Tunnel, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Liteature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008.
I loved what Madeleine L'Engle said on page 234 about the necessity of a reader to "create a book along with the writer." I think it speaks to the importance of developing students' schemas. The richer their background knowledge of pictures, art, sounds, words, etc.,the better equipped they will be to creatively engage in the reading process.
She also that the difference between reading a book and watching tv is that in watching tv, "we are passive - sponges; we do nothing." I think this is a critical issue in fostering a love of reading in our students. Most people (at least in American culture), all else being equal, will choose the easy way. What "readers" have discovered is that all else isn't equal. There is a richness, a realness in really submerging one's self in the world of a good book that isn't like anything else, and it makes the extra mental energy expended totally worth it.
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3 comments:
I totally agree with you! I thought her quote was just fabulous. I'm so thankful I had parents who monitored how often I watched TV, and "forced" me to read a book instead planting myself in front of the TV. I'm so glad I didn't become a sponge! I still don't watch TV that often...
I agree that most kids would choose watching tv over reading a book (and the quote summed up what we do when watching tv perfectly), but it can be so much better to open a book and get lost in the story, plot, and characters...the hard part is getting kids to understand that!
Hey, just a quick note: thanks for showing up at the Lit Festival today; I hope you enjoyed yourself: I mean, aside from all the cool authors giving their talks, all those books you bought. If you would, please write up a short post about it.
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