I agree and appreciate these sentiments on the
Rough Side of Reading... it can be applied to children's books too. Go ahead. I give you permission to stop in the middle of a story and say "Sorry kids, this story is lame... go pick another book." They'll protest, but it's for their own good and if you are matter of fact and can communicate your point in just the right way (blending charity, cheerfulness, patience and firmness coupled with an excited willingness to read something else) they'll be fine. Besides, it teaches them to be their own good stewards of time.
Because the truth is a fact and the fact is that there are so many good books... and so little time.
Ellie, do you have any tactics you use when enter a bookstore or library and your child repeatedly pulls out poop quality book after poop quality book? With DD we’ve had many (understatement) outright “I’m not reading thats” and mid-book “Ok, enough of this, go find something else/how about THIS book instead?” Is there some initial approach that can reduce these occasions upon entering the bookstore? Having your judgement crushed isn’t necessarily bad and I suppose can ultimately be positive, but having it crushed again and again can be pretty discouraging for an enthusiastic little child.
ReplyDelete2 tactics that might work:
ReplyDelete1- Allow her to select and read whatever she wants (unless it's outright offensive of course) while in the store. Plan to spend time there so she can read her choices. Then explain that you get to pick what comes home with you...
2- Select 5 or 6 excellent books and present them to her all at once for her to choose which one(s) to keep. This gives her that important sense of control and independence.
Option #1 is the technique I use at the library too. The kids know the routine now and they immediately rush to the Garfield comics to start reading while we're there because they know I won't bring them home. If they are feeling adventurous, they'll pull some other titles off the shelf and put them in a pile for me to preview before I agree to bring it home. I reject a few, accept a couple, and make a point to praise them when they've selected a book that looks especially great.