Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don't: How It Happens and What You Can Do About It [Hardcover]

Mary Leonhardt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 1993

Most parents would probably agree that a love of reading is the most important thing their children could acquire in the course of their education.Yet even parents who love to read themselves sometimes find that their kids just aren't interested in books. What do you do about your reluctant reader?

Mary Leonhardt has the answer. In Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don't, she shows how to awaken, or reawaken, your child to the joy of reading. Drawing on her experience as a teacher (and a parent) of reluctant readers, she identifies the seven stages that children go through as they develop their reading skills and outlines what parents can do to help them along. Her advice is clear, down-to-earth, and proven effective.

Mary Leonhardt also offers tips on how to deal with the special problems poor readers often face at school, and how to cope with TV and other distractions. Finally, she offers an extensive list of kid-recommended reading -- not books from school reading lists, but certified fun-to-read titles chosen in a poll of her own students. Her methods have worked with scores of students. If you are the parent of a reluctant reader, this is the book both of you need.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

So you love reading and your kid doesn't. What caused this state of affairs, and what can you do about it? In Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don't, Mary Leonhardt pins the blame on the educational establishment for the endemic dislike of reading among kids, and provides direct solutions. Her basic approach may surprise you: provide reading material that is easy and fun for children. Start with comic books, junk books, romance novels, mysteries, genre books of all kinds. The premise is simple: only avid readers are excellent readers; excellent readers become excellent only because they read a lot. Leonhardt, a long-time high school English teacher, makes a strong case for her techniques, and has the track record to prove it. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Leonhardt, a veteran English teacher now on the faculty at Concord-Carlisle High School in Concord, Mass., here provides useful advice, based on her own years of experience, on how to overcome the disinterest--or downright hostility--of some children where reading is concerned. Refreshing for its realism, the book admits to ideals but also insists on minding the facts of life and education: "In a bid for a child's attention," Leonhardt points out, "a Batman comic might have a chance over a rock video--but a beautifully illustrated book on how the Hopi Indians planted corn probably isn't even in the running." Well-organized chapters confront the problems of poor readers and suggest, in rational detail, what to do about them--make reading fun, even if it means feeding the kids with "trashy" books; "tolerate a certain amount of disorder" in their housekeeping of books and magazines; be willing to spend money on their growing reading hobby; and let them squander time on it, instead of sending them off on errands, for example. And what about television? Don't ban it, she says; downplay it for preschoolers, but let older children who are reading watch some TV, too, lest denial inspire rebellion. Also discussed in depth are the role of schools in reading, the stages of reading that all children pass through and books that may help spur reading even in the unwilling.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 258 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (August 17, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517591642
• ISBN-13: 978-0517591642
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,534,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Gold, June 7, 2000

By 

Angelina Harrison (Bremerton, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don't: How It Happens and What You Can Do About It (Paperback)

This book is a treasure chest waiting for you to open. The author admits that even children who have been read to since they could sit up may not love reading, and this unloads the burden of guilt that many of us have been carrying around for years. Leonhardt also provides many concrete suggestions for parents and teachers. This book is a must for all homes and schools.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book and author., June 9, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don't: How It Happens and What You Can Do About It (Paperback)

This is a fabulous book for frustrated parents of children who can't/won't read. After I read it, I took my 11 yr. old daughter out, let her buy any 3 magazines and she read them right away. This book is clearly written and organized, with a very helpful recommended reading list at the end. I highly recommend it

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This makes so much sense, May 12, 2003

By 

Ellen Romano (Hayward, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don't: How It Happens and What You Can Do About It (Hardcover)

As a kindergarten teacher and mother of two teen-aged sons, I have to say that this book changed both the way I teach and the way I approach the loaded topic of reading with my sons. I had been a book snob for years, not allowing certain kinds of books based on comics or movies into my home or classroom. After reading this book, I called a meeting for the parents of my students and told them I was going to scour the thrift stores that weekend for "trashy" books with high kid appeal. I bought books with Star Wars characters and Scooby Do on the covers, and my kids were clamoring to borrow them.
With my teen-agers, I told them I was taking them to the book store and that they had to pick something out. My 17 year old rolled his eyes but picked out Maus, which he loved. My 14 year old got The Weekly World News, (a tabloid) and now wants a subscription. Please get this book back in print.