This is probably the reason why there are so few readers out there

[Xanthe]

Just thinking a little more about my comic books, I remembered that my father was the first person to buy me them. He would buy me Classics Illustrated Junior comics - lol, I was probably too young to read the words at the time, but I loved looking at the pictures. I'm forever thankful that he never viewed comic books with disdain.

For those who remember Classics Illustrated, you might find this interesting:
http://www.classiccomicstore.com/sto...6&Type=regular

[GraceKrispy]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

vacuuming I get, not sweeping. I need two hands for that

Not me, I had a system... It involved using my chin and chest/shoulder though... and it wasn't very efficient nor effective. My mom complained it took me twice as long to do any chores this way. Probably, but I sure enjoyed the housework a lot better that way!

[pmgibson]

I have a friend who reads while she takes her dog for walks. Now, I love to read, but my terrier would pull me into the next county if I tried to read while walking him.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by pmgibson

I have a friend who reads while she takes her dog for walks. Now, I love to read, but my terrier would pull me into the next county if I tried to read while walking him.

welcome to the forums! if you have a terrier that would pull you into the next county, imagine what this baby would do!!!!

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

I've encountered people who sneer at reading. Shrug. It's not as if I respect their opinion.

[jezebel]

Originally Posted by K-Thom

Kids, please keep in mind that the author actually might have made up that whole story.

Authors tend to do that. Planting the seed of bizarre fictional concepts in the minds of the innocent ... books are dangerous, after all.

I know I'm late to the party, but I was thinking that there were some things t this story that just don't ring true.

[JGB]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

I've never met a parent who told their kid to not read, unless it was an inappropriate time.

I've met many parents who failed to encourage a kid to read, but none that tried to prevent it.

Seems like a caricature of the more general suppression of curiosity. Good easy way to evoke anger among some folks.

My parents did, they kind of had to I think. For a while it was: no reading in the car, no reading at school, no reading at bedtime, no reading in restaurants, no reading on vacation etc.

Did save a lot of money though, I'm glad they did it now even if it annoyed me so much back then. I was good for 3 novels a day, I'd read history textbooks, huge war books when I was in elementary school. Now I can't be bothered much past a good sci-fi novel, even though I'm a university student.

[Ken Maltby]

Hmm... I wonder if there is any real difference between "Stop reading, turn off that
light and GO TO SLEEP!" and "Turn off that computer and GO TO SLEEP!"?

Or if the current concern for childhood obesity and lack of strenious activity with our
kid's current lifestyle was not manifest in earlier times by the the idea that "All that
reading isn't good for you, GO OUT AND PLAY!"?

While there were those restraints applied to reading, they can hardly compare to those
warm and snug times where my sister and I were cuddled up to our mom and listened to
a few chapters before we fell asleep and got carried off to bed. My fondest memory is
of my own son, as a little guy, when he had fallen asleep part way through a story and
I noticed that he was giggling in his sleep.

Personally I think that the fun reading comics then Science Fiction or Kid detective
books made a bridge to the skill that made reading an unconscious process at an early
age. I think that NASA owes more to the "Golden Age of Science Fiction" than is much
appreciated. Somehow I don't see "Harry Potter" or the "Twilight Series" books as
having the beneficial impact of a "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" or the non-hollywood
original "Starship Troopers".

Luck;
Ken

[m42]

My stepmother threw my books in the garbage and told me that reading rots your brain when I was a teen. It's possible that people are actively discouraging reading in children.

[CazMar]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Just thinking a little more about my comic books, I remembered that my father was the first person to buy me them. He would buy me Classics Illustrated Junior comics - lol, I was probably too young to read the words at the time, but I loved looking at the pictures. I'm forever thankful that he never viewed comic books with disdain.

That's how I was taught to read at a very young age - my father got sick of reading the comics in the newspaper to me, so suggested I tried reading them myself! So by the age of 4 I could actually read quite well. Every adult I met would be asked to "help me with reading" until I (1) learnt to read and (2) exhausted every adult I knew!

[Xanthe]

My interest in the comics section of the Sunday newspaper might have been why my parents branched me out into comic books. I think that I found out about comics in the daily newspapers after I had been exposed to comic books. Once I realized there were comics there every day, I would get the newspapers after my parents were finished with it, and read the comics faithfully. From there, other sections of the paper caught my eye and eventually I read the paper from beginning to end.

[thrawn_aj]

My first books were comic books - Asterix and Tintin (and the Phantom, Mandrake and Flash Gordon and all those crazy dudes). My dad would read 'em to me at first - no nicer way to introduce a kid to reading. It's such a pity that Asterix and Tintin are so rare in American households - the rest of the world is still madly in love with them . You can learn so much from those books!

[voracious71]

Originally Posted by m42

My stepmother threw my books in the garbage and told me that reading rots your brain when I was a teen. It's possible that people are actively discouraging reading in children.

Holy crap, really? That sucks.

[Jar Jar Binks]

So sad to taint a child that way. But I bet that child will prbly already has found a way to read without Mommy Dearest knowing anything about it.
LOL As a child I didn't read well. Hated having to get up in front of the class at school and read. Was bad at it, still am horrible most of the time reading aloud. I read really short books in my room trying to improve so I didn't feel so much like a fool.
I really started to ENJOY reading after I was married and began having children. My (husband) Told me I shouldn't read because 1 it was a waste of time and didn't get anyone anywhere,2 that I shouldn't read or do any other activity I liked, becaue "HE WAS HOME" Gee I am glad I booted to the curb,unfortunately he taught my children to believe that way. So I am giving my grandchildren all the books I can. And will read to them and help them read every chance I get.

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Just thinking a little more about my comic books, I remembered that my father was the first person to buy me them. He would buy me Classics Illustrated Junior comics - lol, I was probably too young to read the words at the time, but I loved looking at the pictures. I'm forever thankful that he never viewed comic books with disdain.

For those who remember Classics Illustrated, you might find this interesting:
http://www.classiccomicstore.com/sto...6&Type=regular

When I was a kid, I read lots of comics and eventually read some based on classic literature, too. I'm sure that comics helped me learn to enjoy reading and inspired me to read some of the originals later. When our kids were young, we used to buy them comic books based on The Adventures of Asterix. They quickly became a family favourite. Asterix comic books have been translated in more than 100 different languages and dialects, so they're great fun if you're learning another language.