Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment: Emma Walton Hamilton
December 12, 2012
Book: Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment
Author: Emma Walton Hamilton (blog)
Pages: 208
Age Range: Adult nonfiction
Hamilton starts with the bad news, results from studies that show a decline in reading in the US (including a host of depressing statistics, like "Forty-two percent of college graduates never read another book once they have graduated."). She admits that she isn't a trained reading specialist or educator, and she doesn't get into the mechanics of reading at all, but she proposes the same essential solution that Jim Trelease does, emphasis (by parents and teachers) on the link between reading and pleasure. She says "This book is about creating--or restoring--the connection between reading and joy." She starts with context, giving a history of reading, and then she proposes concrete methods for encouraging reading, aimed at each age group (from birth through early adolescence).
The chapters for the different age groups are designed to allow each to be read independently, as needed by the parent of that age child. I think that this will be quite helpful for parents looking to inspire a particular child. This structure does make it a bit tedious to read Raising Bookworms straight through, however, as many of the tactics that Hamilton proposes apply to multiple age levels. These are thus repeated throughout the book. She does separate the previous suggestions from the new ones each time, so that it's not difficult to skip the ones that one has already read, but there is certainly extra page-turning. [Mind you, I don't have a better solution for the problem of creating standalone chapters but having content that applies to each. It's just tough to read straight through.] Hamilton also includes tables "encompassing all the ideas and recommendations", and indicating which recommendations apply to which age group, in the appendix.
One thing that I really like about Raising Bookworms is that Hamilton includes short, blurbed lists of book suggestions within the chapters for each age range. While I found her lists to be a bit heavy on classics (or relatively light on contemporary fare - she has nowhere near the breadth of Melissa Taylor), I liked that she took the time to tell parents why they should consider a particular book. Hamilton is the daughter of Julie Andrews, and there are some plugs for Andrews' and Hamilton's own books. But it's still clear that Hamilton is a genuine advocate for reading books of all sorts.
Hamilton is also "a great believer in the synergies that exist between literacy and the arts--and the ways in which each can inform the other". In addition to encouraging literacy and reading, she includes a number of suggests related to encouraging the arts in general (attending and participating in plays, etc.). I haven't seen this covered in many other literacy books, and this adds a bit of a personal slant to Raising Bookworms. She's also quite open with discussing the reading experiences of her own children, and what worked during their evolution as readers.
Raising Readers is well-sourced. There are references throughout to literacy organizations, books about encouraging readers, and research studies. There is a bibliography at the end of the book, as well as a helpful index. There is a short section on blogs and other online resources for learning about books (A Fuse #8 Production and Cynsations are both mentioned). Published in 2008, Raising Readers doesn't cover the rise of eBook readers, but these online references give the book a reasonable balance between traditional and contemporary (though without the up-to-the-minute feel of Book Love).
Raising Readers has a bit of a philosophical feel to it. Though there are certainly specific tips and recommendations, Hamilton is sharing her views in a number of areas related to literacy. The fact that these views tended to coincide with mine made this a satisfying read for me. Like this:
"By employing the techniques outlined in the following pages with your children, you stand a good chance of helping them to discover the power and wonder inherent in books. You also stand to enrich your own relationship with them, and to help them achieve rewarding relationships with others. You may even experience a greater sense of personal fulfillment--and might just gain (or rekindle) a new appreciation for reading yourself.
... Ultimately, my dream is that we might reestablish a society of readers ... and by extension, a society of thoughtful, engaged citizens who play an active, positive role in their community and their world." (Page 5-6)
and this:
"I believe that the main reason we move away from reading as an elective activity is because of our conscious association, often unwittingly learned at school and reinforced at home, between reading and "chore." (Page 12)
and this:
"Nothing will teach children to love reading more than seeing the adults around them showing enthusiasm for it. In fact, according to a recent survey by Scholastic, parents who regularly read for pleasure are six times more likely to have kids who read for fun." (Page 17)
Raising Bookworms is also sprinkled with quotes from other reading advocates (Jim Trelease, Esme Raji Codell, Daniel Pennac, etc.). This gives Raising Bookworms the feel of building on the efforts of those others. Most of the tips that I found in Raising Bookworms weren't new to me (a compulsive reader of books on growing bookworms), but I found it a nice refresher, something to rejuvenate my determination to help my child to grow up to be a reader.
[Note: later this week I will be sharing some thoughts on the Kindle format of this book and Book Love. I wish that I had purchased the paperback copy of Raising Bookworms instead, so that I could more easily refer back to Hamilton's age-specific tips.]
Publisher: Beech Tree Books
Publication Date: December 1, 2008
Source of Book: Bought it on Kindle, after Darshana mentioned it
© 2012 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).