When it comes to books, one size (or genre) does not fit all
“How much do I have to read today?” the boys asks.
I never know exactly what to do with this child. He judges a book not by its cover, but by its font size and page count. Too long or too wordy and he won’t get past the introduction. Once wrangled into reading, the author needs to grab his attention quickly and keep the action coming at a steady pace – or else.
His sister can finish a “War and Peace”-sized novel in a weekend, barely coming out for food and drink. She has been known to walk into a bookstore, breathe deeply and say, “Ahh, the new book smell.” As I write this, she is completing an application to serve as a teen volunteer at our local library. I will live vicariously through her as she masters the Dewey Decimal System and directs little ones to new discoveries found via Amelia Bedelia and Nancy Drew. I suspect she will get sidetracked often as she learns to shelve returned books and will probably come home daily with more than she could read in ten lifetimes.
But the boy is a puzzle. I am constantly on the hunt for “high interest readers” to well, maintain his interest. He is a capable, strong reader – he just prefers to have his information delivered in a different format, preferably one that engages a variety of senses.
I always assumed my children would be voracious readers. They would get that from my genetic contribution, while avoiding my short stature, slow metabolism and allergies. That didn’t work out the way I hoped, but I am thankful they have their Dad’s physical attributes, kind heart and analytical thinking skills. (Sorry about the allergies, kids.)
Somewhere between telling my daughter to take a break from her book and tracking down the latest spy adventure novel for my son (and hoping he likes it), I try to fit in a few minutes of reading for myself. Maybe I can sneak off to the library. I hear they need volunteers.
Chris Worthy is mom to Caroline (15) and Nolan (10) and will soon celebrate 20 years of marriage to her favorite person, John. Chris practiced law before becoming a writer and stay-at-home mother more than 10 years ago. She enjoys cooking, crafting, spoiling dogs, green living and rummaging though old books. Follow along at www.chrisworthy.com
Of my 4 children, two are avid readers and two just tolerate it. I’m not much help, but thats how it is here too.
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My boys are both avid readers in the books they are interested in. My 8-year-old found a series of adventures stories from Focus on the Family at our church library, while our 12-year-old is liking Sherlock Holmes. It’ll be good summer reading for them.
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I really enjoyed this post. We often get teased b/c our entire family (except for dad) is what I call genuine readers. Going to a book store is a favorite activity for our family. When we go on vacation, my kids are excited to visit the local library. Librarians are often taken back that it is on our checklist of things to see. tee hee! However, my oldest flies through books by way of audios. He is an audio guy. I often wonder if this is due to the fact that we have been doing read alouds since he was born. LOL!
But then there is Dad. He really does not enjoy reading. He would rather hear one of us give a re-cap or watch the movie. Odd that I, a genuine reader, would marry a non-reader.
) This article encouraged me in that it really matters not how people enjoy literature. Thanks for this!
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