Adam@Home by Rob Harrell for November 29, 2009

Too wordy, BAD. He’s right!

Unless they are books about VIDEO GAMES! Right, Clayton? (That’s what I thought.)

I really do worry that kids today don’t read books like we used to. The imagination isn’t given the opportunity to grow when you see everything like on youtube and video games.

A video game is worth a thousand books.

I love to read and I’ve always loved to read. What a lot people miss out on by not reading.

well, get a picture book and look at all the pictures, just like TV…….who wants a bunch of words cluttering things up, anyway?

And that’s the problem. Clayton’s parents let him tell them how things are and so he grows up ignorant. I counsel parents all the time on their child’s low reading scores. Usually at least one of them says something like, “He comes by it honest, I hate to read to!” They never realize that this is like giving their kids education a death sentence. If you want your kid to grow up ignorant and unable to think for himself, don’t teach them to appreciate reading. The greatest gift any parent can give their child is an appreciation of reading for pleasure.

Adam has the right idea, he’s just not adult enough to pull it off. And his kids will suffer for it.

This cartoonist has not heard of illustrations?

Still miss the radio, even the soap shows. There was one’s imagine at work. After learning to read, it was just an extension after the radio.

I have ten children. My television works, but is not connected to an antenna or cable, and hasn’t been for 15 years. My kids (except for one–and he’s marching to his own drummer) all read, some voraciously, others as needed. Mom reads. Literacy is an important thing in society. We’re not the sharpest cookies in the cookie jar, but we are literate.

Yes, books are full of WORDS. That is the magic of them! I have been participating in a Facebook Thanksgiving Challenge to daily list something for which you are thankful. Two of my entries were BOOKS and WORDS. I am thankful for both of them.

Unfortunately, times do change. I always received at least one new hardbound for Christmas AND my birthday when I was a kid, and was happy. Whether it was a new Tarzan, or a Zane Grey, or a Tom Swift, Space Cadet; they took me to different worlds. Of course, I didn’t have video games then - didn’t even have much video, period. Growing up today would be a completely different experience.

I’ve been a “bookworm” ever since I could read. My husband has reading problems, and they just passed him to the next grade without warning his parents that he couldn’t read. Thankfully, his 5th grade teacher took the time to tutor him, so he can read now, but didn’t teach him phonics, or do vision therapy (probably unknown at that time) with him to help him overcome his reading difficulties. Therefore, even though he’s literate, he never enjoyed reading. Our oldest son inherited his dad’s reading difficulties, but with homeschooling him, we were able to give him the necessary tutoring and special training to overcome that problem. Went from not being able to read simple books (such as Curious George) at age 9, to having a high school level reading on his middle school standardized tests. He prefers computers to books, but will read a book (without pictures) if it is on a subject he enjoys. Our youngest son learned to read “by osmosis” - listening to me instruct his older brother in phonics. At 6, there wasn’t a book he couldn’t and wouldn’t read. I’ve helped our family learn to enjoy books by reading them aloud to the whole family. Sherlock Holmes series were a great favorite, plus many others. Now with our family’s schedule making it difficult to get everyone together each evening, I’ve had to curtail that activity. But my husband is starting to ask for recommendations of books he can read - I guess he found out that reading can be for pleasure, if you get the right book. We do own lots and lots of books, but we utilize the libraries in our area, as much as possible. Borrowing is cheaper than buying, especially if it isn’t a reference-type book, and then we don’t have to find room on our crowded bookshelves for them.

My husband loves to tell what I did for Christmas two years in a row. He listed a specific book on his “want list”. The paperbook edition wasn’t in the bookstore, but the hardbound was in the library. I just hated the idea of spending $30+ for a book that he would read once, and then it would collect dust, because he probably wouldn’t give it away. So, I went to the library, checked out the book (four weeks until it was due), and stuck a $20 bill inside for him to spend as he chose. I love owning books that I will read over & over again, but not books that won’t be read more than once.

Nice story Rmom!

i have always liked to read. in the past month i have read timeline by michael crichton, angles & demons and am half way through di vinci code, i really like to read and i find it more entertaining than watching TV

there is a used book store a mile from my house where i purchase a lot of the books i have read, when i finish them i bag them up and take them to a local hospital and donate them.

If kids are read do early, they’ll tend to love books and to learn to read early. Which tends to be really helpful in life.

As a literacy instructor I know the sad truth about the ignorant.

Books are the cheapest gifts imaginable. Ever go to a used book store? For a couple of bucks you can get almost any title imaginable.

I think kids read more now than they did a generation ago. Millions of kids read all the Harry Potter books, and millions are now reading the Twilight books.