Reading is Fundamental.
Posted: September 19, 2006 Filed under: Uncategorized 5 Comments »As a kid, I remember the “love to read” campaign, Reading is Fundamental. Until I looked it up today, I didn’t know it still existed. My brother and I used to laugh at the commercials – it split the word Fundamental into FUN and deMENTAL. I thought it was hysterical; guess I wasn’t as mature as I thought I was.
We read a lot in our house. Andrew reads so fast that when we were a new couple, I used to read the books he’d finish and test him – I never believed he did anything more than skim those things. But he absorbed every detail. What a gift. Our oldest son is like that, too. He likes reading more than just about anything. Keeping him in books can be a challenge, but we work at it. And now that he’s in middle school, there are some good books that are assigned reading. He’s reading Watership Down now. He’s tearing through it and begging for a trip to the library. Or to Borders — he has gift cards burning a hole in his pocket.
Our other sons have different tastes in books. I guess I thought we could just pass down the hundreds of good books we had to the next in line. But the middle guy doesn’t like the science fiction or fantasy books. He wants sports and funny stories. Oh, and Sports Illustrated for Kids and MAD Kids magazines. And then the youngest? While he’d read whatever was lying around, his preference leans towards information-filled books like Guinness Book of World’s Records and Sports Almanacs. (We do worry that he’ll want to play fantasy sports soon! He likes those stats!)
And I gravitate toward anything. Well, everything, actually.
We’ve always read to the boys. When they were little, we read to them all together. As they started getting older, we’d divide and conquer. Sadly, Davis doesn’t always want to be read to anymore. Sometimes. But not often.
The other two are only one grade apart and it still works to read to them together. Sometimes. Right now, I’m reading Bridge to Terabithia to them. Well actually just to Reed. Max pages through Captain Underpants instead of listening. That’s okay. I know what happens later in the book and I’m afraid to get there with them, anyway. When I read the book with Davis a few years ago, we never finished the last two chapters because he was so upset about the course of events. He wouldn’t let me go on.
I can say that the book is such an escape. The language so colloquial and the dialogue feels so real that I’m taken into rural life and I know these characters. Reed just loves to hear Jesse run. I understand. He’s going to love hearing the budding friendship develop. And he’s going to find it hard to hear some of the story later on… But what better conversation starter than a really great book?
I’m thankful that my own mother was a bookworm, and made trips to the library a big priority for us. We’d check out scads of books, and I’d go through a book a day when I was younger.
So many distractions now (house, blog), I read my books in 1/2 hour snippets…but I’m still reading…like you, just about everything.
I remember reading Bridge to Terabithia in the 6th grade. I sobbed in class when we came toward the end. That has always been my problem with books. I get so attached to the characters that I can’t stand for anything bad to happen to them. It’s like my own friend has died.
My husband still talks about how exicted he was to go to school everyday to read Where the Red Fern Grows when he was in middle school (another book that made me cry in class). Even now, after spending 10 hours with my nose in law books, I still pull out a novel before going to bed. I just can’t help it.
It’s fantastic that your boys love to read. I seem to consume books as well, though i don’t know any of the ones that you mentioned. i suppose i am too much of a girly girl. I love curling up on the couch with a great book and having the world disappear. So much more satisfying than sitting and watching tv (though i seem to do a lot of that as well!). i know that everyone says it is one of the first things that goes when you have children, but it’s almost as vital to me as breathing. i suppose the key is to teach them to read early on in their lives. it’s always nice to sit around as a family on a rainy (or gloomy) day and have everyone be quietly reading!
-Elizabeth
The Branch and Blossom barely touch their toys. They simply don’t play with them. But they spend hours in Branch’s room (where most of the children’s books are) and pull every book off the shelf. It’s like they have no interest in toys whatsoever. I guess I should be glad but I am SICK of picking up books! Plus they even manage to tear board books. But they do look through them and make sounds. And most of the time they have the book held correct side up.
Bridge to Terabithia is such a good book (but sad, you’re right). My kids have varied tastes too so I shop at Half Price Books, do you have those? And we love it when the library has a book sale. Have the boys read any of the Spiderwick Chronicles or Charlie Bone books? They are really good.