All About Grooming & Encouraging Good Reading Habits

[Picolo]

My P1 boy enjoys Magic Tree House, Magic School Bus (when 6 yo till beginning of P1), Osborne books, Tin Tin, Young Scientists, Geromino Stilton and Roald Dahl. In fact, I realise that we don’t have to really look for titles for them at this age as their good friends all seem to like the same stuff! The only one that they like but not approve by me is The Captain Underpants series - extremely funny to them but so many delibrate spelling errors in the books. So, at most they can only borrow from the libraries because this series is not supported by mummy.


DS is crazy about MTH currently and has finished 30/40+ MTH books so far. He can read 5 in one night when his ‘catch’ (from libraries or friends) is good.

I always borrow and buy quality Chinese books for the kids so they are all exposed to them. I regularly read Chinese books to them too, but they don’t always automatically pick up a Chinese book unless it is a comic book. Place any of the series mentioned alongside with the Chinese books and you see which ones ‘sell like hotcakes’.

So, my problem is not Chinese books. My problem is for English stuff, they don’t like to read the classics. Show Charlotte Web to DS and he would say ‘I don’t read these books.’ Any advice from parents here?

[tamarind]

clare:

My ds is learning Spanish at his kindergarten but his school also offers French for the older grades so I'm teaching him myself first... KS lah, hehe.

Oh you and your family are in the USA ? You may have written it in another thread, but I cannot really remember In Singapore most kids are already very stressed with 2 languages : English and Chinese, especially when they have to know how to read and write in both languages by the age of 7.

Picolo:

My problem is for English stuff, they don't like to read the classics. Show Charlotte Web to DS and he would say 'I don't read these books.' Any advice from parents here?

Young children do not really understand what are good books, so parents should make sure that that they read the classics.

I made my 5 year old girl read out loud to me. I tell her that I love to listen to her reading, and that she makes me very happy when she reads to me. She reads everyday, and it has become a routine so she knows that mommy will not let her off unless she completes reading for the day. After she reads what mommy wants her to read, which takes 15 minutes or less, she is free to do other things. So she does not not mind. Charlotte's Web is written beautifully, and I dream that my girl will one day write as well as the author, E.B. White. I cannot say the same thing about her Rainbow Fairy series, too simplistic. But she still has all the freedom to read them.

ChiefKiasu:

ksmama:

...I cried when I read about the spider's death but when I asked my boy if he felt sad about her death, he said no and he didnot like the book that much. I was a little disturbed then as I thought oh dear, is my boy so unsympathetic??!!

I stole my son's Charlotte's Web for an hour to read it just to find out what's the big deal and I have the same reaction as your son. Maybe my wife was really right when she calls me insensitive at times :?

E.B. White meant it that way. He did not write her death in ways that will make children and adults cry. In fact, her death comes naturally in the book, written in a very low key manner : \"\"Good-bye!\" she whispered. Then she summoned all her strength and waved one of her front legs at him. She never moved again.\" Even very young children will not be disturbed by her death. I was merely comparing her death with the way the 6 year old boy Ramo died in the book Island of the Blue Dolphins, posted by clare : \"In the middle of the circle was Ramo. He was lying on his back, and had a deep wound in his throat. He lay very still. When I picked him up I knew that he was dead. There were other wounds on his body from the teeth of the wild dogs.\" Perhaps nowadays adults and children like this type of sensational death scene better ? Personally I will shield my kids from such violence when they are still very young. I am that kind of mommy, I don't even like to let them watch Tweety Bird, too violent.

I was much more touched at the end when Wilbur tried to repay her kindness but saving her egg sac of 514 baby spiders, and when the baby spiders hatched from the egg and flew away.

It was my English literature textbook when I was in Sec 1. I did not understand why I had to read it when I was 13 years old. But now as an adult when I read it again, I was deeply touched by the story of friendship, life and death. It is no wonder that it is the all time best selling children's book through the end of 2000.

http://www.factmonster.com/toptens/childrensbooks.html

Last night I was looking through Great Expectations by Charlies Dickens, The old man and the sea by Hemingway, etc. These are even more old fashioned and boring. My hubby read Moby Dick when he was 11 years old, and he said that book is worst. I myself was made to study the Crucible by Arthur Miller in Sec 2, no book can be more boring than that. But no one can deny that they are literary classics. If we don't introduce these classics to our children, simply because we think that they are boring, then our children will be losing a great a deal.

[metz]

My ds wouldn't read the classics books too if I merely throw them to him. What I usually do is to start reading the first chapter with him, then pause for the night and continue the next following night. Once his interest is piqued, he would finish the book by himself without waiting for me.


Clare, have you tried James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small? If your son likes the old English setting, this book might appeal to him too. Besides Charlotte's web, Stuart Little by E.B. White is also another good bet. Other books that might appeal to younger kids - Tom Sawyer, Gobbolino the Witch's Cat (even my 3.5 yo likes this book), Narnia, The Wind in the Willows (hopping to start soon).

Looks like I need to set a compulsory reading time too. Left on his own, he only reads Young Scientist magazines.

[Picolo]

clare:

Picolo:

I always borrow and buy quality Chinese books for the kids so they are all exposed to them.

Hi Picolo, can you share what Chinese books your children enjoy? I'm looking for interesting series in particular. TIA!

Hi Clare,

I'm sure many other parents in this thread woud be interested to know too. My kids love Chinese books such as:

1. Elmer the Patchwork Elephant (艾玛) series - 10 books(Elmer is a playful and humorous elephant and his stories appeal to my boys. I only show them the Chinese version.

2. 我真棒series (20 books)
http://www.hongniba.com.cn/bookclub/bookinfo.jsp?bookid=10004033&module=class

3. Many translated books from different langauges to Chinese such as 小房子, 花婆婆, 是谁嗯嗯在我的头上 (this one is funny and educational on types on poop), 鼠小弟series.....

You can refer to books in this website for some idea. Many of the books are award-winning.

http://product.dangdang.com/product.aspx?product_id=20002973

4. 宝宝成长学习绘本series (15 books)
http://www.amazon.cn/dp/zjbk559011

5. Comics books, like 小白龙 and 小叮噹.

Ok, these (more than 100 books) should be enough to fill your kids for some time. I make sure I have sufficient Chinese original writings while introducing the translated materials and comic books which are more readable usually.

If you guys are interested to buy items 2 & 4 and other books, I can refer
a Chinese lady who brings in Children Chinese books by PM.

clare:

Picolo:

[quote]My problem is for English stuff, they don't like to read the classics.

Captain Underpants would definitely be more interesting than the classics :lol:
My son is not keen on books like Charlotte's Web either, but he likes books such as E. Nesbit's The Railway Children. I know that he'll probably yawn if I just toss him the book, so I told him it was written about a hundred years ago and challenged him to see if he can understand the language, references etc. Sometimes older classics are really boring to young kids because of the language (such long sentences!), the time period etc, , so I make up games like how-many-super-long-sentences-can-you-spot. I also asked him to imagine living in a time with no TV, computers etc, and then I'll tell him people used to live like that (he couldn't believe it!) and he can get a glimpse of a very different time from these books. Basically I try to pique his interest so that he'll want to read the book himself. Works most of the time for us...

[/quote]Thanks to Clare, Tamarind and Chamonix for your suggestions. Will try them out!

[jaewee]

hi folks


try this website

http://www.epadlearning.com/epl/pages/storybookspage1.htm

[tamarind]

clare:

tamarind:

I was merely comparing her death with the way the 6 year old boy Ramo died in the book Island of the Blue Dolphins. Perhaps nowadays adults and children like this type of sensational death scene better ?

Tamarind, I don't understand why you asked \"Perhaps nowadays adults and children like this type of sensational death scene better?\"
Charlotte's Web and Island of the Blue Dolphin were both written in the 50s/60s; both are still in print and enjoyed widely today. I doubt people read IoBD to get a kick out of Ramo's death, nor do teachers introduce IoBD to grade schoolers for that reason. Just because not everyone adores CW doesn't mean that people prefer gory death scenes instead. I don't think how Charlotte died is the deciding factor whether one likes the book. Certainly CW is popular enough - all time best selling children's book is something!
Personally, I don't feel that Ramo's death scene is any more sensational than the deaths in the Harry Potter books. Now, if the world likes Harry Potter because of the death scenes and shuns CW due to C's 'tame' death....

My son hasn't read CW, and if and when he does, I would not ask him which death scene he prefers. And no, he's not a bloodthirsty kid just because he doesn't freak out over descriptive death scenes. He's a sweet, loving little boy and I'm not saying that just because I'm his mom. :lol:

clare,
I was only responding to earlier comments that some kids are not touched by the death scene in Charlotte's Web. I assumed that kids nowadays probably watch too much violence on TV, and so they are insensitive to the low key manner of Charlotte's death. I certainly do not mean that any child or that your son is bloodthirsty. Different children are affected by death scenes in different ways. Your son does not have a younger brother, and he is not a girl, so he will not imagine himself as Karana. But a girl with a younger brother at that age may be more deeply affected when she reads the book.

You are absolutely right that Charlotte's death is not the deciding factor whether one likes the book. The most important parts to me, are when Charlotte explained to Wilbur why she wanted to save his life, her compassion, and the final part when her children flew away in the warm wind, a whimsical tale of the cycle of life and death. When I asked my girl whether she understood why Charlotte wanted to save Wilbur's life, her answer was \"everyone has to die one day\", she knew that Charlotte was just trying to prolong his life.

clare:

tamarind:

In Singapore most kids are already very stressed with 2 languages : English and Chinese, especially when they have to know how to read and write in both languages by the age of 7.

Well, over here public schools don't usually offer a second language at kindergarten and grade school level. Private schools do, but the kids are not saddled with the same kind of expectations like in the Singapore system; i guess that takes the stress factor out and they are more keen to learn? My son has European, Russian and Mexican classmates of mixed parentage who are very competent in two or more languages (e.g. Russian, German, AND French) and they can still pick up a foreign language with ease . :shock:

I believe that it is easy for children under the age of 5 to learn to speak 2 or more languages. Both my kids understand English, Mandarin and Cantonese. But learning to read and write competently are much more difficult than speaking the languages.

So you are teaching your son Chinese at home ?

clare:

tamarind:

I tell her that I love to listen to her reading, and that she makes me very happy when she reads to me.

Hey Tamarind, that's a good way to motivate children to read; I'm glad you mentioned this cos I've run out of ideas to get my daughter to read to me... If this works, a big thank you!

Mums and dads, i'd like to ask how long, in general, does it take for kids to master reading well silently?

I don't trust kids who are 5 years old and below to read silently, no matter how good she is. I want to make sure that she is reading and pronouncing every word correctly. Even when reading aloud, my girl tends to skip 1 or 2 words on each sentence. It is perfectly fine to skip words when reading silently, but at her age, I still want to make sure that she reads every word correctly. I don't mind my girl reading her fairy books silently, but I make sure that she reads my compulsory books aloud :mrgreen:

[Picolo]

Hi Clare,


Don’t worry, these Chinese books are picture books (绘本) and so they are not wordy. Many primary schools are now introducing 绘本教材 to arouse kids’ interest towards Chinese and I think it’s a very good idea. At least, I see it working for my kids. Also, they appeal to beginning readers from aged 3 (need to be read to) - 9 (can be independent reading), quite a big age group.

是谁嗯嗯在我的头上? was great fun and I remember I was made to read it over and over again that night I introduced it. Kids laughed so hard they had tears and stomachache.

[tamarind]

Picolo:

是谁嗯嗯在我的头上? was great fun and I remember I was made to read it over and over again that night I introduced it. Kids laughed so hard they had tears and stomachache.

That sounds like a wonderful book ! Is it available at Popular bookshop ?

[Picolo]

Hi Tamarind,


No, but you can find it in our public libraries, or purchase from bookshops (Lingzi media, Maha something..) that sell books from China. After browsing through these books, you probably never want to buy Chinese children story books from Popular again

[tamarind]

Picolo:

Hi Tamarind,


No, but you can find it in our public libraries, or purchase from bookshops (Lingzi media, Maha something..) that sell books from China. After browsing through these books, you probably never want to buy Chinese children story books from Popular again

I cannot seem to find good chinese children's books at our Jurong West library. Where is Lingzi, Maha ?