Customer Reviews

Raising a Reader: A Mother's Tale of Desperation and Delight

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm also a bookaholic mom, so I really wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, I found the author's message in conflict with her actions and had a hard time getting past that. This book presents itself as a guide on how to pass along your passions without being overbearing or minimizing your child's other interests. Nash wants to be able to do this almost as desperately as she wants her daughters to find the same meaning in reading as she has. Both are admirable goals, but the pushy tone pushed me away.

In the chapter titled Grace, Nash paints the picture of her family relaxing in a snowed-in cabin, each one reading by the cozy fire. You can tell this moment, down to the hot chocolate and popcorn, has been a fantasy for her, and she just can't help nudging it towards reality. Nash defines grace as allowing moments like this to "just happen" and encourages her readers to do the same. But she didn't allow the moment to happen - as soon as her youngest, portrayed as the non-reader, finishes her snack, mom prompts her to "pick a book and come read next to me."

If anything, the book served as a cautionary tale for me - when it comes to passions I want to pass on to my daughter, I'm reminded how hard it is to keep yourself in check. That said, Nash seems to have come to that same conclusion intellectually and can share it with her readers, but just finds it difficult to put into practice herself (a very human trait). I gave it three stars because the author provides good tips like keeping a journal of the books your children enjoy, and great reference lists of titles and authors.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! as a bona-fide bookaholic mom who wanted more than anything to pass on my great love of books to my own children, this book completely and totally hit home. besides being an utterly charming and enjoyable read, it also has many good parenting/reading tips as well as lists of choice books. i recommend it highly!

As a mother of a six- and eight-year-old who have both approached reading very differently, this book was exactly what I needed -- which was a big deep breath! As I began to question whether "I was doing it right" and when I began to compare my kids to others, I started to panic. It reminded me of the envy and pride I felt when my kids were (or were not) the first ones in their play groups to walk, talk, toilet train, fill in the blank. But with reading it's worse, because you feel like it's something you can and should control and "do better." So, Jennie Nash's book was a welcome pat on the back, arm around the shoulder and loving vote of confidence that I haven't (and I am not going to) screw this up. It's going to be fine and I have to remember to let the love of books, reading and the spoken word happen in its own sweet time. This lesson has helped me in other areas with my kids as well.

First it's talking, then walking, then potty training. Being a parent is all to often about comparing our kids and their accomplishements to other kids and theirs. When you're little ones start school things heat up even more as you compare their academic achievements and wonderdramatically if they are smart and if you can make them smarter. It's a vicous cycle -- and it can take all the fun out of learning to read, which arguably is one of life's greatest pleasures and rightfully should be a time of fun and exploration with your young child. Jennie Nash knows this. She is admittedly obsessed but candidly shares with us her journey from niggling, nagging, read-to-me Mom to locing, laughing, let's-snuggle-and-read-together Mom. It's a trip we all should take and she shows us how. She also offers lists, tips and tricks to reduce the stress and increase the peace during reading time, homework time and family time. This is a MUST read for anyone with kids under 10!

Teaching a child to read, and getting that child to like reading, can be one of the most frustrating, and heartwarming, jobs for any parent. This book looks at one family's journey through such a process.

One of a parent's biggest wishes for their child is that they find something about which they are passionate, something on which they can build a life. For the parent, there is a fine line between passion and obsession, a line that is easy to cross.

It's hard to instill a love of books if the children don't have access to them. Regularly bring them to the local library, and let them take out a lot of books. If Child 2 doesn't progress in reading at the same rate as did Child 1, don't panic. Everyone progresses at their own speed.

Another way to instill a love of books is to set aside a reading period during the day. While the child reads a book, the parent should sit and read an adult book. The child will probably enter a phase in which they are interested in what the parent considers the children's literature equivalent of trash. Again, don't panic; they'll grow out of it.

Have faith in your child, especially if they are progressing too "slowly." Encouragement that the pieces will eventually fall into place is better than pushing. Realize that your children are individuals with different styles of reading.

Also included is a long list of reading suggestions for children of all ages. This book is a gem. It's very down to earth, and any parent can identify with it. For those parents worried that their child isn't reading "fast enough," take a deep breath, then read this book. It's time very well spent.

The concept of this book is good. Whether you have always loved reading, or have come to love books more as an adult, we all hope our children will share this love, so anything offering tips on this sounds great.

But this fally severely short, via the obvious personality disorder of the author.

In Chapter 2, she relays a story wherein she punished her TWO YEAR OLD for ripping a book's page. She went off on the kid like a lunatic and REMOVED EVERY SINGLE BOOK FROM THE CHILD'S GRASP FOR 3 DAYS, and did not give in, no matter how much the poor child sobbed. Said author then justifies putting a book's value over that of her child with the following: "...my mistake existed within a larger spirit of abundance and delight." HUH???? If that story itself is not bad enough, the author then refers us to another source where one can find justification for such "obsessively good intentions."

I was tempted at that point to stop reading there, but I urged myself to go on, hoping that this was an isolated, bizarre incident, and to forgive, since we are all imperfect humans. BIG MISTAKE.

The author's passive aggressive behavior shows itself in a later chapter. "She let me point to the words of the text as I read, WHICH SHE USUALLY HATED." So let me get this straight. You KNOW your child finds it distressing when you do this, yet...you do it anyway?????

Just one more example of the author's obvious mental difficulties is her openness in rushing her children to eat, "Emily is a v-e-r-y slow eater," and do their homework, yet...she ALLOWS them the LUXURY of not hurrying ONLY where reading is concerned. (So her kids have to eat at a rapid pace like wolves and rush through their homework, risking bad grades??)

This book is unreadable because the author is so unlikeable. I feel for her children.

But don't take my word for it. Borrow it from a library and see for yourself.