So, March 2nd, Dr. Suess' birthday, was Read Across America Day. I totally missed it. Probably because I was working, cleaning, writing, and going to two soccer games.Anyway, coincidentally, I found myself and my children not reading. I was reading sporadically here and there, helping a friend with her manuscript. I don't remember the last time I saw my kids with a book in their hand. Social media seems to be the new "book". Reading texts, Facebook posts, and Tweets have taken the place of literature. And in my opinion, this is making us dumber by the day.
Last week I went to my bookshelf which is stuffed with awesome books: YA, classics mysteries, horror, etc, etc. I grabbed a book for each of my children, Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach for Thing One, Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris for Thing Two. It just so happens that I have to read two books for an intensive session on voice for the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators Western Washington conference next month. So, I picked up my book, Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now, which so far is amazing.
I think the reason I thought about this was because of my visit to Tacoma Community College, in which I talked to an English 85 class about the importance of reading.
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." ~ Dr. Suess
The above quote i
s basically what I talked about. How reading makes you smarter, more knowledgeable and expands your vocabulary, among other things.So, in this day and age of social media and technology, don't forget to pick up a book every so often, even if it's on your e-reader. Let's not become a nation of idiots.
Megan, I think it depends on the age of the child, too. My twelve-year-old is NOT reading right now, whereas just a few months ago she walked around with a book in her purse. She was always reading. But she's at an in-between age where MG is too young and YA is too old, so she's having a hard time finding her reading groove.
ReplyDeleteMy older daughter (17), recognizes the importance of reading so has now begun looking for books to read outside of school assignments.
Right now she's reading The Patron Saing of Butterflies because when she saw me reading it, I never put it down.
I have your book in my queue of books to order from Amazon. I think it's one she'll likely read.
It is hard, my girls are 14 and 15 now. My older one has never been much of a reader. The two books she devoured were realistic contemporary YA, like what I write. She wasn't interested in Twilight or Harry Potter at all. It's been difficult to find books that engage her.
ReplyDeleteMy younger used to read all the time, and now I think she's too into video games. Ugh. And like I said, I wasn't reading much either. I think if we all just start with 15 minutes a night and work from there, we'll get back up to speed.
And thanks for putting my book in your queue. Much appreciated.