good
read?
A
With millions of options available, how do you
choose the best books for your budding readers?
Angela Baura
investigates.
M
um, why aren’t you
reading to me?” I
can sense the rising
frustration in my
daughter’s voice as she, for the third
time, reminds me to turn the page.
“I can’t,” I blurt out in annoyance.
“There are typos and grammatical
errors everywhere. I’m not reading
this book to you.” My three-year-old
daughter stares at me incredulously
for what feels like an eternity and then
very slowly backs away...
And I’m left feeling confused,
wondering if semicolons nonsensically
splattered across a page and tales of
pathetic princesses passing out and
being smooched by strangers are sane
reasons for banishing books from my
children’s bookshelf.
As parents, what should we be
looking for when choosing books for
our children? Should reading be a fun
pastime or an opportunity for children
to learn about the world that they live
in? How important is excellent writing
compared with beautiful illustrations
or compelling characters? And at
what point is it appropriate to break
free from the monotony of reading the
same story to our children a zillion
times over?
Know your child
“The most important consideration
when choosing a book for your child
is whether your child will enjoy it or
not,” says Mio Debnam, renowned
editor and author for young readers
and regional advisor of the Society
of Children’s Book Writers and
Illustrators in Hong Kong (SCBWI).
“Give children a say in what they
read… and don’t get too stressed
if your child is enjoying Captain
Underpants (for the 30th time) while
your friend’s five-year-old is reading
Shakespeare, having finished reading
Homer’s
Odyssey
!”
Debra Perrin, former library
assistant at Bradbury School, adds,
“Parents should take their children to
a library or bookshop, engage their
interest and follow their lead. If a
parent’s aim is to raise an independent
reader, then a child has to learn how
to choose a book.”
Children are more likely to enjoy
books with a storyline and characters
that they can relate to, advises Vivian
October 2014
45
