Encourage Kids to Read ANYTHING
By
Staten Island, NY Posted: 11/30/2015 1:00:00 AM
Don't judge what they like!
When I was in young, I didn't read many books, unless I had to. I dreaded book reports because I was often assigned books that I felt were boring. As a result, I began to think of all books as boring.
Whenever I had the freedom to pick out a book, teachers often rejected my choices, so I would end up reading something I didn't like.
I remember asking one teacher in particular if I could read some of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. He had a look on his face like somebody just fed him a rotten clam.
"Ian Fleming? Dear Lord, you can do better than that!" He promptly suggested a few other books that had nothing to do with spies, womanizing, drinking, and killing. I dreaded each and every page of his "better" substitutes.
Decades later, I finally did read the James Bond novels, and while I admit they aren't literary classics, he should've encouraged me to read anything I liked. "Goldfinger" may not be as distinguished as "Wuthering Heights", but it was more my style, and had the potential to fuel a passion for more complex books down the road.
I realized this back in the 90s, when I did business with comic book stores and I discovered that most of their customers were adults who still read comic books. At the time, I felt that comic books were for kids, and in a way I was just like that old school teacher. Who was I to judge the quality of what they read? To them, comic books were just the tip of the iceberg. They were a gateway to an vast universe of science fiction, fantasy and graphic novels. As it turns out, most of those people read more in a week than I did in a year, and it all started out when they started reading comic books as a child.
A good friend of mine forbid his 10 year old daughter from reading the Harry Potter books because he felt they promoted witchcraft and devil worship. He couldn't be more wrong. The Harry Potter books are wonderful stories that as harmless as The Wizard of Oz. I couldn't help but wonder what other books he banned his daughter from reading.
Kids should read anything and everything they find interesting, whether it's Charles Dickens, J.K. Rowling, or Archie Comic Books. Encourage their appetite for reading, and never pass judgement on what it is.
Joe Crescenzi, Founder
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