What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood


Episode 41: Reluctant Readers

February 21, 2018

Are audio books cheating? Must every book our second-graders read feature Poopy Man and The Toilet King? Are reluctant readers doomed to fall behind their peers? Will Margaret or Amy ever read anything other than their Facebook feeds ever again?
This episode is full of ideas to get everyone in your family reading– plus books your kids will drop everything to read.
We love this “book traps” idea from our listener Nicole: 

Find books in the library that seem like they might be irresistible to your child and place them strategically around the house so that your child stumbles upon them and feel like reading them was their own idea. 

What about audiobooks? Is it counterproductive to let kids who struggle with decoding listen to their books instead?  Jamie Martin, assistive technology consultant for understood.org, says no:  

Listening to audiobooks isn’t “cheating.” The main purpose of reading is to get information. It doesn’t matter what path that information takes to reach the brain.

Here’s some resources for parents that we recommend in this episode:
Common Sense Media’s lists of books for reluctant readers
Amy Mascott for PBS Parents: What To Do When Your Child Hates Reading
Susan Dominus, NYT, Motherhood Screened Off
Linda Flanagan  for KQED: How Audiobooks Can Help Kids Who Struggle With Reading
Mary Ann Scheuer’s Great Kid Books, a blog which recommendis books for kids from 4-14.
Here’s books and authors that Amy recommends in this episode: 
the Amulet series (graphic novels for grade-school readers)
anything by Raina Telgemaier (graphic novels with heroines for grade-school readers
You Wouldn’t Want to Be… series (real history with a dose of gross-out humor)
the American Girl collection (the best you’re-growing-up books out there)
What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions (a perfect coffee table book. Irresistible for all ages)
and a few audiobook series recommended by Amy’s 10-year-old daughter:
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place
The Mysterious Benedict Society
and of course, Harry Potter, with hundreds of characters all voiced by Jim Dale.
Here’s the books that have gotten our listeners’ kids reading. Thanks for everyone who joined in with ideas on our Facebook page! 
Lauren: Pete the Cat, Wayside Stories from Wayside School 
Maureen: Mo Willems
Tracy: “Right now (8 years old) we are loving Super Rabbit Boy.”