Jun 06 2007
Getting your kids to read good books
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After slamming the Fairy Chronicles books on her blog, the Library Lady has several fairy book recommendations that sound positively enticing. The books, like No Flying in the House
But what’s interesting is her insight into the world of children’s book publishing:
What we are seeing here is another case of what I’d call Eragon
Syndrome. Someone self-publishes a truly dreadful book (in this case a series), some slick marketer sees the opportunity to market these books to a certain audience (in this case moms with little girls into fairies) and buys it. They slap some pretty-pretty covers on them, do some marketing (big ad in a recent Publishers Weekly–that’s what caught my eye). They add some nonsense about "positive values" (kids need magical powers to do good?–that’s a heckuva message!), get some blurbs by gullible parents and "reviewers" who themselves are writers of hack series, and POOF! a best selling series.
I continue to be appalled at the failure of parents to give a damn about the quality of the literature they offer their kids. They spend a fortune on fancy clothes and the best foods, but when it comes to the nourishment they give their children’s MINDS, they are willing to settle for the mediocre.
I can relate having sold Usborne Books for a couple of years. I’d see moms who’d spend a couple of hundred dollars on Mary Kay, Pampered Chef or Gold Canyon. Yet they’d only dole out $20 for great books for their kids.
There’s nothing wrong in spending money on yourself (I love my MK, PC and GC ladies, too.) But why be cheap when it comes to your child’s reading materials? Yes, there are free books at the library. But it’s wonderful being able to own a book, carry it around, and go back to it time and time again.
Do you believe in buying quality books for your kids? Or do feel as long as they’re reading, I don’t care what it is?
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electric fireplace
My son is entering 3rd grade this August, and by now knows that I will not buy crap from Scholastic. My 5yo dd still begs for My Little Pony and other books of that ilk. Every once in a while she can get one like that while getting another quality book.
I wish Scholastic would not peddle the crap. Not just the characters, but the cheap plastic toys and other junk. IMO the marketing of this stuff is just as bad as having soda machines available in schools.
I do spend tons on books, as does their grandma- no shortage of quality books around her.
In today’s world with so many stimuli, it is hard to get kids to focus on a book. At the beginning, when my daughter passed the Junie B Jones phase, I resorted to Captain Underpants to get her in the habit and enjoy the fun of reading. Last night she was telling us about Where the Red Fern Grows and by the time she got to the end she was crying, so I know she was really into that book.
For a fun fantasy type book at late elementary/early middle school (has both a girl and a boy as main characters) stage, try Sue Corbett’s 12 Again. It is a fairy story in modern times based on old Irish folklore. My daughter and I read it together and both of us really liked it!
Thanks for picking up on my rant!
I have to agree wholeheartedly about the Scholastic book fair thing. Every time my kids go, I wince at what they offer.
It’s important to note though, that I have nothing against kids read mass media stuff. My big problem is parents who don’t give their kids anything else BUT the mass media stuff, with the whine “At least they’re reading”. I doubt if the same parents would watch their kids scarf down tons of junk food and nothing else and declare “Well, at least he’s EATING”
To me the library is the place where we separate the wonderful from the mediocre. Certainly there are tons of books that we buy that you are going to have a hard time finding at your local megabookstore!