READING TIPS AND NOTES : EXPERT ADVICE

Parents share a common goal when it comes to reading instruction: They want children to become avid readers.

What will engender a greater interest in reading?

Children should be encouraged to find the kind of writing that resonates in them, whether it is poetry, thrillers, humor or comics, and then be allowed to read it. Reading should be a celebration, and time should be set aside at home for everyone to read without interruption and in comfort.

Children should be allowed to stop reading a book they do not like without having to justify why. They should be able to skip pages or paragraphs. Young readers should see adults reading (particularly men) for pleasure and then hear them talk about why they enjoy reading. And perhaps most important, children should be provided lots of books to choose from and not be required to read what adults think is best.

If you are reading this column, you probably would qualify as a member of what reading researcher Frank Smith calls “The Literacy Club.” As members, you read frequently, choose books across a wide spectrum of genres, share what you read with others, spend time browsing in book stores, frequent the library, read book reviews and keep lists of the next titles you plan to buy or borrow.

You may have a favorite place to read and even a favorite time. Your family might know that your reading time is special and that interruptions are discouraged.

If you exhibit these behaviors, then you are probably a bona fide member. How you came to be a member might take a little reflection, but this is a club you want your children to join.

Providing an environment that encourages these club-like behaviors may seem logical, but as adults we often ask children to read in ways that we might reject. For example, I doubt that you write a book report after each book you read or keep track of how many cumulative pages you have read since, say, September. You don’t compete with your friends to see who reads the most books to win a prize.

I expect that you might feel resentful if you were given required books to read and expected to finish them even if you hated them or, worse, had a difficult time reading them. You enjoy the authors you read and disregard the critics who might not agree. Reading where, when and what you want is important to you as well as the environment (quiet or noisy depending on your learning style).

Beginning readers do not know what we club members know, so it is our responsibility to share the secrets of good reading. We don’t have to do much except model good reading. When children find out how much fun it is to read and how much we love it, they just might want to join the club.

BOOK EVENTS

Tuesday in Long Beach: Once Upon a Story bookstore will feature Santa Claus, who will read “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Moore. Santa will pose for pictures. Once Upon a Story bookstore, 3740 E. 4th St., 3-5 p.m. (562) 433-6856.

Wednesday in Montrose: Bookstore owner James Humphrey will read to children of all ages. Once Upon a Time bookstore, 2284 Honolulu Ave., 11-11:30 a.m. (818) 248-9668.

Wednesday in Rowland Heights: Storytime at Rowland Heights Library will be a celebration of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Books to be read: “A Kwanzaa Celebration” by Nancy Williams, “My First Little Chanukkah Pop-up” by Carol Gilder, “Morris’s Disappearing Bag” by Rosemary Wells. Rowland Heights Library, 1850 Nogales St., 7 p.m. (626) 912-5348.

Thursday in Los Angeles: Storytime at City Terrace Library will include a reading of “The Mouse Before Christmas” by Michael Garland. City Terrace Library, 4025 E. City Terrace Drive, 3-4 p.m. (323) 261-0295.