Building a Baby Bookworm

Dragging Kids Kicking and Screaming Into Reading

Matching the Book to the Child

I worked for a terrific children’s bookshop for three years or so — Stories Bookshop in Tasmania, now only online, sad to say. But during my time there I received a fantastic education on children’s books, literacy and reading. What a brilliant resource your local bookshop can be, provided that the staff are knowledgeable and friendly.

One of the great delights for me working there was when people would come back to me and thank me for my recommendations, that their grandchild/son/niece was now reading everything in sight, that they had found a whole new avenue of enjoyment and thought. And even better, when I would see the child themself in the shop, browsing, taking delight in choosing a new story to take home and make friends with.

I am not trying to take the credit for this — it was the books that did it, not the seller. And, despite the prevailing stereotype that it’s boys who are the ‘problem customers’ — I helped plenty of girls who were completely disengaged with the written word as well.

If these children had not been introduced to the right books for them, at the right time, they may not have discovered the delights of reading for years to come, if ever. I remember the polite battles I would wage against conservative customers (not all with grey hair), trying to persuade them to buy an Andy Griffiths books such as Just Disgusting or The Day My Butt Went Psycho for their nine-year-old male relative who didn’t like reading. They would look at the book with furrowed brows, and hold it in their thumb and forefinger, if they dared touch it at all.

‘Don’t you have something a little more — educational? What about Oliver Twist? Or The Hardy Boys? I used to love the Hardy Boys.’

Often in vain would I point out that it usually helped to look for books which were actually still in print and which had at least a smidgen of relevance to the modern day. Or — Heaven forbid — books that appealed to the boy in a boy — the part that liked to run around outside all day or make fart jokes or be as noisy or messy as humanly possible, just because. My daughter has this boyness quality too — lots of girls do. From the ages of five to eight, nothing is funny unless it’s gross. Go figure.

But, to the few that I could convert, would be revealed a new way of looking at the world. That the idea should be to get a child into reading, through whatever means possible — comics, joke books, science books if that’s their thing, or crazy stories designed to make the child forget they’re reading. Once hooked, the entire literary world opens up for them. And then you can try them on Oliver Twist — they may even enjoy it.

The Natural Bookworms

Of course, you also got the precocious readers. The ones who had read Andy Griffiths. And David Walliams. And Harry Potter. And Roald Dahl. Even Judy Bloom and Katie DiCamillo. But they were in some ways my favorites — they would stretch me to the limit of my knowledge and reading, and I often learned of a new and little-known author of merit through our conversations. And what great conversations to have!

These readers are the ones you can start to shift a little towards a more diverse viewpoint: it’s likely they have read everything there is to read about their own childhood experiences and culture. Now they are ready for something a little more outside their own experience: what a fun time for them, how much wider does their viewpoint grow? It’s absolutely humbling to be the one to point children into the wider world and encourage them to discover it. Writers like Jacqueline Woodson, Pam Munoz Ryan, Lenore Look and Grace Lin are awesome places to begin, for American kids. Then look out further, for Asian, African, English, Australian and European experiences. There are mountains of ‘best x books for kids’ listicles out there if you’re stuck for ideas.

Let Them Read — Anything!

The most important thing to remember is this: It doesn’t matter what kids want to read. The fact that they want to read anything at all is the key. If they want to browse your gardening magazine, celebrate! They’re reading! If they want books about cats and only cats, give thanks! They’re reading! If they want to read books that seem way below their age level, don’t turn up your nose. If they want to read non fiction when you’re super keen to introduce them to the fiction classics, quietly put those novels away and fill your house with non fiction — there are TONS of top quality non fiction out there for kids!

ASK your child what they want to read. If you go to the library and they only want to borrow DVDs, allow it — but insist that they choose a book as well or let you choose one for them, to read aloud to them at bedtime. Your choices, made with a deep knowledge of your child’s interests, will help them to widen their horizons little by little as well.

They are reading what they are ready and willing to read. If you allow it, if you allow reading to be a pleasure, not a chore, a choice, not a duty, then your kids will, of their own free will, slowly engage more and more deeply.

Finally, don’t delay: if you have the slightest inkling that your child is not developing their reading skills — and I’m talking from the very first year of school — get straight onto the teachers. First, and don’t miss this stage, ask the teacher: is your child at an acceptable level, or would they benefit from some additional support? Don’t assume your child is behind and start a whole stressful atmosphere of ‘not good enough’ at home. IF your teacher agrees that your child might benefit from extra help, ask the following questions: What can you do at home to help? What resources can they offer or recommend? When should you take it further and seek professional help? And follow their advice. Do it calmly, lovingly, and keep it as fun for the child as possible — if they don’t realize they’re learning, if they think they’re just getting some awesome extra Mommy or Daddy time with books at night, so much the better!

PS: My all-time favorite picture book writer, understander of children and advisor to parents is Mem Fox, author of Possum Magic, Koala Lou, Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge, Where Is the Green Sheep and many, many more. She wrote a brilliant, short, snappy book for parents who need some encouragement and practical advice (even if your baby is not yet sitting up, this book is a great starting point for you to bring out the bookworm in your baby): Reading Magic.

Happy reading!