69°
It wasn't until the middle of third grade that my son finally got the reading bug. Now finishing fourth grade, he is a voracious reader. I get so much pleasure watching him devour books. (Wish he wouldn't read while walking to the bus stop, though!) I remember that feeling of being completely swept away when I read "The Hobbit" as a kid. I also feel melancholy--as a multi-tasking parent there seems to be so little time to lose myself in a novel.
The only problem is that my son just reads one genre--fantasy-- and nothing else. I suggest other types of books--sports novels, biographies, history--that I think he would really like, but all my selections are swiftly rebuffed. "I like fantasy," he says. When we aren't able to get to the library and he can't find the appropriate fantasy series to read, he just rereads his Harry Potter and Lightning Thief series. Enjoying them as much the second, third time around.
As much as I like the fact that he reads, that he reads only one type of book really bothers me. It's like he's eating nothing but cheese sandwiches. Nothing wrong with cheese sandwiches, but well, eating only cheese sandwiches is so unbalanced and not really that good for you. He's missing out on so many other great books. I sometimes wish a teacher would give him a list of books that he had to read. But it seems as if the trend is moving away from "required" reading to "suggested" reading.
I have sought out the opinions of educators and librarians on this topic and have been told that it's not unusual for children at this age to latch onto one comfortable genre or series. Remember Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. One person suggested, wisely, that fantasy is so popular among children because it gives them a sense of power and magic in a world they don't control. I've also been assured that at his age the important thing is that kids develop a love of reading. It matters less what they read. Now with the summer upon us, I am anticipating lots of visits to only one section of the library. And just as I continually introduce new foods to my finicky-palated children, I will continue to introduce books that I think are good for my son and hope that one day he will take a bite.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
