Best-selling author James Patterson recently penned an article “How to Get Your Kid to Be a Fanatic Reader” on CNN.com calling for parents “to start a much-needed intervention.” In that article, Patterson made several provocative statements:
- It is not the schools’ job to get children to read, but it’s the parents’ job to do that.
- Parents should remember that the more children read, the better readers they become.
- Provide children with books that they enjoy so much that they ask to read another one.
- Rereading a book is fine.
- Don’t tell children that a book is too hard or too easy.
- See if your child’s school is successful in getting their students to read.
- Drop Everything and Read programs – schools set aside one period a day in which everyone stops whatever he or she is doing to read whatever they want to read
- Knowledge Is Power Program – a multifaceted program that is designed to prepare students from underserved communities to attend college
- Getting boys to read may require special actions:
- Boys need to read things that make them “feel all squishy inside” about reading graphic novels, comics, pop-ups, joke books, and general-information tomes—especially the last.” Patterson suggests GuysRead.com for ideas of books preferred by boys in various categories.
- Schools should reward boys for reading books like Guinness Book of World Records, Sports Illustrated Almanac, or The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll.
- Great sources for books that books might like:
- GuysRead.com
- Kids’ Reading List on Oprah.com
- Free or Low-cost Books
- First Book
- ReadKiddoRead.com
- Reader to Reader
- Libraries
- Provide reading role models, including letting your son see you reading something.