KIM CARSON INTERVIEWED PAMELA PAUL, AUTHOR OF
HOW TO RAISE A
READER KIM: This month, my conversation is with Pamela
Paul, the NYT Children's Books editor and editor of The New York Times Book Review. The name of your book is How To Raise A Reader. Kids are back in school, summer break is a fading memory, so it's probably a good idea to start polishing up on those reading skills, right?
PAMELA: Yes, yes, and also parents are wondering what if my child isn't reading yet or is my child a good enough reader? So at a time when people aren't really thinking about books, they're so distracted by the computer screens and their phones and everything else competing for their attention, how do you get a kid interested in books again? If you're starting fresh and you have a brand new baby, it's never too early; but it's also never too late. Some parents despair if they have a ten-year-old boy who just wants to play Fortnight or they have a 13-year-old daughter who is on Instagram all day. So how do you get your kids off of devices? Mostly it's about giving them the right books, making sure they have the right options because some boys will say, “I don't like reading,” or, “I don't like books. They're boring.” Chances are that boy just hasn't found the right book. That's what a book club offers: excellent recommendations for all different kinds of readers. Also, your son may not like reading a book in the way that you think of a book, a novel,
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or a narrative with lots of text. A boy may enjoy a book on Fortnite, Minecraft, or a joke book. Boys are attracted to those big Smithsonian-type books, National Geographic, Ripleys, Believe It or Not. Boys are drawn to facts or comics. They like graphic novels. All of those things are books, and looking at all of those things is reading, so please don't look down on those choices. We have to affirm that those are great books and provide them for kids. Start with your child's interests.
K: When I was attending McGregor Elementary School back
in Detroit, there was something called the "Scholastic Book Club." Once or twice a month, the teacher would distribute the Scholastic Magazine, and contained within those pages were all the titles I could choose from, and for me, that was when the fun began!
P: I love the Scholastic Book Club. They are fantastic because
they have a lot of books that are targeted at kids' interests. They have a wonderful sense of what boys and girls, all kids, like to read, and probably one of the reasons you liked it is that it puts you in control. You chose the books, you were able to say I want this and this and this, so it's extra special when that big box arrives, and the teacher starts distributing the piles of books.
K: Yeah, it was great. I also remember sitting at the kitchen
table with the new Scholastic Magazine and asking my mother how many books I could get? She would always say pick out what you want, and if it's too many, I'll let you know. I don't recall a time that there were ever too many.
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