HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD TO LOVE READING - Connecting your children to Authors

 "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark." — Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

Books can be found everywhere....but today we shall be looking at teh kind of books and reading materials you can find readily available at bookshops and ofcourse libraries like INSPIRE . These books, and i will point out here, that we are looking at childrens books,  have clearly designated authors and illustrators, with characters that usually appear in print before they appear on a television screen.  Take note, that in these places , you will find every genre and every subject that you have ever thought about for kids here, many at a level of quality that actually rivals or exceeds that of adult literature - only speicially designed with children in mind and encompassing so much energy, joy , and imagination that these elements become the criteria for excellence.

The Author 

it is our duty and right to constantly remind children that authors and illustrators are real and singular people with intentions, we will not only be giving children the books, we will be giving them the people behind the book. (I am sure if you were to write something earth shattering good, you would want us to definately know your name) And if you were to talk about reading, you will be definately talking about connecting the two. 

In making this connection, the most important question we should be asking ourselves and ofcourse the children is, "why did the author write this?" "what do you think the author wanted to share?" and simply by asking those two questions, you connect the child across time and space with this real person, this author , who had something to share , and cared enough to share it. It also opens up a world of picture books to older readers, because any reading is made more sophisticated when this relationship is addressed. 

a little explanation

The connection between the author or illustrator and the young reader is a particularly remarkable relationship in which an adult trusts a child with all sorts of dreams and stories and memories and confidences and explanations (because basically that is what books are about). For many children, this relationship with an author may be the first emotional bond shared with an adult outside her own family and community and because of this small thought expressed here, the whole idea should not be taken lightly. 

a point of understanding 

If your child understands that a book is an extension of an author, then your child will also understand that he may not always connect with an author's style (parents and teachers please take note), just like he may not always like everybody he meets. And he will understand that he can always get another book and read what someone else has to share. With the right guidance and some freedom of choice, he will find authors he likes. Most problems arise when too many mismatches in terms of books are assigned to a child on a daily basis (and here is one reason why a child would hate reading) or if the literature made available to that child is of poor quality or incongrueous with the child's ability and interests (sigh) . When this happens, no one can accuse a child of being unjustified if he forms negative associations with books and takes that bloodcurdling leap into the world of "I HATE READING".

To make that relationship between author and reader possible , people in the position of matching children with books are responsible for making informed choices so that the children are matched appropriately, so that they are most receptive to what the author or illustrator is trying to communicate. This is only difficult if you 

a) dont know the body of literature available 

b) dont know the child or 

c) dont have access to books.

(remember , INSPIRE IS HERE TO HELP incase you have ticked a, b, or c)

It is my hope that now we all know this , we will be better able to match children with books. We also want to thank Esme Raji Codell the author of "How to get your child to love Reading " for writing this particular book that has such great ideas - even if we added a bit of our own thinking . 

you may comment on the article and give us more points on how we can get our children to love reading. 

The Librarian