Reading Tips From Jon Scieszka

For those of you who watch The Martha Stewart Show, you may have seen guest star Jon Scieszka’s appearance on the Getting Children to Read segment on April 22, 2008. He was recently named the first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress, and as Martha said, “a very serious title for an author who wants to make reading fun again.” As the percentage of children who read for fun is on the decline – particularly boys – Jon Scieszka has created a great website called www.guysread.com. The site contains reading lists of books that would inspire even the most reluctant readers.

Here are some of the tips Scieszka shared with us on The Martha Stewart Show:

1. Show kids how to incorporate technology into reading. Suggest that kids read a book that has been made into a movie or a TV show and ask them to evaluate the differences between both.
2. Let your children see you read books, magazines, and newspapers regularly.
3. Parents and educators must let kids see that reading can be fun — don’t let books become associated only with school and tests.