores after three years -- indicating that for a mere fifty bucks a head, this program might very well kick the pants off traditional summer school in terms of cost effectiveness. But the fascinating part, the most intriguing of the changes that distinguished it from an earlier study, was that the researchers didn't assign specific, good-for-you titles from the Childhood Canon of Quality Literature. Instead, they allowed the first- and second-graders to freely make their own decisions among 600 titles offered for free at a book fair.

So what did they choose? Not surprisingly, the kids overwhelmingly went for books that would make any Newberry Award-revering, New York Times Book Review-citing parent cringe. Let's just say that biographies of Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and "the Rock" featured prominently among the choices.

Okay, let's get this straight: I'm not knocking the Newberry Awards. Obviously, there have been countless great books written for kids. I myself make my living writing for children (TV mostly, but also graphic novels) and what's more, not a few adults I know, including me, routinely buy and read middle-grade and young adult literature for fun. Who hasn't at least glanced at a Harry Potter?

But perhaps that's where the problem lies. We all want to share good stuff with people we love; that's human nature. But when there's an inherent power imbalance (i.e. like the one between adult and child), the well-intended recommendation can suddenly come across like a homework assignment (i.e. no fun at all.) And frankly, the intention itself may not be so great. Here in New York City, I've seen parents approach their children's reading choices with the same grim, laser-beam focus that they use to shop the right school, find the right piano instructor, buy the right educational games. A friend of mine recently freaked out when her son didn't get into a certain pre-school. "What's so great about it?" I asked. "It's an Ivy Feeder," she replied bitterly. In her eyes, her son (who is lovely, adorable, and bright) was screwed coming out of the gate before he even hit three.

My friend has her reasons for feeling the way she does; and what's more, I never get into the parenting choices of others. But as I said, I do write for children ... and as anyone who does the same understands, you don't really write for kids, but from your own memories and experiences of being young yourself. I recently wrote a YA graphic novel, Brain Camp, with Laurence Klavan (artwork by Faith Erin Hicks), in which the attempts of despairing parents to make geniuses out of their underachieving kids becomes the stuff of satirical horror. And from my perspective, having an adult choose your summer reading for you is just plain wrong.

I grew up in a middle-class family that highly valued reading; and yet my parents (benignly neglectful in a mildly Betty Draper/Mad Men kind of way) let us read anything we wanted. This led to serial obsessions with comic books, horror stories, books about cats, Nancy Drew, science fiction, books about time travel, more books about cats, historical biographies, books about witchcraft, and yes, books about celebrities and TV shows.

Sure, I read "good" books along the way. But frankly, it wasn't the content or the difficulty or vocabulary or even the beauty of the prose that had the greatest lasting impact. Free-range reading taught me to associate reading with pleasure at a very early age. It taught me how to browse and sample and to understand that finding a good book is itself an adventure and exploration. It let me experience the thrill of discovery and taught me how to figure out, by myself, what I liked and why I liked it ... who I was, in a very real sense. Above all, it taught me the discipline of reading: the ability to immerse myself fully in a book, to be caught up in a story, identify with its characters, and feel a meaningful connection with the author.

Kids have to figure out who they are in an active sense -- not just by declarations and feelings, but by their choices and actions. What more pleasurable and profound way could there be than by choosing what to read over the summer?

Reading habits when a kid is not that interested can be hard to keep up over the summer holidays esp where there are so many distractions. Anyone got any tips they can share about keeping kids reading?

thesimpsons

firstly read yourself and letting them see that reading is a big part of life. Go to library regularly and letting them choose 3 books. Out of the 3 choosen, they might read only one but its one more than none. After a little while, they get to make better decisions about what types of books suit them. Libraries often run summer schemes to encourage reading - so check that out. No getting up before a certain time in the morning (if they wake early, they can read). same at night - turn off tv and allow them stay up later if they are reading. If books don't take their fancy, magazines, guinness book of records, facts books, etc are all ok as well. Pick out something in a newspaper they'd be interested in and let them read it. Its very much a habit thing I find - once they get used to curling up on a couch with a book, its a great way to pass the time.

Cookie Jar

My dad used to bring me out most Saturday mornings to the bookshop and buy me a book..
I loved that I could just choose any book I wanted, he used to buy me one and I used to be dying to go the following week to buy another one.
When he bought me the night book light I used to read more, think it was the novelty of the light.

If they have a bed time let them go in at bed time but then they can read if they are not ready to sleep, used to work for me.

littlebug

Thankfully my two (so far) will read anything and everything. I never say no to new books though Charlie Byrnes second hand book shop in Galway is great. Sometimes we just go in there for a browse around. The 8 year old is now into "proper" books and likes the "Daisy and the trouble with...." series and Judy Moody so I have no problem buying the next in the series. She will read her books herself now but when she is tired at night she likes to be read to. The 5 year old likes his "facts" books so over the summer we'll have got him books about things he might have been looking at or interested in e.g shells, fish, insects etc. Some are library books, some bought books. Sometimes he sits on the stairs in the morning reading by himself before we wake up... or I should say before we're awoken by a loud "DID YOU KNOW THAT (random factoid ) ".