Who if anyone encouraged you to read when you were a kid? - Page 4

Solicitous · 07-28-2010, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'm not sure anybody encouraged me... I know I got "discouraged" a lot though! Especially when I was reading in bed (again), with flashlight (under the blankets).

Yep been there. We had some books in our house growing up but I wasn't actively encouraged to read. Actually my father felt that sitting there reading a book was letting the day slip away, I should be off helping around the house instead LOL.

I think I just self-developed a passion for reading. Luckily my partner enjoys to read and we actively read to our children (2 and a half, the other 7 months) and they love it (even the little one). We want to provide them a whole range of opportunities and experiences growing up, and reading is one of those experiences. I kind of feel left out a little when I hear people talk about books they were read to as a child and how they enjoyed the moments and remember the books and can't wait to share those experiences with their own kids. All I can remember is how many seconds to fill the kitchen sink

L.J. Sellers · 07-28-2010, 10:14 AM

My mother, in particular, encouraged all of us to read, mostly by not letting us watch TV. Librarians, on the other hand, often discouraged my choices. They wanted to steer me to younger stuff. I stood my ground.
L.J.

DArenson · 07-28-2010, 11:42 AM

My parents encouraged me to read. But I didn't need much encouragement.

Paegan2246 · 07-28-2010, 11:45 AM

I can thank my Mom for my love of reading. She loved her romance/trash novels. I remember going through her stack of books.When I was 13, I picked up Harold Robbin's The Carpetbaggers from her pile of books. I read it over a weekend and when my Mom found out she was horrified. It was kind of racy for the times I remember. She took me to the library that same week for my first library card. I spent hours there every week. Also purchased books through the Weekly Reader at school. That's where I got my first copy of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. I can't imagine what my life would be like without a love for books.

chilady1 · 07-28-2010, 11:58 AM

I would have to say my Mother who is and has always been an avid reader. We like to read so much that sometimes my Mom and I have our Kindles and just read - without saying a word to each for hours. It is wonderful that someone else appreciate the value of a good book.

simplyparticular · 07-28-2010, 01:21 PM

I had many influencers who made sure I had access to books:
mom
grandma
grandpa (after grandma died, he carried the book-present torch)

But the biggest influence was probably Mr. Little, my 3rd grade teacher. He gave candy bars out for book reports. Once a week he passed around a lunch box with 3 Musketeers, Baby Ruth and Butterfinger bars and you took as many candy bars as book reports you wrote. I ate over 100 candy bars that year and I remember arguing with him that the 2-in-1 Nancy Drew books from the school library counted as 2 books, not one. Poor guy was probably just trying to save money on candy.

sunnysmiles · 07-28-2010, 01:31 PM

My mother and also when I reached the grand old age of twleve the librarian allowed me to take out books from the adult section of the local library . I have memories of reading from a very young age.

chilady1 · 07-28-2010, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simplyparticular

I had many influencers who made sure I had access to books:
mom
grandma
grandpa (after grandma died, he carried the book-present torch)

But the biggest influence was probably Mr. Little, my 3rd grade teacher. He gave candy bars out for book reports. Once a week he passed around a lunch box with 3 Musketeers, Baby Ruth and Butterfinger bars and you took as many candy bars as book reports you wrote. I ate over 100 candy bars that year and I remember arguing with him that the 2-in-1 Nancy Drew books from the school library counted as 2 books, not one. Poor guy was probably just trying to save money on candy.

I love your avatar! I Dream of Jeannie!

Joykins · 07-28-2010, 02:32 PM

My parents were readers so I suppose they encouraged me by example. However, encouraging me to read was like encouraging water to run downhill. I more remember the people who tried to stop me

KenFisher · 07-28-2010, 02:40 PM

Hello,

It was my grandma that encouraged my reading. Every year that we would go to her place for the summer she would take my sister and I to the local library for a couple of books.

After that I always had a library card until I was 21.

When I was 16, we moved from Nova Scotia to Alberta. I owned 5 books at the time. Now 29 years later, I have nearly 5,000 books. These include hard covers, paperbacks, audio, and ebooks. One of my favorite places is the used book stores. That is where I got most of the books that I have.

Ken

emonti8384 · 07-28-2010, 03:01 PM

My brother was 3 years older than me, so he taught me how to read. When I was learning my letters I used to write them all down on a piece of paper and ask my gma to circle the words I spelled (I was like 3 at the time). I was so excited when we hit 1st grade and we started reading and writing.

My gma read a lot, and althought she said I was more than welcome she read those The Cat Who...books and V.C. Andrews

. I started reading this series by Diane Hoh, Nightmare Hall. I started reading them in 3rd grade and I remember teachers were looking at me funny. My mom and dad never restricted what I read (considering I remember paging thru my dad's Playboys when I was younger, lol) and my mom would take me to the library to get books.

TomF · 07-28-2010, 03:41 PM

I can't recall anyone in my family encouraging me to read but I was a voracious reader as a kid growing up in the '50s and 60's. My mom, who went to college, was more of a reader than my dad who dropped out of high school to join the Army for WWII. They apparently had a subscription to Reader's Digest Condensed Books (very popular at that time) because I remembers rows of these condensed novels on the book case and I probably read them all. My maternal grandfather was an avid reader and had bookcases full of books, many of them Westerns and biographies.

As a kid I read everything I could get my hands on. Comic books, magazines, cereal boxes, etc. I read all of the Tom Swift Jr. books (the second series), Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew books. There was also a boy's series about a boy that went SCUBA diving with his father. I can't recall the name and I'm pretty sure it wasn't Sea Hunt. I remember just picking out volumes of our Funk & Wagnell's Encyclopedia and reading them cover-to-cover. (That how I learned how to play poker!) In fifth or sixth grade I was tested and my parents were told I had the reading and comprehension skill of an 11th grader.

Quite the opposite of encouraging me, when I was in grade school I distinctly remember being told by my father "Get your nose out of that book and go outside and do something!". He thought I spent too much of my time reading.

When I was old enough to be able to ride my bicycle to our local library, I was there whenever I could. This fascination with libraries continued into my 40's. The peak of this fascination was in my college years when I lived only a few blocks from the Detroit Public Library (the main branch) where I could spend hours and hours just browsing the stacks. I used to browse the card catalog until I found something interesting then go and find that book and look at all the books with a similar subject. I read fiction, non-fiction, biographies, auto-biographies, history, and whatever interested me.

Although I still read books when traveling, and I subscribe to lots of magazines, I really didn't read books much at home but I bought a Kindle not too long ago and have re-discovered my love of reading books, albeit they're e-books now.

Shayne Parkinson · 07-28-2010, 11:00 PM

One of my fondest childhood memories is of walking to the library every Friday night with my dad, the two of us checking out a pile of books each. There was a foolish limit on the number of books a child was allowed to check out (I think it may have been only two!), but the librarian waived it in my case.

Dad was a voracious reader, but I don't recall ever seeing my mother reading a book, only magazines. But she encouraged my love of reading by always giving me books for Christmas, birthdays, or just because she'd seen a book she thought I might like.

sceadugenga · 07-28-2010, 11:42 PM

I grew up in rural Australia in the 50's, before TV arrived there.
We read or listened to the radio, or "did things" at night. My mother was the reader, my Dad tinkered with old radios.
I guess I just picked up reading at a very early age, I could read when I started school.
Mind you, anyone like me who read a lot was considered a little strange.

J. Strnad · 07-29-2010, 12:06 AM

We always had kid books around, as I recall, and once I discovered comic books I became a comics fiend. Made the most of the school and public libraries, too. I remember one librarian chastising me gently, "You're not supposed to bring books back the same day you check them out!" But I'd read it and wanted another one!

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07-28-2010, 10:14 AM	#47
L.J. Sellers Novelist Posts: 287 Karma: 387979 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Eugene, Oregon Device: Kindle	My mother, in particular, encouraged all of us to read, mostly by not letting us watch TV. Librarians, on the other hand, often discouraged my choices. They wanted to steer me to younger stuff. I stood my ground. L.J.

07-28-2010, 11:42 AM	#48
DArenson ebookworm Posts: 268 Karma: 100026 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kobo, Kindle	My parents encouraged me to read. But I didn't need much encouragement.

07-28-2010, 11:45 AM	#49
Paegan2246 Connoisseur Posts: 86 Karma: 2627294 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Wisconsin Device: Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Touch, iPod Touch, 3-160GB iPod classics	I can thank my Mom for my love of reading. She loved her romance/trash novels. I remember going through her stack of books.When I was 13, I picked up Harold Robbin's The Carpetbaggers from her pile of books. I read it over a weekend and when my Mom found out she was horrified. It was kind of racy for the times I remember. She took me to the library that same week for my first library card. I spent hours there every week. Also purchased books through the Weekly Reader at school. That's where I got my first copy of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. I can't imagine what my life would be like without a love for books.

07-28-2010, 11:58 AM	#50
chilady1 I devour books! Posts: 789 Karma: 1285226 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: iPad Air, Kindle 3/Kobo Aura HD, iPhone 6	I would have to say my Mother who is and has always been an avid reader. We like to read so much that sometimes my Mom and I have our Kindles and just read - without saying a word to each for hours. It is wonderful that someone else appreciate the value of a good book.

07-28-2010, 01:21 PM	#51
simplyparticular Guru Posts: 610 Karma: 1395952 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: New York Device: Oasis 3 & GlowLight 4	I had many influencers who made sure I had access to books: mom grandma grandpa (after grandma died, he carried the book-present torch) But the biggest influence was probably Mr. Little, my 3rd grade teacher. He gave candy bars out for book reports. Once a week he passed around a lunch box with 3 Musketeers, Baby Ruth and Butterfinger bars and you took as many candy bars as book reports you wrote. I ate over 100 candy bars that year and I remember arguing with him that the 2-in-1 Nancy Drew books from the school library counted as 2 books, not one. Poor guy was probably just trying to save money on candy.

07-28-2010, 01:31 PM	#52
sunnysmiles Addict Posts: 279 Karma: 1188010 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: London Device: I pad air, kindle pw2 and kindle touch , kindle had fire Nook pad nook	My mother and also when I reached the grand old age of twleve the librarian allowed me to take out books from the adult section of the local library . I have memories of reading from a very young age.

07-28-2010, 02:32 PM	#54
Joykins Wizard Posts: 1,610 Karma: 9211856 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini	My parents were readers so I suppose they encouraged me by example. However, encouraging me to read was like encouraging water to run downhill. I more remember the people who tried to stop me

07-28-2010, 02:40 PM	#55
KenFisher Connoisseur Posts: 75 Karma: 90470 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Alberta, Canada Device: Kobo Touch, Kobo Vox, iPad	Hello, It was my grandma that encouraged my reading. Every year that we would go to her place for the summer she would take my sister and I to the local library for a couple of books. After that I always had a library card until I was 21. When I was 16, we moved from Nova Scotia to Alberta. I owned 5 books at the time. Now 29 years later, I have nearly 5,000 books. These include hard covers, paperbacks, audio, and ebooks. One of my favorite places is the used book stores. That is where I got most of the books that I have. Ken

07-28-2010, 03:01 PM	#56
emonti8384 browneyedgurl Posts: 523 Karma: 356470 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Warren, OH Device: PRS-505/950x2, PRS-600 silver, Galaxy III purple, T2 black	My brother was 3 years older than me, so he taught me how to read. When I was learning my letters I used to write them all down on a piece of paper and ask my gma to circle the words I spelled (I was like 3 at the time). I was so excited when we hit 1st grade and we started reading and writing. My gma read a lot, and althought she said I was more than welcome she read those The Cat Who...books and V.C. Andrews . I started reading this series by Diane Hoh, Nightmare Hall. I started reading them in 3rd grade and I remember teachers were looking at me funny. My mom and dad never restricted what I read (considering I remember paging thru my dad's Playboys when I was younger, lol) and my mom would take me to the library to get books.

07-28-2010, 03:41 PM	#57
TomF Kindle Enthusiast Posts: 243 Karma: 1818 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: San Diego, CA Device: Kindle 3G Graphite, Kindle Fire	I can't recall anyone in my family encouraging me to read but I was a voracious reader as a kid growing up in the '50s and 60's. My mom, who went to college, was more of a reader than my dad who dropped out of high school to join the Army for WWII. They apparently had a subscription to Reader's Digest Condensed Books (very popular at that time) because I remembers rows of these condensed novels on the book case and I probably read them all. My maternal grandfather was an avid reader and had bookcases full of books, many of them Westerns and biographies. As a kid I read everything I could get my hands on. Comic books, magazines, cereal boxes, etc. I read all of the Tom Swift Jr. books (the second series), Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew books. There was also a boy's series about a boy that went SCUBA diving with his father. I can't recall the name and I'm pretty sure it wasn't Sea Hunt. I remember just picking out volumes of our Funk & Wagnell's Encyclopedia and reading them cover-to-cover. (That how I learned how to play poker!) In fifth or sixth grade I was tested and my parents were told I had the reading and comprehension skill of an 11th grader. Quite the opposite of encouraging me, when I was in grade school I distinctly remember being told by my father "Get your nose out of that book and go outside and do something!". He thought I spent too much of my time reading. When I was old enough to be able to ride my bicycle to our local library, I was there whenever I could. This fascination with libraries continued into my 40's. The peak of this fascination was in my college years when I lived only a few blocks from the Detroit Public Library (the main branch) where I could spend hours and hours just browsing the stacks. I used to browse the card catalog until I found something interesting then go and find that book and look at all the books with a similar subject. I read fiction, non-fiction, biographies, auto-biographies, history, and whatever interested me. Although I still read books when traveling, and I subscribe to lots of magazines, I really didn't read books much at home but I bought a Kindle not too long ago and have re-discovered my love of reading books, albeit they're e-books now.

07-28-2010, 11:00 PM	#58
Shayne Parkinson Author Posts: 1,532 Karma: 5447804 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: New Zealand Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab	One of my fondest childhood memories is of walking to the library every Friday night with my dad, the two of us checking out a pile of books each. There was a foolish limit on the number of books a child was allowed to check out (I think it may have been only two!), but the librarian waived it in my case. Dad was a voracious reader, but I don't recall ever seeing my mother reading a book, only magazines. But she encouraged my love of reading by always giving me books for Christmas, birthdays, or just because she'd seen a book she thought I might like.

07-28-2010, 11:42 PM	#59
sceadugenga Connoisseur Posts: 53 Karma: 472136 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Chiang Rai Device: iPad	I grew up in rural Australia in the 50's, before TV arrived there. We read or listened to the radio, or "did things" at night. My mother was the reader, my Dad tinkered with old radios. I guess I just picked up reading at a very early age, I could read when I started school. Mind you, anyone like me who read a lot was considered a little strange.

07-29-2010, 12:06 AM	#60
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	We always had kid books around, as I recall, and once I discovered comic books I became a comics fiend. Made the most of the school and public libraries, too. I remember one librarian chastising me gently, "You're not supposed to bring books back the same day you check them out!" But I'd read it and wanted another one!