What do you all say to the idea of some sort of international campaign to encourage reading aloud to kids? A campaign for literacy, if you will, but one focused specifically on the benefits of parents and teachers reading aloud to kids. Personally, I think that something like this is essential. I truly believe that if more adults spent time reading aloud to kids, both individuals and society as a whole would reap tremendous long-term benefits. More kids would grow up to love books. Those kids would do better in school than they would have otherwise, and have enhanced opportunities. Some of those kids would make major contributions to society - solving medical mysteries, inventing alternative energy sources, whatever - contributions that they would not have been able to make if they didn't have those educational opportunities. Not to mention that all of those kids would have positive experiences and increased self-confidence, and would be less likely to end up in our correctional systems. I really believe that we could have all of these benefits if more adults spent time reading aloud to kids.
I've always felt this way, but my most recent thinking on this was triggered by a statement in a Denver Post article by Megan Wilson (identified by Terry Doherty in her most recent children's literacy roundup at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, the Reading Tub blog):
"a study conducted for Reach Out and Read shows that fewer than half of American parents read to their children daily."
I mentioned on my blog that I agree with Terry that somehow, we need to find a way to change this statistic. And I mentioned it on my Facebook page, too. In both places, that remark has inspired quite a bit of passionate and constructive discussion. Terry also has another post today at The Reading Tub collecting input on this topic. I dug into the Reach Out and Read (ROR) statistic a little bit, and found a more detailed reference to the study in a Cape Cod Times article by the founder of ROR, Barry Zuckerman. Dr. Zuckerman said: "a recent study commissioned by Reach Out and Read revealed that the majority of young children — 52 percent — are not being read to on a daily basis. That's 13 million children under 6 years old who are going to bed every night without a bedtime story — without the undivided, loving attention that comes with sharing a favorite book with their parents." (Zuckerman's entire article is a plea for parents to read aloud to their kids, and is well worth reading.)
I don't know what the answer is, but it's simply not acceptable that more than half of children under 6 in the US aren't being read to every day. I agree with Susan Stephenson/The Book Chook, who commented on my blog that by plugging away and making the Kidlitosphere a resource, we are making a difference, one book at a time. But I also agree with Sarah Mulhern/The Reading Zone, who talked with me on Facebook about convincing parents and teachers of the importance of read-aloud. And I agree with Becky Levine, who commented on Facebook about how great it would be to get the importance of read-aloud included as a message in the new President's education initiatives. Terry has also raised several of these ideas in the poll that she's running at The Reading Tub.
I'm struggling a bit with the whole thing, personally, because I feel VERY strongly about this message. But I'm philosophically a live and let live kind of person, someone who doesn't believe in telling other people what to do. I'm trying to balance these two interests in my own head. Still, I can't help believing that if more people just understood how important reading aloud is, they would want to do it. Wouldn't they? Some of them, anyway?
Perhaps what we need is a public information campaign. This is an idea that I first heard expressed by author Jim Trelease, and I've continued to wonder about it ever since. What if there was a way to spread the following statement (or something like it) around the world?
"Reading aloud is one of THE most important things that parents and teachers can do to promote the happiness and future success of children. Please help spread the word!"
What if Oprah said this to her audience? What if President Obama slipped it into a speech somewhere? What if major sports figures mentioned it in interviews? Would these things make a difference? And if not, what would? What do you all think?
© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.
Count me in on this important campaign, Jen! I'll brainstorm about how to spread the word, too.
Aside: I've been following the comments since you brought this up (yesterday?), especially the comments about reading aloud to older (say, 10+) kids. Of course it depends on the child and the family--I don't know if I would have had the patience to be read to at that age myself, although my 8-year-old son never seems to tire of it--but I was reminded of Trelease writing that he reads aloud to his kids while they (the kids) are doing the dishes. Excellent!
Posted by: Anamaria | January 27, 2009 at 03:09 PM
Contact your local elementary and middle school media specialist or reading teacher and volunteer to come in and read to anyone. I do this as a reading volunteer tutor and the opportunities are endless. The students love it. Read picture books, read chapter books, just volunteer to do it and do it regularly.
Posted by: Nan Hoekstra | January 27, 2009 at 04:00 PM
Hi Jen!
Funny you should mention this . . . just yesterday I said to my husband (after telling him all about the Newbery, etc, awards), "If only people would understand that kids' books are the most important thing in the world! If more people read to their kids, there would certainly be fewer people in prison and in poverty!" Yes, it seems so obvious to us readers. It's such a simple thing that could help so much. I'm glad Jen Robinson is on the case.
Posted by: Kate | January 27, 2009 at 04:06 PM
Count me in, Jen! As I said on Facebook, the benefits to reading with/to older students are endless. I think a lot of people who don't work with middle school students on a daily basis don't realize that many of them hate reading or struggle with it. But they love getting attention! And reading aloud puts them in a safe, secure environment where they can share with their teacher and classmates. It is a huge community builder in the classroom. Plus, it opens up students to new genres, new authors, and new experiences. I really think that my read-alouds are nearly as effective as independent reading time when it comes to making my kids passionate readers.
There needs to be some way to get the word out to teachers. The biggest struggle will be convincing teachers that they have the time to include read-alouds in their curriculum. Between NCLB, testing, and mandatory curriculums, teachers are trapped in a corner. As it is, I am moving from a 2 hr language arts block to 1 hr next year, and I am brainstorming how to keep my read-alouds a part of each class!
Sarah
Posted by: Sarah | January 27, 2009 at 04:12 PM
Jen, I had a whole rambly comment that didn't take, but that's probably for the good. Basically, what I said is that there's one aspect I haven't yet seen talked about--and that is the number of adults, parents, who don't read for pleasure, just for themselves. I don't remember my parents reading TO me, although I know they did--what I remember is THEM always reading. It wasn't JUST for the kids; it was just THERE.
As you say, how do you 1) "tell" someone what they "have to do, and 2) help people who want to add this to their kids' live, but have no history or experience with leisure/down-time reading.
I just found this on the RIF (Reading is Fundamental) webpage: http://www.rif.org/about/familyofreaders/default.mspx
It seems like there may be people/organizations out there already working toward these goals, maybe something we as bloggers should check into PIGGY-BACKING onto? Adding our voice to something to make it bigger, rather than seeing if we can be big enough? I'm not sure.
The biggest question I think (and probably for people like RIF) is WHERE do you take this message/slogan/education--to reach the families/kids who aren't in school yet (which is when they need to be caught) and who aren't already going to the libraries. This is something maybe RIF would have ideas on? Maybe the kidlit bloggers could find other blogs to guestpost on? I just don't know.
Posted by: Becky Levine | January 27, 2009 at 04:19 PM
In our kids' and our own overscheduled lives, I think you have to get creative about finding the time to share a story. I always have an audiobook going in the car with my kids. We listen to them on the obvious longer trips, but we also listen to them for the 10 minutes it takes us to drive to school and wait in the circle drive line for drop-off. My kids always ask me to turn on the story when the radio is on, so they obviously enjoy it. The hardest part is waiting until the next time we are all in the car to find out what happens next!
This audiobook habit has lead to many family discussions about the books and about how their world is different from ours. My older 2 kids are good independent readers, so the audiobooks offer a way to read together in another fashion when we'd otherwise be disconnected.
Posted by: susan | January 27, 2009 at 04:30 PM
Have you read Mem Fox's book about this? It's just been reissued. It's called Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever. I agree with Becky that one of the problems is that a lot of adults are not themselves readers, so it's a vicious cycle. I wish I knew what to do about it. One point I would add is that reading aloud not only increases literacy and a love of reading, but it is also almost always an expression of love and affection that children thrive on so wonderfully. I'm wondering if a campaign about this could have that as some kind of theme, you know, that reading aloud is love/loving. Book Love? Hmmm.
Posted by: Kate Coombs | January 27, 2009 at 04:46 PM
This is a soapbox topic with me too and I have written a few posts encouraging the use of recorded stories in the vans (instead of that infernal TV on the ceiling). While it'd be nice to hope that parents would take up the cause, I'm reluctant to believe they'd do it in the long-term. It's not just the lower socio-economic groups anymore, it's the soccer / ballet bunch too and it greatly stunts a child's fluency. I worked in a high socio-economic neighborhood and, along with comprehension, fluency was the biggest issue for my struggling readers. They truly didn't know the flow and inflection of words. Then, the school got all involved in these timed fluency tests, which aided in speed, but didn't improve comprehension. Can't these kids just learn to LOVE books/words without making it ALL about a test!!!
Now you got me on a bandwagon!
Off to post about this.....
Posted by: Tasses | January 27, 2009 at 04:47 PM
Of course I completely agree with the importance of reading aloud, but what would you say to the parents who feel like they can't read to their children? There are MANY people who are not confident about reading out loud, and feel like they can't. Often the parents who are reading to their children are the ones who CAN read, quite competently. The ones who are not reading to their children are often also the parents of the children who need it most.
It's radical, but I wish there was a way to mandate library visits for every child who isn't in school. Imagine if a pre-requisite for admittance to kindergarten was a minimum number of visits to the local public library!!! Imagine if parents had to log the library hours as a credit for entrance to school! What if library hours translated into food vouchers... books for the brain = food for the stomach... Okay I'm getting carried away, but I do feel for those parents who are terrible readers or those who can't read.
Posted by: Janice Robertson | January 27, 2009 at 04:56 PM
Chiming in AGAIN to concur with previous comments about audiobooks being a great way to use travel/commuting time and to connect to books as a family. We'll often check out the printed book or others by the same author when we get home, too. The Odyssey awards don't get a lot of press, but perhaps linking to them might be a good way to start building a list of recommended audio books.
Posted by: Anamaria | January 27, 2009 at 05:00 PM
When my son was just a few months old, I read to him for about 30 minutes every day: I read him Just So Stories and Winnie-the-Pooh, etc. Because I knew he needed it. He didn't go anywhere, so I had his attention. Now he's 15 months old and he doesn't stay in one place or stay quiet, so I only read him bedtime stories for 10 minutes as he squirms and resists. I should read to him more often, just so he keeps hearing it.
I appreciate the other people's comments about listening to audiobooks. I know he's still too little to really get it, but that's a great habit to get into. (And there are plenty of children's books I want to read, so that would be a great way to "read" them myself!)
Posted by: Rebecca Reid | January 27, 2009 at 05:27 PM
Back again: I was one of the few moms I knew who went with the audio books in the car, but it was actually because my son never liked having music on while we drove! And stories totally made him happy. I think tapes are a GREAT supplement to the reading. I think, though, that the basis needs to be seeing mom and dad with books and sharing books with mom & dad. If everybody's listening to the tape together & talking about the story afterward, I think it probably accomplishes much the same thing as books.
Posted by: Becky Levine | January 27, 2009 at 06:00 PM
Jen - Just by raising the question we're off to a good start. Many of us see it "in the trenches" as teachers, librarians, and over-scheduled parents. It's hard because you're trying to reach people with touch phones and those who don't have any access to computers. Susan's idea about audiobooks really brings out the point that it's going to take a multi-faceted approach ... something that shows reading can be shared without being more "work."
Posted by: Terry | January 27, 2009 at 06:05 PM
This is near and dear to my heart. It saddens me to think of children who are not being read to by their parents. I'd love to help with any sort of campaign. I'm on board.
Sincerely,
Marietta
Posted by: Marietta | January 27, 2009 at 07:14 PM
Jen, I applaud you for rallying around this cause. It's weird and sad because the information about the importance of reading is out there, it has been out there for what seems like forever, yet information is not what drives behavior change.
For children who are not getting read to in their families, I think we must look to schools to fill the void and nurture reading in all students. Shouldn't nurturing a love of reading be the fundamental cornerstone of all education? When I read Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook, I felt like sending copies to every school board member and teacher I know. It has so many important messages about reading. I think that NCLB will likely be revamped or replaced, a focus on reading aloud and silent sustained reading would make a difference. While I believe the responsibility of nurturing reading belongs to parents, the sad reality is that things don't always happen to our ideals.... but reading is too important to let slide. As you have said, society benefits from readers, this is a very good use of teaching time.
I love that you described this as an international effort, and if I am allowed to dream, I see a campaign for Libraries Around the World. (Oh, and continued support and attention to US libraries should be part of the national focus). The sad fact is that in many places, essentials like clean water are of greater and more immediate concern, but books and reading are not that far behind. :)
Best wishes!
Posted by: Karen | January 27, 2009 at 07:17 PM
A couple of things...I laughed at Sarah's comment about teachers not having the time to read aloud because of all the requirements placed on them. Seems that our educators (not the classroom teachers, but the ones making decisions) are missing the forest for the trees!
And to Tasses! Amen!! Get the tests out of it and simply TEACH!
The one comment I want to make is that many commenters seem to be focusing on getting books into the hands of the less affluent. Speaking from my experience as a mother of elementary age children in a very affluent (median school income is in the six-figures) school I would say the problem exists across the board. The issue for these kids is often busy-ness (both theirs and the parents) and easy access to electronic entertainment while the issues for the less affluent are completely different. All this to say I don't think there is a single answer.
I would also agree with others that seeing parents read is just as important, in my opinion maybe even more important, as to whether a child eventually identifies as a reader.
LOVE audio books...I've mentioned here before that my oldest child is dyslexic and audio books have done wonders for him. I also can't underestimate the importance of reading aloud with him. He reads independently at grade-level. While I have no solid proof I can't help but wonder if this isn't because he's been read aloud to nearly every night since he could hold his head up!
I see so much passion in this group. I hope something will come to fruition with all of this passion!
Posted by: Marianna | January 27, 2009 at 07:19 PM
I teach 8th grade and I read to my students every Tuesday and Thursday for about 20 minutes. I've read five books so far and will probably at least 4 more. They are always excited to find out which book is next. I've been doing this for quite a few years. Many of the students ask about other books by the authors I read and that gets them reading on their own.
Posted by: Readingjunky | January 27, 2009 at 07:29 PM
I have to jump in here having worked in adult literacy for the past three years. I absolutely believe that a lot of parents don't read aloud to their kids because they themselves struggle to read. It's not that they CAN'T read, it's that they read so poorly, it's a tremendous chore to do it at all. They will do everything they can to not read on a daily basis.
However, I agree wholeheartedly that reading aloud to kids is ESSENTIAL to their reading development. They absolutely need good reading modeled to them. So the idea of audiobooks is a good one, as well as maybe getting out of our own comfort zones and finding opportunities to read to kids around us.
Posted by: Amy @ My Friend Amy | January 27, 2009 at 07:39 PM
Jen... Chiming in late. We are big read-alouders here at our house and it hasn't let up, even for the ten year old. My girls also did all the Beverly Cleary Ramona books on tape (read by Stockard Channing -- fabulous!!!) when they were younger, so I'm a big fan of going that route, too.
Personally, I think the key is getting doctors & daycare providers to suggest this to parents of small children and educators to suggest this to parents of older children. I think many folks just don't think about it -- don't know it's important -- are busy and overwhelmed -- think their kids have outgrown it -- etc.
It makes me wonder if we (not sure who this collective we includes) could offer in-service sessions to teachers about the importance of read-alouds in the classroom up to and through middle school AND the value of encouraging read-alouds at home...
Posted by: Liz in Ink | January 27, 2009 at 08:01 PM
Marianna-
I teach in an affluent district and very few of my students are read to at home. Very few even have books at home until they tell mom and dad they have a list of books they want to read!
Sarah
Posted by: Sarah | January 27, 2009 at 08:12 PM
Jen, something you may not be aware of (as you may not watch as much PBS children's programming as we do...) is that that public service announcements (well, they may be sponsored, I think by a homebuilder, Shea homes....) anyway, there are PSA's running on the kids TV shows that say --- read to your child 15 minutes a day. One thing that my husband and I noticed recently is that the number has gone up! The PSAs now say -- read to your child 20 minutes a day.....
I shouldn't say how much kids programming we watch, but I hear this message uh, several times a day. We do read to the kids two to four books before bed, but honestly I don't know if we are hitting the 15 or 20 minute mark. But at least you know the message is out there, and repeated often. It's not enough, and it may not be especially effective, but it's getting said and there is at least some message out there to the TV watching families.
Posted by: Karen | January 27, 2009 at 08:20 PM
Just another thought - I think a public media campaign could be extremely helpful. If the news media would cover literacy issues and deficiencies... perhaps that would gain more attention. I think reading seems so basic and simple that it's easily overlooked. Parents are very concerned about safety issues like sun protection, environmental toxins and bicycle helmets, etc. Could reading and the potential harms of not reading be exposed in a similar way?
Posted by: Karen | January 27, 2009 at 08:28 PM
OK, so, 20+ comments later, I guess people are interested in this topic. Thanks so much to all of you!! To respond:
Anamaria, I don't think that every kid is going to tolerate being read aloud to at home once they can read on their own. But I think that where it does work, this is a great thing for older kids. I love that Jim Trelease thing about reading aloud to his kids while they did the dishes.
Nan, that's certainly a good suggestion, one I'm going to try if my travel schedule ever eases up. I've been a little hesitant to contact schools, though, because I don't have kids, and I feel like people will think it's odd. Thoughts?
Kate, glad to hear that we're on the same page. It is SO important.
Sarah, kudos to you for trying so hard to make time to read aloud to middle schoolers. I agree - a lot of people just don't know how great the benefits of this can be.
Becky, I do think that parents reading on there own is part of this. But ... it's not a part that I know how to handle directly. I have to think that even parents who don't read for pleasure would, if they really GOT how important is, try to at least read with their kids. And maybe they'd find that they enjoy children's literature, and would read more on their own. And of course I agree that it's worth understanding what other programs are out there. I frequently highlight RIF, Reach Out and Read, PBS, FirstBook, NCFL, etc., and they all do great things. I guess I'm just impatient - I just want to shout this from the rooftops, rather than trying to work inside of any existing system.
Susan (and Anamaria and Becky), I think that audiobooks are GREAT for fitting in reading time, and for reading together as a family, and talking about books. Thanks for sharing your positive experience with that. Another good point about audiobooks is that even if the parents aren't comfortable reading, they can still listen to audiobooks. And you can get them free from the library.
Kate C, I read the previous edition of Mem Fox's book, but haven't read the new one yet. I really need to go back and re-read that, along with Jim Trelease's book. And of course I agree with you about the bonding/affection aspects. I didn't capture that well in my post, but it was in the back of my mind. I actually think that there's an analogy, in terms of a public service announcement, to the whole thing about breast feeding being better for kids health and better for bonding.
Tasses, I'll look for your post. The educated parents who don't read to their kids are particularly frustrating, aren't they. They're the ones who COULD read aloud, who have the resources to buy books, and who choose to prioritize other things. I still feel like if they understood what they were doing, if the schools understood what they were doing by emphasizing tests over reading enjoyment, things could be changed.
Janice, I have been thinking about the parents who aren't comfortable with or able to read aloud. I would tell those parents to listen to audiobooks with their kids. To curl up and be cozy, and maybe have a copy of the book onhand, too. The whole mandated library visits thing goes a bit against my anti-regulation vein, but I do know what you mean. Even if you can't afford books, you can borrow books for free at the library. There are story hours and even programs to help parents read. But if we don't get kids to the libraries ... what can we do? I do like Reach Out and Read, which uses doctor visits to get books into kids hands.
Rebecca, I think that there's a lot more to the read-aloud experience than just getting the child to focus on a particular book. If he likes to play with the books, great. Talk to him while he does that. Some parents read aloud to their kids while they eat. You certainly have to admit to the baby's attention span, but you can also adapt what you consider reading together. The books mentioned above, Jim Trelease's book and Mem Fox's book, address these kinds of topics in detail.
Terry, yes, even the variety of these responses suggests that a multi-faceted approach is needed. But I agree - just getting all of us thinking and talking about these issues is a start. Maybe these comments convinced someone to try audiobooks, or to read a bit longer, or whatever. It all helps.
Marietta, thanks for the support. As I said to Terry, it all helps. And knowing that there are so many people who care about this is encouraging.
Karen, I know that the information has been available for a long time. That's what's frustrating. How do you get people to internalize it and take action? People knew that cigarettes were bad for them for a long time before smoking levels started to drop (and that fight is surely not over either). I do agree completely that schools need to fill the void - Sarah's been making some great points about that. I wish we could send the Read-Aloud Handbook everywhere, too. The way that schools have been killing the joy of reading ... that's beyond frustrating. (Must read Readicide soon). And of course you're allowed to dream of a campaign for libraries around the world. I know that there are people working on libraries in third world countries (and I try to highlight those programs, too, when I hear about them). But of course more can be done.
Marianna, thanks for the reminder that this problem does occur across the board. As I mentioned above, those are parents we really ought to be able to reach. Because many of them DO want their kids to do well in school. They just for whatever reason don't understand or don't believe that sitting back and letting them enjoy books will help. Oh, and good point about the audiobooks for kids with reading difficulties, too! I'm quite sure that reading aloud has helped keep your son reading at grade level despite his dyslexia.
Readingjunky, thanks for reading to your students. Imagine if every teacher could do that!
Amy, I do know that people who find something difficult will go to great lengths not to do it (that's a big part of the justification for making reading enjoyable to kids in the first place). And I do think that adult literacy efforts play a part here, too. But I agree with what you and Nan said, that for adults to get out there and help the kids around us would help, also.
Liz, I'm always happy when I hear from parents who are able to maintain reading aloud as a family, even when kids are older. I agree that a key is reaching doctors (mentioned above) and day care workers (good thought - I haven't seen much about that) to get this message to people. I like the idea of getting this message to teachers - but I wonder who the educational system would allow to bring such a message...
Regarding your second comment, Karen, no, I don't watch a lot of children's TV. Glad to hear about the PSAs. I think that they must help. But apparently they aren't enough. Maybe we're so conditioned to ignore anything that feels like an ad... Back to Liz's point, I'm sure that this message sticks more if people hear it from someone they know and trust, like a doctor.
Anyway, keep those thoughts coming. This has been a really heartening discussion for me, seeing so many people who care, and take time to make thoughtful comments. Thanks!!
Posted by: Jen Robinson | January 27, 2009 at 08:32 PM
Jen, I am a remedial reading teacher and I have some thoughts and suggestions. If we teach kids to read at an early age then maybe I won't have to see them. Instead of giving a new parent that cute baby blanket, give them a book and if possible a tape that goes along with it. My granddaughter was born premature. The first thing her father did when they got her home was sat on the couch cuddling her and read a small book to her. She is almost three and her favorite thing to do is have a story read to her. At bedtime they read to her then leave her with two or three books to "read" before she goes to sleep.
How can we reach parents and get them to read to their children? We had an afternoon when we taught some of our students how to read to their siblings. They picked out a book or two from the library and then the parents came with the younger siblings. They sat together around the media center while our students read to the sibling and parent. They explained? A funny side effect to this was one of my Spanish speaking parents said her daughter sat the younger kids around the kitchen table and read to them while mom made dinner. Mom would join them and look at the book while her daughter read the stories. It helped her improve her English and after three months mom took over reading to the children while dinner cooked.
In the classroom start every period every day with some sort of reading. Tie it in to the days lesson, read something funny just to lighten the mood. Read an excerpt from a story. It need only take five minutes.
Since I teach reluctant readers who will always tell you they can't find anything good to read I do a book pass. They each get a book and have five minutes to read the front, back and a few pages then write their thoughts on the book. They then pass the book back and do it again. I do this twice a year and find that 90% of my students check out a book they have not read.
Choose a book that the entire school will read. Books in a series are great because students usually can't wait to read the next one. Our principal, secretaries, city officials and other guests came in and read the book. It was done every period and usually took two days. A book was given to the cafeteria workers and they read it and placed it next to their check out so they could discuss the book with students.
This won't work with all kids. However every student we snag is one less that will have a continuing reading problem.
As you can tell this is something that I am very passionate about.
Thanks for being such and advocate. It is people like you that help the teacher.
Posted by: Sandra Stiles | January 27, 2009 at 08:57 PM
Hello,
I think Liz's idea about involving doctor's &providers is a good one. When my children were born the hospital provided me with a small handbook on how to care for babies. After that though, you are mostly left to fend for yourself. Wouldn't it be great if at the well-child check at the age of 2 or 3, the doctor's office provided a book like Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten! by Stacey Kannenberg that teaches early reading skills. In addition, a age-appropriate book list could be provided at each well-child check that encouraged reading aloud every night.
Posted by: Janelle | January 27, 2009 at 08:59 PM
Wow, Sandra. This is great feedback. Thank you for taking the time to share all of these ideas. I personally always give books as a baby gift (and have for years). I'll never forget the time I was the ONLY person to give books at a baby shower. I especially like the reading to siblings idea, too. A nice way to engage older kids in reading aloud. And the idea of giving the one book to everyone in the school, including the cafeteria workers, I think is amazing.
Janelle, a program like you're describing does exist. It's called Reach Out and Read. They aren't universal, but they do work with a lot of doctors to provide books to children on their well-child visits, up to age five. I definitely support the expansion of the Reach Out and Read program.
It's not that there aren't good programs out there, or that these programs aren't making a difference. Clearly they are. And yet ... something more is clearly needed.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | January 27, 2009 at 10:16 PM
If I could conceive, fund and implement a specific, targeted program with 100% achievable outcomes for literacy, I would do it in a flash. I can't. My approach to doing something about literacy and family reading is very much like throwing paint at the barn door. I just hope some of it sticks.
I guess deep down I believe some of it WILL stick. Perhaps this way with one family, this way with another. Having different resources available in different media makes good sense to me. Just as good teachers provide varied strategies to suit different learning styles, so too do good communicators cater to different media preferences. Most homes in the western world have TV. More and more people are involved in the internet and using podcasts, video, blogs, search engines to gain what they want.
There are so many wonderful ideas here in the comments. All I want to add is lets make sure we send our message in as many different ways as possible.
Posted by: Book Chook | January 27, 2009 at 10:17 PM
In Bangkok there's a program in which volunteers go to a library and do a taped read-aloud for children in hospitals and orphanages. Although that's not a substitute for a parent reading aloud, it's certainly better than not being read to at all.
And if parents are averse to reading aloud for whatever reason, listening to a story on CD with their child, no matter what country they live in, this is a great way to be together!
Posted by: Janet Brown | January 27, 2009 at 11:28 PM
I was going to bed still thinking about this last night, and I agree with others that pushing reading to kids via pediatricians would be a good channel for the message. I was thinking of efforts like "Breast is Best" and "Back to Sleep". Would the American Academy of Pediatrics make a statement about the benefits of reading to children? Normally pediatricians and parents are more comfortable with doctors sticking to health issues (and out of parenting and discipline), but if it could be addressed in the context of development and environment? (No lead paint, lots of books!) I think of the example in Trelease about the family that read to their child with Down syndrome with an outcome beyond expectations. Reading benefits all kids.
The other prong may be fostering parent advocate communities. What would the La Leche League of reading look like?
Posted by: Karen | January 28, 2009 at 04:32 AM
Jen,
There are so many good reasons for reading aloud to children. Here is one of the best reasons--a reason that I learned from my years of teaching elementary school.
There are many children who are unable to read a book at the level at which they are able to comprehend the text. These children may have reading difficulties--but they don't have "thinking" problems. If we adults don't read to these children above their "designated reading level" we do them a tremendous disservice. We don't challenge their minds, don't introduce them to advanced vocabulary, and on and on...
Over the years, I found that some of my students who struggled to read were able to understand story characters, predict what might happen next in the story, and catch subtle humor better than some of my "top" students. We should never underestimate a child's cognitive abilities because he/she struggles in class or doesn't score well on standardized tests.
Posted by: Elaine Magliaro | January 28, 2009 at 06:51 AM
Universal Literacy is a passion of mine - that is the main reason I became a librarian and I'm so excited to feel a part of a community of bloggers that are passionate about this issue. I agree that there are many great ideas about how to promote literacy, and many organizations already hard at work but that there needs to be an umbrella element that shouts out in a positive involving way the importance for all children to be read aloud to every day. I believe that the more each and everyone of us continues to promote reading, and brings others to do the same, the better our message will be heard. I am proud to be a part of this essential effort. Thank you all.
Posted by: kbookwoman | January 28, 2009 at 07:48 AM
Great discussion, Jen. I see some of the problem as socio-economic. In homes where both parents or the single parent has to work long hours, reading aloud is not going to be a priority for some. Our challenge, as literacy advocates more than bloggers, is to reach (preach?) beyond the choir. The Internet is not a given feature of every home.
How do we spread the word in that case?
Posted by: Susan (Chicken Spaghetti) | January 28, 2009 at 09:09 AM
That sounds like a neat program, Janet (read-aloud on tapes). There are also programs in which parents who are overseas for the military are recorded reading to their own kids, and similarly for parents who are in prison. In both of those cases, much better than nothing, because it really conveys the message that the parent thinks that reading (and the child) are important, and worth going to some trouble for.
Karen, again, doctors from Reach Out and Read are out there talking about this. There have been studies tying in with the health benefits, though I don't have them off the top of my head. I would love to see this as a national campaign on the same level as those others. I think it's pretty well just as important, in the long-term.
Holly, this blows me away, too. But I want so much to believe that people just don't know how important this is. Because otherwise, they do know, but are choosing not to read with their kids. And that's just sad.
Elaine, that is an excellent point, about the kids who can understand higher level books, but can't read them yet. I know that's covered in The Read-Aloud Handbook, and it's good to hear your real-world experiences with it. I wonder how many kids, over the years, were slow to start reading, and were "tracked" at a lower level for their entire school years because of it, and how different that could have been, if they heard more books read-aloud.
kbbookwoman, I'm glad that you're here. Your comment "that there needs to be an umbrella element that shouts out in a positive involving way the importance for all children to be read aloud to every day" is exactly what I've been feeling, but haven't been able to put to words. I LOVE all of the organizations that are working on this. But an umbrella element would help to reach that level that Karen was talking about 4 comments back. I'd like it to be just common sense, like putting babies to sleep on their backs, that parents and teachers should be reading aloud to kids. Maybe we need to get the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature more exposure to the general public. Or we need a high-profile cabinet position - Secretary of Literacy. I don't know.
Please keep those comments coming. This is a great discussion!
Posted by: Jen Robinson | January 28, 2009 at 09:11 AM
Susan, I think that we were commenting at the same time. I do think that part of the problem is socio-economic, but (as highlighted by several of the comments above) not all of it. Even people who do have Internet in their homes aren't immune to this situation. But you're clearly right that there need to be ways to reach the less affluent families, too. Doctor's offices and preschools, programs that send books or volunteers to people's homes. Those programs are out there. How we as bloggers can support them, beyond promoting them and promoting the general need, I don't know. But it certainly shouldn't slip through the cracks.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | January 28, 2009 at 09:14 AM
Everybody Wins! USA couldn't agree more with the need to promote reading aloud to children, as we provide reading mentors to nearly 10,000 low-income children around the country.
We would gladly join you and others in ideas for a joint campaign and we have some ideas on how we could do this if we could bring the right partners together.
Rich Greif
National Executive Director
Everybody Wins! USA
Posted by: Rich Greif | January 28, 2009 at 09:28 AM
One more thought in response to Janice's concern about parents who might have concerns about reading aloud. This is actually something the doctors at Reach Out and Read deal with regularly.
For parents who aren't comfortable reading in English, our doctors encourage them to read aloud in their native language using bilingual books. What's most important is introducing children to books in a positive way early on.
For parents who are uncomfortable reading aloud in any language, our doctors recommend that parents simply use the books as a guide and create their own story to go along with the pictures.
Again what's critical is that parents and children are spending time together with a book, and children are learning about fundamental literacy concepts (books move from left to right, pictures go along with the story, etc.)
Posted by: Matt Ferraguto | January 28, 2009 at 09:45 AM
Oh! It looks like my last comment didn't post!
Jen--what a fantastic idea! I have some thoughts to add to the discussion.
First, for anyone interested in the source of the 52% of young children statistic, you can find the complete study (with state-by-state numbers) on Reach Out and Read's website here:
http://www.reachoutandread.org/press_chart.html
Second, I wholeheartedly agree with you that it would be fantastic for President Obama to take a leadership role in this discussion---in fact, we've been very encouraged by some of his comments in the past, including this one (where he appears to be speaking about Reach Out and Read without knowing it!):
"Right now, children come home from their first doctor's appointment with an extra bottle of formula. But imagine if they came home with their first library card or their first copy of Goodnight Moon?"
Lastly, I wanted to share with you some of the findings of Reach Out and Read on how best to encourage families to read together!
Because ROR is an organization that depends on the involvement of pediatricians and medical professionals, it’s critical that we have the research to support the intervention.
Since ROR was founded in 1989, more than 12 separate, peer-reviewed studies have been published on the effectiveness of ROR.
Notably, we’ve found that:
-Parents served by ROR are four times more likely to read to their children every day, and more likely to spend time with their children.
-Children served by ROR show significant developmental gains in language and literacy.
-Children served by ROR score higher on vocabulary tests and school readiness assessments.
Posted by: Matt Ferraguto | January 28, 2009 at 09:51 AM
In the last few years, my library system has been venturing into early literacy in a number of ways. We have some outreach programs where volunteers read at day care centers in lower-income areas. We have sessions for home day care providers with suggestions for reading to the children. We've also worked to incorporate more of "modeling" aspect in our storytimes, where we are showing parents how to read to their kids. The problem with the last approach is that the parents who make the efforts to come to library programs are probably not our target audience.
Our school also has a 15 min a night reading homework for at least 1st-3rd grade. (After that, they tended to have other reading type work.) I know we're not the only ones who do that.
I know I'm not offering solutions on a national campaign strategy, but I'm excited that you're taking up the discussion.
Posted by: MotherReader | January 28, 2009 at 10:49 AM
In September, my daughter's third grade teacher asked parents to come in as Guest Readers. She schedules one adult each week to come in for twenty minutes to a half hour to read picture books of their choosing.The kids love it. The parents who participate love it. My mom goes in as Guest Reader at the school of her grandson (my nephew). It's a win-win that shows adults how much the kids enjoy being read to,and should be implemented in more classrooms.
I alo think the AMA should get on board and come up with some literature for new parents about the importance of read alouds.
Posted by: Christine | January 28, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Jen,
Reading aloud to our son was the main reason we started writing reviews in the first place, and trying to promote the idea to dads who are often not reading either.
We'd be happy to help or contribute to this campaign in any way that we can.
Posted by: Steven at BookDads.com | January 28, 2009 at 12:53 PM
What a great discussion! Lot's of great ideas. I'll probably repeat some, but I think one of the best ways to increase reading out loud to kids is to help adults who can't read very well, read better. If as an adult I could read at a first grade level and it was hard to read, painstakingly hard and I had decoding problems. I wouldn't be jumping up and down to read to my kids. In fact I would probably avoid it.
I have seen students who can hardly read and they are 14 and I just wonder how much they are going to be able and want to read to their kids. So what I am saying is we also need to take care of adult literacy problems as well and by doing so we will benefit the current and future generations.
Yes, I like the PBS announcements for reading, there are some during Saturday morning cartoons as well on other networks, but I don't know how effective they are since it's mostly kids who watch these shows and I'm not sure how many adults watch PBS with their kids. Not to mention I think that a lot of people who do watch PBS adult programing tend to be more educated, better readers and probably more likely to read to their kids (just a guess I have no data to back that up). It might be more effective say during primetime during American Idol or something. I don't watch primetime so maybe they have them.
Posted by: caribookscoops | January 28, 2009 at 01:35 PM
Rich, thanks! Reading mentors are an important piece of the whole puzzle. Thanks for participating.
Matt, thank you for your detailed comments, especially the reference to the full Reach Out and Read study. And I LOVE that quote from President Obama. That's great stuff! I also agree that one of the key things that Reach Out and Read contributes in a national discussion is having solid research results. I mean, who can argue with things like: "Children served by ROR score higher on vocabulary tests and school readiness assessments." OK, people do argue, but I think that's great data.
Pam, thanks for sharing some of what your library is doing. The problem of the people in your storytimes not being the target audience who need you to model reading aloud is certainly a wide-spread issue. Then again, even the most book-centered parents can probably do with a bit of reinforcement from time to time.
Christine, I love the Guest Readers program. It sounds like such a win-win all around. I like the idea of including grandparents, too. If you have caring adults who are, say, retired, and can come in more often, how great is that? And agreed about the AMA. That would be excellent.
Steven, I absolutely think that Book Dads makes a contribution to this discussion, in part from the pure name of your site. A sub-issue, an important one, in this whole discussion is that if we truly want to get boys reading, we especially want to get their dads reading aloud to them. Statistically (though not in your house) there's a shortfall in terms of male reading role models compared to female ones. My dad wasn't much of a reader when I was growing up, but I know that he read to me when I was little, and I appreciate it even more, because he wasn't a book person. But he thought that it was important, and enjoyed doing it.
Cari, it's a vicious cycle, for sure, when you have adults who don't read to their kids because they aren't comfortable with their own reading, and then the kids grow up not reading either. I think you break that cycle wherever you can. With the adults, if you can get them to seek help, or with the kids (through teachers), if that's what it takes. And yes, absolutely, a PSA about the importance of reading aloud would have a lot more impact during the Superbowl or American Idol than it does for the relatively educated adult PBS audience. But I still still think that's it's great to have the PSAs there during the kids' programming, too. Even if it only reaches a small percentage of parents, well, we're glad to reach them.
What I really want to see is, in Sunday's Superbowl, Ben Roethlisberger doing a PSA about how parents should read to their kids. I mean, I'd like the message to be that clear and that widespread. Maybe next year...
Posted by: Jen Robinson | January 28, 2009 at 02:32 PM
Wow - great discussion!! Mother Reader brought up modeling - one of the motivations for a free story time that I do in my neighborhood. I agree that most of the parents who come to the group may read to their kids, but by seeing other read is a reminder, I think, of *how* to engage kids (ask questions, don't feel obligated to read word-for-word etc).
Just from observation, it seems some parents are reluctant to read because they are afraid they're doing it "wrong" or that the kids won't sit still. I think modeling gives them more permission/flexibility to adapt the story time to their kid.
Thanks for sparking the conversation, Jen.
Posted by: Nadine | January 28, 2009 at 09:06 PM
Jen
Definitely I think keep the PSAs going. I would love it if during the Superbowl something was said about reading to kids. And breaking the cycle of generational illiteracy at any point is going to make a difference.
Another idea is when I had my first baby the then first lady of Utah sent home with every parent a book to read to their child. Not sure how effective it was, but it's another idea.
Posted by: caribookscoops | January 28, 2009 at 09:22 PM
I totally agree.... and National "Read Aloud Awareness" week would be terrific.
I know I'm pushing on my end as hard as I can, teaching Literature for Children at CSUS. My class airs on TV (4 county region) .. and I open every class with a story for younger children... to tune into and then move on to the course material... Jim Trelease is my hero!
Your article has inspired me to push even harder!
You've got my vote and attention!
Francie Dillon
Adjunct Profession, California State University, Sacramento
Posted by: Francie Dillon | January 28, 2009 at 11:28 PM
Nadine, I agree about modeling. I'm following some discussions about this on parenting boards right now, and I have seen that raised as a issue (I don't know how to readaloud well). Giving people guidelines so that they feel more comfortable is definitely a piece to the whole puzzle.
Cari, I think that programs like that help. One huge component to the whole reading aloud thing is that people who don't have books in their homes. Programs that provide those books are really important. But yes, a PSA during the Superbowl would be lovely, too.
Francie, thanks for chiming in. People like you who are on the front lines getting kids excited about reading are my inspiration. I'm just trying to offer some support and cheerleading. Jim Trelease is my hero, too. Though I always enjoyed books myself, and knew that it was the right thing to share them with kids, his book ignited a passion in me for spreading the word about the importance of read-aloud. I couldn't even tell you how many copies I've given as gifts.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | January 29, 2009 at 12:08 PM
Hi Jen, Here's my response
Posted by: Charlotte | January 30, 2009 at 04:21 AM
Wasn't that Barbara Bush's big issue, and to a lesser degree, Laura Bush's? I don't know if White House support would help, but maybe if Oprah said it, people would do it, LOL.
My daughter's in 5th grade and I don't know if they read aloud to her now, but I know that every year in elementary school, the teacher did, and that's wonderful.
She was just telling me this week how things have changed because of the superintendent's plans for more reading -- in all classes, such as Science. I couldn't really find out more info, but it sounds interesting.
Posted by: Jennifer, Snapshot | January 30, 2009 at 04:59 AM
Good stuff, Charlotte! I made the link clickable.
Jennifer, I think that support from everywhere will help - the White House, Oprah, etc.
And I hope to hear more about the idea of your daughter's school incorporating more reading. That's excellent!
Posted by: Jen Robinson | January 30, 2009 at 12:51 PM
I am an ESL teacher, and there is a very strong movement for family literacy in the ESL and adult education world. I'm attending a family literacy conference in March, and plan to advocate for reading aloud in the meetings I attend.
Marcia Calhoun Forecki
Better Than Magic
www.eloquentbooks.com/BetterThanMagic.html
Posted by: Marcia | January 31, 2009 at 09:08 AM
That's great to hear, Marcia. Another voice, and in the right place, advocating for reading aloud. Thank you! I hope that the conference goes well.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | January 31, 2009 at 09:58 AM
The same is true in Canada. My partner and I have founded a little company called "Baby Bookworms" where we conduct seminars to parents, teachers, librarians to sound the alarm bell that this needs to be corrected and it is our responsibility (especially the parents) to make it a priority to spend that quality time over a book with their little one. We are teachers who left the system to come in the backdoor of our huge educational system and give a wake up call to what is happening to our kids. I enjoy your blog and join you wholeheartedly in the war against illiteracy.
Posted by: Marilyn Panton | February 01, 2009 at 07:06 AM
This is such a fantastic discussion! I think the modelling idea is great and could go in a different direction - how about some of those celebrities you mention reading stories not just to children but to adults - put us in the shoes of the listener and see how much enjoyment we get out of it; get them going round candid camera-ing parents reading with their children, to show that it doesn't have to be scary or "perfect". The decline in reading to children has been going on for a while now - there are so many parents out there who never experienced it themselves...
My 7-year-old was having a tantrum yesterday and the only solution was to grab a book and start reading to him. I tell you, it was good for me as well as him, to know that being read to has an instant distracting effect!
The figures for the under-6s is truly depressing - so yes, you can count on us to do all we can to get a campaign off the gound!
Posted by: marjorie | February 01, 2009 at 07:47 AM
Marilyn, I think that what you're doing with Baby Bookworms is great. The more people there are out there encouraging parents to read with their kids, and giving them concrete help to do it, the better. Thanks!
And Marjorie, I think that expanding the modeling idea would be great. Not sure exactly how to go about getting there, but I can picture it. The candid camera idea is fun, too! And actually, stories like yours, where reading aloud wasn't just some long-term benefit, but a tangible thing that helped in a given moment with your son ... that all helps, too. I know that you and the PaperTigers team are on the same page with all of this, and I'm glad.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | February 01, 2009 at 09:17 AM
I *love* the idea of an international campaign to encourage kids to read. I'm thinking internet ads, maybe an email ad, even radio (like satelitte radio).... Bookstore bookmarks, or printable bookmarks, that kind of thing.
Jen, you're so right that it would help kids--and adults--if there was more reading aloud. And I love your ideas. I think if Oprah or another popular TV show host encouraged it on TV, it would help make an incredible impact. How about movie stars for reading? TV ads?
Posted by: Cheryl Rainfield | February 01, 2009 at 01:37 PM
Jen,
Thank you for bringing this topic to the forefront for discussion! I have read many of the comments and have shared my own on my blog (the direct link is http://tiftalksbooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/reading-to-our-children.html).
Since my husband will be graduating in a few short months as a doctor, I wanted to comment in particular to addressing the AMA. I think that this is a great idea, but I also think that additional associations are being forgotten. What about the American Osteopathic Association (the organization for D.O.'s)? We have to remember that pediatricians can be either M.D.'s or D.O.'s and addressing both groups are important! There are also advocate groups to each of these organizations (i.e., spouses, significant others, etc. to doctors) that would be a great resource, both at the national and local levels! I have already sent an email to both the osteopathic advocate national group as well as my personal local chapter. Let's continue with this discussion, but also let's start taking some action ourselves!!
Posted by: Tif | February 02, 2009 at 06:47 AM
Cheryl and Tif, thank you both. I've commented on both of your posts on your own blogs, so I won't be redundant here. Instead, I'll send people along to:
Cheryl's post
Tif's post
Amy's post (referenced in Tif's post)
Thank you! It's so amazing to see real action spreading on this subject.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | February 02, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Wow. What a response! I'm so glad to hear it. I love Jim Trelease's work and Stephen Krashen's Power of Reading (and now Kelly Gallagher's Readicide). I think a national push is definitely a great start. Maybe with the timing of Gallagher's book coming out along with the response on this post and the recent unveiling of Kilitoshpere Central we can make this one of the central pushes of "the movement."
I think all of the reasons for NOT reading aloud have been mentioned, except choice. I know more than a few parents that I talk to (some of them teachers!) walk into the kid's section of a bookstore or library and don't know where to begin. They don't want to read all the Strawberry Shortcake or whatever it is their child is bringing them but they don't have the time or inclination to hit the stacks.
Now that Jim Trelese is retiring, I really think we need someone to pick up the mantle and continue editing/revising and publishing The Read-Aloud Handbook every couple of years.
James Patterson's new web site promoting kid-friendly titles for reluctant readers is a good one. Maybe those celebrity PSAs you guys were talking about could include information about certain books? And it would be GREAT if it wasn't just parents with little ones. Recreating something like Trelese reading to the kid washing dishes would be nice!
Let's keep this rolling!
Posted by: teacherninja | February 04, 2009 at 03:52 PM
I'm definitely with you on this, teacherninja. Thanks for these comments, and for posting about this on your blog. I, too, am heartened by the tremendous response to this. I wish that I could just drop everything else, and really work on this as a campaign (but life isn't like that, is it, and we have to take action where and how we can).
Clearly, helping with the choice aspect is something that the Kidlitosphere is well equipped to do. I hope that Kidlitosphere Central will help people to find blog resources for book reviews, lists, suggestions, etc. It's a two-step process. Getting people to believe that this is important, and then helping them to do it (with book suggestions, audiobooks for the people who have difficulty reading, books and library cards, etc.). But specific recommendations from celebrities would, of course, help a lot, too.
I would love to see someone take on the continued updating of the Read-Aloud Handbook. But in the meantime, I'll be pointing people to every study and article that I see (in conjunction with Terry Doherty at the Reading Tub, and others). And we'll keep this whole thing percolating, and see where it leads.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | February 07, 2009 at 12:50 PM
This has been a wonderful thread.As for updates on Trelease's books, here are a few suggestions.
Do go over to James Patterson's wonderful website, www.READKIDDOREAD.com for scores of great books to read aloud. As the reviewer on that site, I've got the exciting job of selecting books that will be real page turners for kids to read alone, but they're also stellar read-aloud titles for ages birth to teen.
If you're looking for still more strategies for reading aloud and turning kids on to books, plus thousands of titles kids will love, check your library or Amazon for my Books Kids Will Sit Still For series and The Winners! Handbook series (Libraries Unlimited). Their audience is teachers and librarians, but parents will find lots of useful ideas, too.
Posted by: Judy Freeman | February 12, 2009 at 09:54 PM
Several thoughts: I have just stumbled into this site and am excited by your passion...and the multitude of ideas. So thanks for working so hard on something I care about so deeply. Read Out and Read, I can attest to, is doing great things to get books in the hands of parents. Finding a way to publicize that more, and help parents get the hang of "how" to read to kids (so that everyone feels comfortable with it) is also important. Secondly...when my son entered seventh grade, his (wonderful) English teacher stacked up all the books they would read and presented them at Open House. She said,"We're going to read these...they are wonderful books. If you want a way to keep in touch with your kid this year, try reading them yourself!" It was a great idea, and, through high school, we often picked one of the "required reading list" books and used it as a family read aloud for vacation. So you CAN keep it going, after the kids stop being little, IF YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED THE HABIT.
Thanks so much - if there's a way for me to help in your campaign (I'm in RI), let me know!
Posted by: Marti | February 14, 2009 at 07:29 AM
Thanks for the suggestions, Judy. I think that the advent of ReadKiddoRead is a good thing for children's literacy - I've mentioned the site several times. Thanks for stopping by to chime in!
I'm glad that you found my site, too, Marti. We are clearly kindred spirits. And I love that idea from your son's English teacher, encouraging the parents to read the books from the year's reading list. I'm a big proponent of the benefits of parents reading the same books that their kids read, even if they aren't reading them aloud together - it's a great way to keep kids engaged in books as they get older.
Thanks for offering to help, too! I'm not sure exactly where all of this is going, but I'm definitely compiling ideas, and am thrilled about all of the positive energy I'm seeing. Stay tuned - I'll be talking about this more for sure.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | February 14, 2009 at 10:30 AM
I've been telling parents of my kindergartners for 24 years, that the MOST important thing they can do for their children is read stories to them every night. But I still hear more about the latest videos than I do favorite books.
Posted by: Brenda Matthews | February 14, 2009 at 05:33 PM
Kudos to you for trying, Brenda. I'll bet that some of them have heard you. A statement like "this is the MOST important thing" is going to resonate with at least some people. So, over time, I'm sure that you've been making a positive difference. The ones who care about raising literate kids, but didn't realize how important reading aloud is - you helped them.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | February 15, 2009 at 11:29 AM
I think what is needed is to get someone prominent on board who will make this a priotiy, say Michelle Obama. If Oprah had a show with her and Jim Trelease I think you'd see results the next day, especially if Mrs. Obama took up the cause and kept it constantly in the media. If a respected educational group contacted her proposing this maybe something wonderful could happen. The follow up would be TV spots, and not just on PBS, showing the rock stars and wrestlers reading to their children. We do what we find pleasurable. What is needed is to get people to try it so that with luck they will find they enjoy it.
Posted by: mimsy | March 02, 2009 at 07:41 AM
I think that an approach like that would be AMAZING, Mimsy. And I agree with you that it would have an impact. You're completely right that the people who will continue reading to their kids are the ones who find pleasure in it ... I like to think that most of them would, don't you? Thanks for this excellent and thought-provoking comment.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | March 02, 2009 at 12:49 PM
I have waited FAR too long to enter this discussion...I fear I let work items get me down and days kept passing me by....I have just posted an item on my blog RASCO FROM RIF that responds in short form to many of the issues raised during this wonderful discussion. I hope you will check out www.rascofromrif.org! Becky Levine, I have mentioned in my blog entry the Family of Readers you noted in your comment to this issue; thank you for exploring our RIF site. And a big thanks, Jen, for this great, rich exchange among all of us!
Posted by: Ant GiGi | March 03, 2009 at 09:21 AM
Thanks for commenting, Carol. Everyone, here's the direct link to Carol's post, highlighting specific RIF resources. It makes me really happy to see this discussion continuing and expanding. Of course RIF has been working on this problem for years, but I do think that the Internet (blogs/facebook, etc) give us all new tools for spreading the word.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | March 03, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Hi Jen!
I've had my nose down working on rgz Operation TBD '09 and missed this amazing effort. I'm so sorry!
My aim for readertotz is to bring attention to board books as the first read-a-louds that have the potential to foster a lifelong love of reading. If I can help in any capacity in the future, please let me know!
I love your ideas, Jen! Onward!
Posted by: Lorie Ann Grover | March 14, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Thanks for chiming in, Lorie Ann! I think board books are very important in building literacy. And I love Readertotz. I'm not really sure where this is going, but thanks so much for offering to help! Hope that Operation TBD planning is going well.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | March 14, 2009 at 05:43 PM
I also feel strongly that all children deserve to be read aloud to regularly. But I feel pretty ambivalent, at best, at the idea that we should just "encourage parents" to do this.
I don't think we can think about stats like this outside of the context of the neoliberal assault, inside and outside of the U.S. -- parents are working more hours for less money. Meanwhile, social services for children and families are being cut. And putting more blame on parents for things they don't (sometimes, can't) do picks up the slack.
Posted by: Elizabeth | April 26, 2009 at 01:33 PM
Elizabeth, I do share your reluctance to tell people what to do. When I say "encourage", what I really mean is, communicate to the people who genuinely don't know this, how important it is to read aloud with their kids. Yes, there are parents who want to do spend more time reading, and can't, for whatever reason. I'm not looking to blame them. But I also think that there are people who could read more, and would want to if they understood what a difference it could make. Most people do want the best for their kids, right? But I would argue that, as a country, we haven't gotten the message out strongly enough that one of the best things you can do for your kids is read to them, and keep reading to them even as they get older. That's my point. It's not about blame, it's about communication.
And for the record, I would love to see a similar message about the importance of read-aloud, and free reading time, be communicated to teachers and administrators. Of course parents aren't the only ones responsible here.
Thanks for the feedback! You're helping me to refine my own position on this.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | April 27, 2009 at 11:02 AM
Wow- What a response to this article. First of all I'm writing for children aged five on up.
although I'm not hardly known at all, Yet... I'm trying to encourage parents to read to there children at least 30 minutes a night. As a school custodian at an elementary school for 20 years. I hear kids reading soooo slow to them self's, I wonder after reading what they're reading if they actually under stand what they read. My two children 15 and 18 are above reading skills and a funny thing I would like to bring up. My daughter at the age of 6 years old would grab my rat terrier dog princess and read her and the dog to sleep. It was so cute. I wish I would have video taped at least one session. I'm trying to get out my self to do story telling my self. here in California it is hard. I've read to day cares and pool clubs and finally got a chance to read at a public library in a town other than my own in mid Sept. So before I write my next book I'm giving it a try with story telling, I like it better than writing the actual books-LOL Take care william sawyers
P.S maybe I should try to convert my books to audio stories? I didn't realize people use so often
Posted by: william sawyers | July 24, 2009 at 09:35 PM
Thanks for taking time to comment, William. And for all that you do to encourage kids to read. It does sound like storytelling might be the best way to go for you. You should check out the blog Saints and Spinners, which features musical storytelling for kids.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | July 25, 2009 at 10:46 AM