Reading for Pleasure... Try It!

Much has been written about the benefits of reading for pleasure, and Oxford University published a study this spring showing a correlation between recreational reading as a teen and attaining a professional career. More than 17,000 individuals born in 1970 were asked what they did in their spare time when they were 16 years old. Those who chose to spend time reading were more likely at age 33 to have a profession than those who did not. It’s not news that children who love to read have found the golden ticket, but for our children on the cusp, who might enjoy reading with a little encouragement and organization on the part of their significant adults, we should remember that it takes time and space, a great story, and sometimes a bit of cuddly company to start the ball rolling. There is a book out there for everyone and a great joy of being a librarian is matching a child with the book that woos them into the world of the passionate reader.

This year some of our fourth and fifth grade students joined in the Battle of the Books experience, a giant book club, where reading for fun is fiercely practiced, hoarded, mulled, conversed, and then brandished in a multi-school competition of retention and inspiration. It is a wonderful program, creating serious recreational readers who before just dabbled on the surface of a story. Good to know we are on the right track!