Why I Read

Why do I read so much?

I'm a bookaholic with no intention of getting into recovery.

I learned to read well at an early age and discovered books could take me away from my troubles. My father had died, we were poor, I had severe, chronic asthma and got teased and bullied in school. Books took me away from all that.

They also opened up new worlds to me. I learned a lot about another culture and another time in history from the Heidi series and The Little House in the Big Woods. Those were some of the first "big kid books" I owned.

And that made me aware that I could explore the world and learn a lot by reading fiction and non-fiction.

Books have helped me understand other people and both the fiction and non-fiction ones I've read have enriched my life in more ways than I can explain.

Years ago I wrote this poem which tells why I love to read. (Feel free to share it as long as you give me credit.)

The Library

by

Janet Ann Collins


In the library I look and look

Until I choose one special book.

I open the book and there I see

A world of wonders waiting for me.

I read the book and then I find

All of those wonders are now in my mind.      

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Books, Etc.

I've blogged many times about reading. And I've reviewed dozens of books for kids here and elsewhere. I've even written and had books published.

But why do I care about reading so much?

In the first place I think it's one of the most important skills people can have. Reading informs us, helps to shape our personalities, entertains us, stretches our minds, helps us understand people different from ourselves, and provides respite from our problems.

I'm pleased to live in a community where people often line up waiting for the library doors to open.

A while back I had a bumper sticker made that says "Bookaholics Unite" and some other people have asked me where to get a sticker like that. (Maybe I should have more printed and sell them. Ya think?)

Lately bookstores and chains have been closing, newspapers and magazines have gone out of business, publishers have merged, and the internet is full of discussions about the future of books.

Zillions of self published books are competing with traditionally published ones and e-books are spreading like wildfire. (Please pardon the cliche.)

One problem with the proliferation of e-books is that the technology becomes outdated so books people buy today may not be readable in the future, but most often books are only read once anyway.

Personally, I still prefer hard copies and have lots of things on my e-readers I've never bothered to read. But, in the long run,  I don't think it matters whether people read hard copies, e-books, or handwritten scrolls just so we continue to read.

Why Teach Reading?

Anyone who reads my blog posts knows I often review books for kids. Why do I think those matter?

Because they open kids' imaginations and involve their intelligence and imagination.

In our modern world where so much is done by texting, Skype, and other visual media it would be easy to think only minimal reading will be important for future generations.

That's wrong!

Nobody will ever know how much the world has been influenced by the things people in the past read that shaped their minds and attitudes.

I could go on all day about how wonderful books are, and how important, but that's enough ranting for now.

Poem by a Bookaholic

I wish I had a bumper sticker that said "Bookaholics Unite" because I am one with no intention of ever getting into recovery.

Here's a little jingle I wrote a few years ago that explains part of my addiction.

In the library I look and look

Until I find the perfect book.

I open the book and there I see

A world of wonders waiting for me.

I read the book and then I find

All of those wonders are now in my mind.      

Leaf Writing

When I was a kid some friends and I discovered a way to leave secret messages for each other. We would scratch words onto the underside of a green leaf with a stick. When the leaf dried the message would disappear so only someone who saw it while it was fresh could read it.

We felt clever to have figured out how to do that and it fit in well with the sort of things we played.

Back then kids were free to "go out and play" with others in the neighborhood without adult supervision so, unlike modern kids, we used our imaginations and pretended things for many years. We might be cowboys, space explorers, animals, kings and princesses, pirates, or any number of other things.

I was lucky to live on a hill in a small town where we could climb trees, swing from ropes, throw pebbles in the creek, or run up and down our curving, one-way street without fear of traffic.

It's sad that today many older children only feel free to use their imaginations by playing video games because adults are always supervising them.

Of course there are still some kids who have discovered the fun of getting carried away into stories by reading books. And I hope the writing on the leaves of books won't ever disappear.

Why I Read Them

Sometimes people ask, or wonder but are too polite to ask, why I read books for kids. In our local library I'm probably the only adult who checks some of those out every week without intending them to be read by children.

Okay, here are the reasons:

1. I write books for kids.

2. I can usually finish a middle grade and sometimes a YA novel in an hour or two and don't have to put it down in the middle of a story.

3. YA books are usually not offensive or depressing.

4. Okay, here's the real reason: I'm still really a kid on the inside and hope I never grow up.

Of course I sometimes read books for grown-ups, too, but those are mostly non-fiction and I read them for practical reasons.

Book Clubs

I've never understood the point of book clubs.

If I want to read a book I usually sit down and read the whole thing. If it's too long to finish in one sitting I might spend an hour or two for several days in a row.

But people in book clubs may take weeks or even months to read one book so they can discuss it a chapter or two at a time when they get together.

To me, that sounds BORING.  They might as well be back in school completing homework assignments.

If they do read ahead and finish a book before the group discusses it all (Is that considered cheating?) they're obligated to remember details so they can talk about the selection from it at each meeting.

Yes, it's nice to spend time with other people who like to read the same sort of things but, otherwise, I simply don't see what book clubs accomplish.

In a way a book club might be like a critique group where writers share a chapter of whatever they're working on at each meeting. But a critique group has the practical purpose of members helping each other improve their writing so it's ready to submit for publication, and members get to see each others' work change and improve over time.

And it's not possible to read a book in a day or so that hasn't yet been completely written.

If anyone who reads this belongs to a book club I'd appreciate hearing why.

Imagination

A few days ago I blogged about the wonders of becoming an excellent reader and getting carried away into a book. That's one way we use our imaginations.

A while back I mentioned the dangers limiting the freedom of today's kids. Unfortunately protecting children from danger can also stifle their imaginations.

Back when kids could go out and play with other children without adult supervision they often pretended to be various sorts of characters and acted out stories until they were well into their grammar school years. It wasn't unusual for fifth graders to join with other kids of all ages and interact as pirates, princesses, cowboys, dragons, or space explorers.

However now children are constantly with others about the same age and under adult supervision. With grownups always watching, most kids stop acting out stories they make up and pretending to be fictional characters by first grade. Instead they play organized games when they're outside together.

Modern devices like cellphone apps do allow them access to imaginary worlds, but the games and interactive videos allow only limited possibilities. At least if they discover the joys of reading and immerse themselves in fiction books they can still use their imaginations.

Excellent Reading

Imagine you're a kid sitting in the family room watching a movie on TV while your mother is cooking and chatting on the phone and the dog is poking your leg, wanting some attention. Your sister, who was texting while sitting next to you, asks about something she missed when the commercials come on. You enjoy the movie in spite of all the background activity, but you're always aware of what's going on around you at some level.

Now imagine you're the same kid watching a movie in a theater and everyone else is silently watching, too. You're so enhanced by the plot you hardly notice the smell of popcorn.

That's like the difference between being a good reader and an excellent one.

Kids may be able to comfortably read and understand everything required to get good grades in school, but if they don't read for pleasure they probably aren't excellent readers.

Excellent readers get carried away into fictional worlds and tune out everything going on around them.

Of course there are things like learning disabilities, learning to read in a second language, or vision problems that make reading difficult but lots of kids who could be excellent readers aren't because they've never experienced the joy of getting lost in a book. If other people in their family only read for information and the kids think of reading as a task they won't learn to love it.

It can help kids become excellent readers to read to them a lot when they're young, let them see their parents read for pleasure instead of watching TV, and have books they're likely to enjoy available. The reading levels of the books should neither be too difficult, nor easy enough to be boring.

Then when the kids have become good readers they should be encouraged, but not required, to read for an extended period without interruptions or background noise. That way they might experience what it's like to get carried into another world. If they experience it even once, the kids will probably want to do it again and again and they'll be excellent readers..

What Kids Need to Learn

What is the most important thing kids need to learn in school?

The public school system was established in America so kids would grow up to be adults who could make wise choices as voters in a democracy.

When they begin attending school, children must learn to function as part of a group, to share, obey rules, and listen to those in authority. But they can learn those things in other situations.

By learning to read and write kids gain access to vast amounts of information that will be useful to them for the rest of their lives.

Arithmetic is essential for handling money and other tasks needed by all adults since calculators and other devices might not always be available.

As the saying goes, those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it, so Social Studies are certainly important.

Since many modern kids no longer just "go out and play" Physical Education is essential for their health.

Science helps them understand how the world works and provides practical information they'll certainly need as adults.

Art and music open their minds to appreciate the world around them and help kids discover and develop their talents and creativity.

Of course as they get older they'll learn more about all these subjects and get to explore others.

So, if kids schools could teach only one subject, which of these should it be? In my opinion, it would be reading because all the others, even how to participate in physical activities, can be learned through that skill.

What do you think is the most important thing kids need to learn in school?

Teeth and Reading

Learning to read is a lot like getting teeth. While the process may be unpleasant, it's definitely worth it because so much more can be taken in.

Another similarity is that children are ready for the process at different ages.

While most babies start getting teeth when they're around six months old, once in a while a baby is born with some teeth already showing and others don't get their first teeth until after their first birthdays.

Reading readiness also happens at different ages depending on when the myelin coating on nerves in the brain finishes growing. Usually kids are ready to read when they're about six years old, but some are ready in preschool while others may not be until they're around eight years old. Becoming ready to read at an earlier or later age doesn't necessarily show intelligence levels any more than the age of getting teeth does.

However children who are expected to learn to read before they are physically ready to do so my learn to fail. If they become convinced that reading is something they are not capable of doing, they may give up. And if, when they do become ready, they're expected to use material designed for kids who are already fluent readers, they won't be able to do it.

That's why I believe children who are developmentally ready should be allowed to learn reading in Preschool and Kindergarten, but that should not be a requirement. If a child doesn't learn to read in First Grade there should be no stigma attached to repeating that grade.

And parents certainly don't need to be ashamed if their babies don't get their first teeth as early as others do.

Time to Read

Happy New Year!

Nearly every culture in the Northern hemisphere has some sort of important holiday near this time of year. When the nights get longer and the weather gets colder  I guess people need something to cheer them up.

But celebrations aren't the only thing to enjoy. Several years ago I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area, where light snow may arrive about every ten years, to the Sierra foothills where Winter snow is a given. I love it, as long as I don't have to drive.

Both rain and snow can be beautiful, but in both places I especially love spending a winter day indoors, curling up with a good book. Several people who know me well gave me books for Christmas and I've already read and enjoyed some of them. 

If you're feeling gloomy and need some cheering up, I highly recommend heading to your local library or bookstore and stocking up on hours of pleasure to enjoy during the stormy days yet to come.