Today it gives me great pleasure to host the 'Piper Morgan Blog Tour'. I love to read. I started reading and enjoying it as a child and still remember when they opened the first library close to my home in 1960 (and closed in 2004 due to budget constraints). It was two miles away and I had to ride my bike there on my own (gasp!!!). Books opened a whole new world to me and inspired my first career choice in laboratory medicine. So, without further gabbing on my part, here is Stephanie Faris:
Why Every Kid Should Discover a Love for Reading
Why Every Kid Should Discover a Love for Reading
by Stephanie Faris
All my life, I’ve been perplexed that so many people around me hate to read. They’ll read the news or an article on an online website, of course, but once they graduate college, they never pick up a book again.
My mom will tell you that I was reading everything I could get my hands on from a very young age. I loved reading so much, my younger sister started reading early because she wanted to be like her big sister. That, more than anything else, is a good reason for kids to discover a love for reading—they inspire their young friends and relatives to read, too. We all see people getting completely caught up in the world of Harry Potter or Katniss Everdeen and we want to see what all the fuss is about.
Of course, the most important reason to read is much more scientific. Studies have shown that kids who read do better in school and socially. For me, reading helped me gain a larger vocabulary and a greater understanding of why humans behave the way they do. The latter comes in handy more often than you’d think! Plus, reading from a young age helped me develop writing skills, which allowed me to leave a job where I was underpaid and undervalued and make a living as a full-time freelance writer. Thanks, mom, for encouraging me to read so I don’t have to battle rush-hour traffic every day!
Now that we know why our kids should read, the question then becomes how do we convince them to pick up a book? The truth is, there will be some kids who don’t enjoy reading, no matter how much we try to force it on them. It’s mostly about introducing kids to the magic of storytelling from a young age through reading to them at bedtime. Over time, encourage them to read the books they love by turning off the TV once a day and letting them read any book they want (within reason). If they love reading, you’ll know fairly soon. If they don’t, you may have to accept that they’ll find enrichment in other ways.
I personally think it’s important to let kids read what they want. Instead of being forced to read the classics, my mom let me go to the library and pick out books I wanted to read. I read Judy Blume and Paula Danziger. By the time I was in junior high, we were passing around V.C. Andrews and Stephen King—books we didn’t want our parents and teachers to know we were reading. They were forbidden and therefore we couldn’t wait to read them.
I’m not saying parents should encourage kids to read Stephen King. I’m just saying that if your children’s idea of rebellious behavior is sneak-reading a book on the “banned list,” chances are you probably have very little to worry about! For me, my love of reading came from being taught that reading could be fun—not just something you did as part of a school assignment. And that, I think, is why I read when so many of my peers would rather watch TV or play video games.
When Piper Morgan has to move to a new town, she is sad to leave behind her friends, but excited for a new adventure. She is determined to have fun, be brave and find new friends.In Piper Morgan Joins the Circus, Piper learns her mom’s new job will be with the Big Top Circus. She can’t wait to learn all about life under the big top, see all the cool animals, and meet the Little Explorers, the other kids who travel with the show. She’s even more excited to learn that she gets to be a part of the Little Explorers and help them end each show with a routine to get the audience on their feet and dancing along!
In Piper Morgan in Charge, Piper’s mom takes a job in the local elementary school principal’s office. Piper is excited for a new school and new friends—and is thrilled when she is made an “office helper.” But there is one girl who seems determined to prove she is a better helper—and she just so happens to be the principal’s daughter. Can Piper figure out how to handle being the new girl in town once more?
Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.
Stephanie is the Simon and Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive. a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Well said, Stephanie. My parents were readers and I picked it up early. Once I hit junior high, it was any fantasy or science fiction book I could get my hands on. It's all about finding what a kid likes to read. I think most do, but some just haven't been introduced to what they'd enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI know many people who never developed that love of reading, which is fine--it isn't for everyone. But if all they're given to read is what's required in school, they're unlikely to ever learn what it's like to lose yourself in a book you read for sheer entertainment.
DeleteI don't ever remember not reading. My family were all readers and I read anything and everything although I preferred "boys" adventure stories to stuff written for girls.
ReplyDeleteI think I mostly gravitated toward books with girls as the main character from a pretty young age.
DeleteAs a pre-teen, one series I red over and over was the "Little House" books. I also read "The Bobbsey Twins" mysteries a lot. I can also recall some picture books I had when before then.
ReplyDeleteI never read the "Little House" books as a kid. The TV show was on at the time and I think it just felt like I could watch the show instead of read the books!
Deletegreat blog stop. I love to read and the first thing I pack for a trip is reading material. My mother took us to the library every week and we could pick the books she wanted. She would also buy MAD magazine, etc - anything to keep my brother interested. I feel very sad for kids who don't find a love for books.
ReplyDeleteI always take my Kindle on vacation...and never have time to read. Even at the beach, I end up people watching.
DeleteI started my son off with books at a very early age and read to him daily. Then we would bring books for me to read to him. They finally he could read. The same thing happened with my grand-babies. Both of them love to read. Let them read. Let them read what they want.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
That is the best way to get them started--read to them every day!
DeleteWonderful post, Stephanie. My mother love to read (and collect books) so I got my love of books from her. I think it's so sad to see youngsters playing video games all the time and never reading a book. I especially like the idea of letting youngsters read what they want (in reason of course).
ReplyDeleteThoughts in Progress
and MC Book Tours
I feel like parents are doing their children a disservice by not limiting their screen time and encouraging them to read. I remember getting so excited about going to the library and bringing home a stack of books!
DeleteI remember being so intrigued by how engrossed my family members would be in books or newspapers that I absolutely could not wait to do so myself! It was like leaving without ever going. I was hooked on reading, I think, before I read my first word ;-) I wish the same for everyone - especially children. One unforgettable read; though I took the book from mother's library on tiptoe, was The Scent of Water. It was positively captivating, much like your post, Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteMy mom said my little sister started reading at a younger age than she would have normally because she always saw me reading.
DeleteI LOVED to read as a child. I was reading well before I began school. My mom used to buy me a little golden book every single time we went to the grocery store. :)
ReplyDeleteThey sell those Little Golden Books at World Market now--there's a whole stand filled with them!
DeleteI've always loved to read, and my daughter is no different. She finished three books in the past two days. :)
ReplyDeleteWow--that's a LOT of reading!
DeleteGreat post--great advice! I've always loved to read, but I think my (1960's) high school English teacher did more for reading in my small home town than any encouragement from parents, teacher, etc., ever could. He told us he would really like to assign a popular book for us to read instead of one of the classics, but, alas, the book he wanted to assign was banned. Of course, all of us were determined to read that book! The book? "Catcher in the Rye." Needless to say, we teens discovered a lot more in the pages of that book than a newfound love of reading. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSounds like some of the books we used to pass around in middle school. Teachers never discouraged us from reading V.C. Andrews or Stephen King, but we still felt like we had to be sneaky about it! Hardly classics like Catcher in the Rye, though...
DeleteI can never quite understand why people don't read. It would be like losing a limb for me! And there are certainly so many benefits, beyond it just being a wonderful pastime :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! How sad that some people will never know that joy. I guess they find other passions, though, so it's all good.
DeleteNice to see that you have travelled near and far on blog land:) I always read and just can't grasp a place without any books around. I would feel at a loss if I had no books. It was my one way to escape the reality of my days and enjoy whatever I chose to read.
ReplyDeleteSome of my favourite books were the ones kept on a bookshelf in my parent’s bedroom! One such book was Lady Chatterley’s Lover – obviously not intended for a child, and I understood very little of what I was reading, but it did encourage me to read as did the Enid Blyton books in my bedroom!
ReplyDeleteI remember sneakily reading books that I didn't want my parents to find out about. The reality is that they probably would have been fine with it, but for some reason I hid them :-)
ReplyDelete