Admit it. It's the Christmas season, and you're craving Love Actually, the new Christmas classic. Or maybe you're still on It's a Wonderful Life? I think I got stuck on a 72 hour cycle of two alternating versions of Miracle of 34th Street while wrapping presents. I just kept tuning it at different points on AMC.
It's mental comfort food, right? It's a common phenomenon, and the networks love it.
And yet... when our eight year old gets stuck on three months of Ms. Frizzle and The Magic Schoolbus or the quasi-endearing but irritating Junie B. Jones series... we get to the point when we want to pry them out of their peanut butter and jelly coated fingers.
Then their lips tighten. Their eyes glower. And with a fierce shake of their heads they dig their heels in and all our plans for sharing Little House on the Prairie die away. These tattered books, held together with rubber bands and paperclips are THEIR BOOKS. And nobody is taking away their best friends. They know these characters. They know Arnie, and Susie, and Junie, and relate to them. No other book could POSSIBLY be as predictable and as satisfying.
In a way, they're correct. The first books you fall in love with are your first true literary loves. They have their failings, true, and they often don't stand up well to later scrutiny. I remember Nancy Drew books, with their horrid cardboard characters (Bess and George, oy), and the drippy Ned Nickerson. But the story arc was consistent; you could depend on Nancy to get into terrible trouble and to get out of it again. She was rarely, if ever, rescued by some man waving a high powered weapon; she generally got herself and others out of problems on her own. I loved that about her. I tried to ignore Drip Boy.
Kids in elementary school especially read and re-read books that are safe and easy; these books feel broken in. They are jeans that fit perfectly and don't require you to look out for rivets or things that don't fit quite right. Kids can pick them up and settle in immediately. They don't have to think too much or puzzle out words. There's no need for using context clues, or activating any prior knowledge, or any need for those annoying reading strategies the teacher's always going on about. It's just...right there!
But what if your child is a little stuck? He's read all of the books in the series... and is now re-reading them. For perhaps the third time. You sense a bit of boredom creeping in, although he denies it. He's not really reading them at this point; it's more like he's hoarding them. Then - after he's actually read all the available books in the series and not before- it's reasonable to suggest moving on.
But to do this, you must control your variables. What I mean is - change genres only. Do NOT make the books harder; if anything suggest books that are even easier than the books he was reading.
You want this new genre to be a success, so you don't want your child to struggle with this new, unfamiliar genre.
But if you think your kid, boy or girl, who has devoured all the Harry Potter or CS Lewis books, might really enjoy a book about a kid who plays sports, remember that books like this are a good fit for kids who PLAY sports. Mike Lupica and Matt Christopher write books about kids who play basketball and baseball for town teams and travel teams, and they write about the other things that have an impact on those kids' lives, such as jealousy, missing parents, immigration problems, injuries, and so on. So if your child plays sports, that would be a good next step.
Nonfiction is, too, another way to go. If your child is not an athlete, but your family enjoys watching sports together, consider finding some sports biographies. With the Superbowl coming up in January this can be a fun area. Sports Illustrated for Kids is a good magazine, especially for reluctant readers. One trick is to leave such items in the bathroom that the kids use. It will get read...eventually.
My last post contained lists of Newbery and Caldecott Award winning books, so consider going to that post for some ideas. But your child should also ask his friends what they're reading. They may well have some good ideas, and your child is more likely to stick with it if a friend is reading it. Positive peer pressure can work wonders here.
Ok, it's sneaky, but it works.
So, books as mental comfort food. Think back to the last time you were going through a hard time. You probably called friends. Maybe you listened to music that made you feel a little better. I re-read some Jane Austen that was reliable. I could rely on Elizabeth Bennet to make the same boneheaded moves that I've made (ok, not the SAME but you get the idea) in my time, and yet we both bounce back up like corks on the waves. You can help your children understand that there are so wonderful writers out there waiting to help them get a better grasp on the world, and help them learn to laugh and nod and realize that, yes, it's going to be all right. There are books out there to shake them up, and settle them back down. You, as their parent, and I, as their tutor, will help them find the good stuff.
Consider following this blog! My tutoring company is Lesemann Learning. My website is www.amylesemann.com I tutor students between first grade and 12th, for assistance with reading, writing, and SAT/ACT prep, both remedial and accelerated instruction. Email me at amy.lesemann@gmail.com or Lesemann.Learning@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment