Just the other day I observed a young boy (about 6 or 7 years old) and his mother at the library. The boy came over to show his mom a book that he had selected about something military related. It was clearly a topic that he was excited about so he was eager to check the book out. But then his mother asked him to put the book back. Why? It was "too hard" of a read for her young son. She told her son that there were too many words on each page, certainly too many words that he didn't know, and not enough pictures to hold his interest.
Part of me thinks that this mom was doing her son a favor by encouraging him to select books that he could actually read himself and enjoy. It's definitely true that a book that is too challenging can be discouraging for readers. We really don't want kids to get so frustrated while reading that they stop enjoying books altogether.
But part of me wonders where telling kids, "no, that's too hard" stops being helpful and starts being harmful. We don't want to teach our children not to try something because it seems hard. Instead, we should be encouraging children to work hard to overcome the challenges set before them, especially when it involves a subject that they are passionate about.
So where should parents, teachers, and librarians draw the line? Are there appropriate times and places for both possible scenarios? Is there a way for them to meet somewhere in the middle? It's a tough call, and I unfortunately don't have any easy answers. If anyone out there has experience, education, or otherwise strong feelings on the subject I'd love to hear from you to discuss this topic.
3 comments:
I think in this instance, a good middle ground is to explain to the child why the book might be difficult for him/her. Be sure to let the child know he/she doesn't have to learn all of the words in it, and then let him/her take the book home - if nothing else, flipping to pictures of interest can provide a good learning experience.
I agree that something too challenging can be discouraging - at least, by oneself. This sounds like the kind of book that a parent could help a child get through, and that interaction is what should be sought. High-level subject matter, however, is an entirely different subject.
Maybe it's the years of retail (upsell!), but how tricky would it be to say "Oh, that looks a little hard. Let's find another book to take home with more pictures about *topic*?"
I accept that the mother might've had very good reason for her reaction, but gosh, what's the harm in taking home two library books?
Thanks both of your for your comments. It's such a tricky situation, and there are so many different ways to approach it. There probably isn't any one right answer, but I think it's good to take a look at what parents' options are in a case like this.
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