If you’re reading the Penguin blog then it’s very likely that you’re an avid reader and know the virtues of getting kids reading from a young age. We all know that reading is fundamental for development and research has shown that having good reading skills from an early age is linked to future success in life. But what about kids that don’t enjoy reading and don’t understand the pure escapist pleasure that books can offer, how do we help them? There are many children for who, delving into a book is the last thing on their mind. Whether it’s because of the distractions of TV and video games or because it feels too much like school, some kids just don’t ‘get’ books. So as voracious readers ourselves how do we help these kids become readers and learn to love books?

 

The key is to get kids to take that first step into enjoying the reading experience, as once they start to enjoy reading they will soon flourish. One way to engage kids is through books which are not straight-forward black and white text. So books that have fun and engaging text, a humorous story or are in a comic book style are more likely to be engaging for kids as they will find reading less of a chore. This is what makes the Geronimo Stilton books so ideal for reluctant readers, not only are the books funny, (they are about a mouse reporter and his fabulous adventures, so how could they not be!) but they are also full of colourful text and pictures. Every page is interesting to look at, whether it’s the bright pink text flying across the page or the words climbing up the page, this fun text design is perfect for engagement and it’s more accessible than traditional black and white text. As one reviewer puts it: The illustrations are brilliant along with the different types of fonts and colours used as they encouraged my 5 year old to follow the words as I read them.

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If you’re looking for further proof that books with engaging text and images are accessible for kids and great for reluctant readers, then look no further than Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid series. This illustrated diary series with its comic style adventure has proved a huge hit with kids, even beating Harry Potter to be voted Blue Peter’s best book of the decade!

 

So if you know a reluctant reader why not give one of these series’ a whirl, who knows you might uncover an avid reader who was just waiting to find the perfect book for them. The key is to find the book that interests them and that they can relate to. Whether it’s a comic strip book or a book about an adventuring mouse, there will be a book out there that captures their imagination and stays with them for the rest of their lives. After all it’s book characters, more than TV, film or cartoon characters that stay with us the longest.

 

 

 

Join the conversation! 15 Comments

  1. We need to learn ours children to read books. It will help to increase their imagination.

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  2. Children will love books if u will read regulary…

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  3. We used to read on rainy days. There are lots of those in the Pacific Northwest where I raised my sons. But the best was snuggling in the bed before sleep reading The Narnia Series over and over. Wind in the Willows and the Jungle Book. Even today, forty years later, I read those books when I’m sad. They always cheer me up. I can almost smell the little boy scent of my boys.

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  4. If I never picked up a book as a child and kept the habit, I dread to think what kind of person I’d be today. Scary thought.

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  5. Thanks for your sharing, this article is very good, I !like it very much, as you learn a lot.
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  6. One of my earliest memories is curling up with Mathilda and some chocolates on Christmas Day. My parents were big readers, and that just passed down to me. And Roald Dahl is exactly what you’re prescribing – so hopefully Geronimo Stilton will also work! You need the ‘push’ of a child seeing that their parents like reading, and the ‘pull’ of an engaging and interesting book…

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  7. Hey, Today is 1st day I have read your blog but believe me you are ready good in writing.I love reading blog and your discussion. I really learned a lot and what you shared is really useful.I really learned a lot and what you shared is really useful. thanks for sharing.

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  8. Reading Dickens is a bit like watching Eastenders in parts, but you don’t really want to hit anyone! It is no wonder his stories make excellent cinema and TV.

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  9. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

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  10. not doubt this post is great…

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  11. Beautiful words, language processing appropriately, give a person a kind of new feeling, hope can see again next time so good article.

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  12. Thank you so much for the tip. I’m about to have a child and I would really like to teach her the value of reading. And I think instead of buying our kids toys and exposing them to computers, it would be better to spoil them with books.

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  13. I really wish I hadn’t seen this as I really want one now!

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  14. The key is to get kids to take that first step into enjoying the reading experience,

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  15. Choose from depending on your own personal choice and budget.

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