How to read a book.

By Michael Audas.

It is important for children to read a vast quantity—and wide variety—of different books. Not only does this allow them to develop familiarity with different text styles, but it also exposes them to a cornucopia of new words and ways to use language. Sometimes, however, our zeal for certain quantitative metrics (e.g., how many books has Johnny read?) can overshadow the considerations that go into a quality engagement with reading. When we find ourselves rushing through a book to ’get it done,’ or because we sense that our young reader’s interest is flagging, we can be sure that we will have deprived her or him of the real treasures stored within a given work, unless we correct our course.

But how can we go about this? The first and most important thing to consider is speed: this doesn’t merely mean that we slow the cadence of our reading, or that we stop at encouraging the child to do the same, but rather that we approach a text as if we were in no real hurry to put it down. We should not expect a book to yield its riches any more than we would invite someone to tell us their life story—but only within a fixed timeframe. Getting to know a book, just like getting to know a person, requires that we spend the time to ask meaningful questions and that we wait to hear the answer in full; if we still don’t understand, we need to ask more questions, and/or think about it until we do.

Of course, a book will not always be so charitable as to answer verbal questions with a verbal reply, but this is where children are fortunate enough to have someone on hand who can do precisely that. Better yet: if a parent’s answer shows the child (and yes, they can tell) that they are thinking long and hard about a book, and that they are on the same journey of understanding as they, then the message they will receive is “this book is worth reading, because even my super-smart Mummy or Daddy is trying to figure it out!” Even a passage with very many unfamiliar words, or poetic flourishes, can be made comprehensible to an early reader if an adult is on hand to provide a well-considered explanation.

But children, just like their statistically-taller counterparts, can also be quite prideful. They may not want to admit that they don’t understand something. That’s where the parent or adult needs to be vigilant and anticipate areas of difficulty and address gaps in understanding. The support you can offer in this regard is incredibly valuable, especially when approaching older texts which, while infinitely worth the reading, are often difficult for children to parse due to their complexity and archaisms.

Restful reading at a slow pace, and driven by a spirit of genuine curiosity counts for far more than how many books your child’s bookmark has hopped between in a month.