It’s no secret that I absolutely LOVE children’s books. I was a reluctant reader as a kid, but as a teacher, there is nothing I like more than using picture books in the classroom. I really don’t know why I hated reading so much when I was younger. I guess I was too busy playing outside, riding bikes, or going to softball practice. I remember having lots of books, but I also remember it feeling like a chore to sit down and read them. Fox In Socks was a form of torture when I was in second grade – I clearly remember that!
I think my kids have the same feeling about books that I did when I was younger. My son can’t think of anything worse than being asked to sit still and read a book. My daughter loves being read to, but thinks the process of reading is just too much work. She literally counts the number of pages before she sits down to read with me. We have a fairly large collection of children’s books at our house, but many of the books go untouched. Recently, my kids have shown a slight twinkle in their eyes when it comes to books. The key word there is SLIGHT. My son was bored the other day, so I offered to buy him a new book for his Kindle. He perked up a bit at the suggestion. A few minutes later he had purchased this book.
It wouldn’t be my first choice for his reading material, but he seemed slightly interested. After he purchased the book he said, “Cool, thanks mom!” Then, he looked at me and said, “Wait a minute, does this mean I have to read this now?” The tone of his voice was like he had just figured out that I’d tricked him into scrubbing the bathroom! Regardless of the way he ended up reading, he actually got through an entire book just because he felt like reading it. I’ll take that!
My daughter, the one who loves to listen to books but doesn’t like to work at it, came home from school with a book she was really excited to read.
A friend at school had suggested it to her. The friend said it was really good but super sad in the end.
Wait a minute!
I have suggested this book fourteen thousand times! It’s been sitting on our bookshelf since the kids were babies. When I suggest it, I get the you’re-such-a-teacher-look. I guess the recommendation of your peers goes a long way. Well, she read the book from cover to cover, only stopping two or three times to count how many pages there were left or complain that it was longer than she thought it would be.
So, what am I reading now?
I recently hit the library and checked out every quilting book I could find. Camille Roskelley’s book is my favorite. I tend to like nonfiction books. Any book that teaches me something, is my kind of book. I guess that’s why I buy so much nonfiction for my classroom. I’m just hoping my nonfiction books will grab one of those reluctant readers.
Meanwhile, my youngest just came downstairs with a pile of books. I guess I spoke too soon. My reluctant eager reader wants me to snuggle and read a few good books. I wonder how many times she’ll stop to count the number of pages she has left! Oh, well. At least we’re reading!
Happy reading!
