Building a Baby Bookworm
Dragging Kids Kicking and Screaming Into Reading
Matching the Book to the Child
I worked for a terrific children’s bookshop for three years or so — Stories Bookshop in Tasmania, now only online, sad to say. But during my time there I received a fantastic education on children’s books, literacy and reading. What a brilliant resource your local bookshop can be, provided that the staff are knowledgeable and friendly.
One of the great delights for me working there was when people would come back to me and thank me for my recommendations, that their grandchild/son/niece was now reading everything in sight, that they had found a whole new avenue of enjoyment and thought. And even better, when I would see the child themself in the shop, browsing, taking delight in choosing a new story to take home and make friends with.
I am not trying to take the credit for this — it was the books that did it, not the seller. And, despite the prevailing stereotype that it’s boys who are the ‘problem customers’ — I helped plenty of girls who were completely disengaged with the written word as well.
If these children had not been introduced to the right books for them, at the right time, they may not have discovered the delights of reading for years to come, if ever. I…
