Quote:
Originally Posted by Maggie May
I think a love of books starts in childhood. Perhaps people who read seldom now or not at all, were never introduced to books when they were children. I remember always getting books for birthday's and Christmas every year when I was a child. I have loved books and been an avid reader all my life. I couldn't imagine a world without books. I love to curl up in my armchair and be transported into another world entirely for a couple of hours if I'm lucky. Can't wait to get my CYGen3 and curl up with that and experience reading an eBook for the very first time. I'm expecting great things. Hope I'm not disappointed.
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I have simple advice to parents who want their children to be readers. Read
to them, when they are still too young to do it themselves.
I had dinner a few years back with a group of folks at an SF convention, and the topic of declining literacy came up. I asked "How many folks at this table had parents who read to them as a child?"
Every hand was raised.
I contrasted that with my SO's brother, who had two young sons. Mom was not a reader. Dad was, but would come home from work and plunk himself down in front of the TV while waiting for dinner. Guess which habit the sons picked up? (The older would go into a trance when the TV came on...)
My mother read to me when I was a kid, so I know where I got the habit.
The issue is conveying the idea that reading is
fun, to be done for pleasure. Too many folks never learn to view reading as other than a chore that they have to do, and not fun in itself.
The quoted stats sound about right to me, but I, too, wonder if they are really a change from previous times? I don't think folks who read a lot have even been a high percentage of the population.
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Dennis