http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/articles/children-who-can-read-but-dont.htm
It is a sad and horrible fact that reading is a dying hobby…
How many children do you see in libraries?
How many on public transport or coming around to the house have a book under their arm to ‘keep them entertained’?
All you see now is kids with ipads and phones from the age of 5 upwards I hear of kids having tablets for Christmas. .. I don’t even have a tablet at 26!
I have a laptop I got for Christmas four years ago that is a bit slow and behind the times but it works and if its not broke…
I had a little mention on the radio the other day after seeing they had posted a status up ‘only 27% of children do this because they actually enjoy it! What is it?’ Immediately I thought reading and commented and had a congratulations from the dj about half an hour later live on air for getting it right.
I did a little victory dance but then was saddened by the thought. What a terrible time to be going in to writing… penning a novel that’s going to go in to the wide expanse of literature that may be read by a few but then it’ll slowly fade and hit the 1p shelf on Kindle.
Which brings me to my next point. .. books!
Are they too going to become a dying concept?
In twenty years time is my child going to come to me and ask ‘what is this?’ holding a book out like a foreign object as a young child would do now with a vinyl record?
I think all this was brewing in my head and I suddenly had a very strong urge to read a Roald Dahl book so (and I will hold my hand up I did commit the crime) I went on to kindle and downloaded Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but as I lay reading it, I think it triggered my biological clock as I suddenly was overwhelmed with a funny maternal instinct.
I turned to my partner and said our child will not be brought up playing with a tablet or a mobile phone, they will have real toys and they will be read bedtime stories from a real book every night and he just looked back quite puzzled at the outburst and agreed.
I had this sudden flashback of memories of being read the lion, the witch and the wardrobe still to this day one of my favourite stories.
Reading Goldilocks, Enid Blyton ‘Oh dear Mr Tiddle’ and Goosebumps, ‘Be careful what you wish for’ at night in bed.
Traipsing back and forth to the school library when I finished my book to get a new one.
Getting so excited going in to a bookshop to buy a new book.
As much as I tried I cannot remember what instilled such a passion for reading but apparently I started at the tender age of 3…
I cannot imagine a child of mine not sharing the same passion and love for reading as I have.
It makes me shudder to think of my children not knowing the excitement and thrill of sitting down and reading and rereading a fairytale. Yes they can watch the dvd… but they’ll hear the real story first.
Soceity may be ruining a lot of things… the need for good manners, the want to help your fellow man, the desire to stop and take note of the beautiful planet we live in but one thing I hope is that in this day of progressing technology and the people that are working on ‘what can we improve next…’ leave the book alone. It is precious and should not be tampered with.
Yes the kindle and others like it have their pros and place BUT I think we need to keep some good old fashioned tradition going and reading children a bedtime story, tucking them up with full imaginations as they dream rather than what app will they download next should be top of the list! !
An amateur author.... 