Inspired Reading
“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” Victor Hugo
People who know me know that I’m passionate about reading. Love for reading is one of the greatest gifts I received from my parents and the most practical one too. Here I’ll share some thoughts, which hopefully will inspire you to spread love for reading to the young people in your life. I offer only a few suggestions now. In future articles I’ll share more.
Whether outdoors on a beach, or under a tree, or indoors by a window on an exercise machine, few experiences are able to ignite our imagination, intellect, and will to engage thoughtfully with the world or the experiences of others. Sure, digital content can often offer more spectacular attention-grabbing audial visual stimuli. But [books] “are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.” E.B. White
As the creator of epic movies from epic novels, Walt Disney said, “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” Undoubtedly he drew inspiration for his movies and the Magic Kingdom from treasured books he read as a child. But do we think of such content as a treasures in a way that people of previous times considered books? Probably not. Sometimes these treasures are still to be found in corner bookstores and maybe on your family bookshelf. Start one now if you don’t have one. “A room without books is like a body without a soul” wrote Cicero.
And yet fewer and fewer people are reading. The percentage of children who read for fun has steadily declined for several years with the biggest drop among children at age 13. Competing activities may account for this decline, but presumably distractions coming with the acquisition of a mobile phone or connected tablets could account for this significant drop. Yet it’s also been shown that young people who do read regularly for fun score much higher on the reading components of standardized tests (Pew Research, 2021).
But even digital distractions aside, perhaps many readers of all ages simply don’t know where to look for interesting and inspiring reads.
There are several sites which recommend books for readers of all ages. One that compiles reviews and recommendations on a regular basis is https://www.delibris.org/en. There you can find descriptions and dozens of lists of all genres and topics. Search by title, author and/or subject. You can also subscribe to their newsletter for regular updates of editor and user picks.
Here are some of my suggestions for reading or, in the case of a pre-reader, igniting the first spark.
Ages 9 mos-4 yr.
I’m breaking my own rule here about reading a real book and recommending a short video to learn the alphabet. To be sure, there are thousands out there on YouTube, but this was recently made by a Bay Area friend to help her grandson learn the alphabet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxDoQ3maFOw
Ages 8-12
So many books I read at this age inspired, challenged and transformed me that I can’t even choose one to recommend. Like dear friends, I can’t answer ‘who do you like the best?’ so I’ll leave descriptions of ‘book friends’ for a future article. Here I’ll just recommend one that I read recently (yes, I still read children’s books)—Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals written by Mathew Mehan and wonderfully illustrated by John Folle. Younger readers may prefer that someone, a parent or older sibling, read a section to them as they are dozing off to their own dreamland of mythical creatures.
Ages 9 and up
Still on the classics list is the fabulous fantasy tale The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer. It is a delightful representation of what children’s books are — magic pathways to new worlds and knowledge.
Ages 13 and up
Top of my list are J.R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Sure, Peter Jackson’s epic feature films captured the ethos of this epic narrative, but nothing is like reading the Trilogy in its entirety. And it makes for a great summer read challenge!
Summer Book Challenge
Here are five ways to make reading yours and your family’s favorite ‘downtime’ activity.
Look for books and write a list. Don’t over think; just jot down what comes to mind. Reread a book that changed your life.
Keep a stack of books nearby but no more than three at a time. Where do you like to read? Outdoors? By a window?
Make time. Aim for every day. This is the real challenge! Early in the morning? After dinner? Before bedtime? Start with five minutes. Magazines and on-line articles don’t count.
When starting a book, get acquainted with the dust jacket cover comments and table of contents. If illustrated, look at the pictures. And — this is important — don’t give up on the book until you have read close to one-third of the book. This advice is the origin of ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’
Share what you read with your friends and family. Find a way to celebrate large and small book reading challenges.
What are your favorite books and best hacks for reading and encouraging children to read? Email us at charwickenrichment@gmail.com.
We look forward to hearing from you.