Book Buying Addicts Anonymous discussion
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trying to turn your kids into an addict?
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Every time I take my kids to the bookstore with me(boys,ages 13 & 17) I try to buy books for them. My oldest will sometimes bite but while both are very good readers, neither of them are big readers. My oldest is reading The Lord of the Rings series again, just for fun, so I get flashes of hope every now and again.
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Jennifer wrote: "Every time I take my kids to the bookstore with me(boys,ages 13 & 17) I try to buy books for them. My oldest will sometimes bite but while both are very good readers, neither of them are big reader..."I do the same thing Jennifer. My son (10 years old) really doesn't read too much, but he wants me to buy him a book from time to time. My daughter (9 years old) on the other hand is really starting to kick in. She even sometimes goes down into my office and looks through my books to see what she can read. Of course she knows she has to ask first because she knows some books are not appropriate for her yet. We go to Barnes and Noble alot, and we always walk out with something, and I will never dampen her interest by saying "no" when she asks me to buy her a new book. So yeah I guess I am turning my daughter into an addict!
My boys know I will never say no to a book for them. I think it's great your daughter is so interested. With books, whole new worlds open up.
I am not a parent either, but all those fun books that my parents bought for me when I was little; I really love. When my mom tried to through them out last year for lack of room, I almost cried. So, I kept them all and they are all in my room. There are just some books that parents buy for their children that they become attached to whether they like reading when they get older or not. I started reading "The Babysitters Club" when I was 8 and really liked it. Then I stopped reading and didn't pick it up again until I was almost 16. Now I love reading and can't put it down. However, the only sad thing is, is that I am the only person in my family that loves reading and is quite addicted to it. I would LOVE a parent to share great novels with. I don't think what you parents are doing is wrong at all. Best gifts to give at that age :) just don't let them eat them.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I worked in a children's books store, so I bought tons of picture books for her. I also get her books from library sales and flea markets, so she has several huge piles of books in her room (she's 4 now), and she loves sorting through them before bedtime, to decide which ones to read.My son prefers books with cars/trucks/planes, but he'll cuddle up and listen when I read to my daughter (unless it's about princesses or faeries...)
Louise wrote: "When I was pregnant with my daughter, I worked in a children's books store, so I bought tons of picture books for her. I also get her books from library sales and flea markets, so she has several h..."Lol, that is always how it goes :) they like the same attention, but with different expectations. It is good that they enjoy the books. I think every kid does, or at least wants to. My mom did the same thing with me with collecting books. I really appriciate it now and want to do it for my kids when I have them too.
LOL You are not alone!! My daughter is almost 4 and she has at least a hundred or so books. I actually just went through them recently and separated the picture books and simple word books because she's reading at a kindergarden level already, and now I get to pass those to my 3.5 month old son. I've also got my entire collection of Animorphs books that I've kept over many many years and I'm really excited to re-read them with my daughter when she gets to that level (assuming/hoping she enjoys that genre of story).
My sister in law told me years ago that she didn't read to my niece because she didnt' have any books. Christmas was in 2 months, Problem solved!Then she said she didn't read to my nephew because he didn't have any "boy books" His birthday is in Feb, problem solved! My niece got 7 books for Christmas from me and my nephew got 7 books from me for his birthday.
They haven't been read until my niece started to learn to read at school! Now SHE reads to her brother! And that's it!
I'm trying to turn my niece and nephew into book nuts but it's not working cause I don't see them often enough.
Now my husband's niece is a HUGE book fan! So is her daughter, our great niece. THey were up visiting and I asked the 5 year old, Honey do you want to go with me to the book...She screamed YES! OH Mommy PLEASE let me go! (I already asked her mom and made sure it was okay of course) Her mom played the I dunno card...got some hugs and kisses. It took that lil girl 30 seconds to get ready to go! I said okay get your coat and shoes on. I got up from the table, put my glass in the sink, turned around, she was standing behind me wearing her hat, coat, gloves, shoes, yelling at ME to HURRY UP! So I LOVED THAT! I was like YES! A book lover in the family other than me and grandma! lol
Louise wrote: "My son prefers books with cars/trucks/planes, but he'll cuddle up and listen when I read to my daughter (unless it's about princesses or faeries...)"Louise, I think you figured it out. At least with my son there are only certain books that he would sit down and read. My daughter on the otherhand reads almost anything.
Louise wrote: "How many books did she get? ;-)"She got 2 books for herself. One was "a big long one" And she HAD to pick out a book for her 3 year old brother. She was SO proud of her books! We got back to Grandma's and EVERYONE was there, 50th anniversary party. They were waiting for us to cut the cake and take pictures. So after everyone settled down she went to every single person there and showed him her books! Then she made another round to show them her brother's book!
The "big long one" was Beauty and the Beast or something like that. Her mom said she'll have to read it over a few nights to her because she won't stay awake through the whole book.
She did very good at the store! Especially for a 5 year old! She had $10 and she got $9 worth of books! She wanted to have money left over to buy candy on the way home. I told her to keep her money she did such a good job, I'll buy her the candy.
i have a four your old. I have been taking her to the library since she was babyshe loves books and I love books and can't stop buying them and like some of you guys have bought books that are above her age in readiness for when she will be able to read
I'm so thankful that my parents surrounded me with books when I was little that I'm already collecting books for my future children. :)
I started by teaching my kids to read from old readers (which I collect) from the 1920s and 1930s - much better stories, and better illustrations, than anything today! My youngest son is a book addict like me - but all are well read even though they use the modern technology too.
All my boys have library cards (ages 6, 10, and 14). They frequently ask to go. They have their own (age appropriate) books and book shelves in their rooms. At times, with their own money, they've bought books they've liked. At times they've asked for books for gifts. This year I found wrestling books and halo books on PBS for their birthdays. I even found a Lego book for a christmas gift last year. My oldest two like to read for fun on their own and I think it's great.
I don't have any kids of my own but I do have nieces and nephews that read. I started a reading challenge that runs every year as of about 5 years ago were they have to read a certain number of pages. We pick the pages together between them and me and at the end of the year if they have read the number of pages( even if they haven't)they get a reward at the end of the year. All 5 are avid readers even the 17 yr old boy right down to the 9 year old. The 14 year girl would rather read than watch TV and all of them love getting new books.
I love the reading challenge. I will have to remember that for when my nephew starts reading! He is 14 months right now and loves his books. He is constantly bringing them to us to read to him. I get him books for every holiday and gift giivng oportunity, so do a lot of my aunts and uncles so the little guy already has quite the collection.
I'm a teen now, and it does seem that whenever me and my parents go to a bookstore I get tons of books. :D And I get tons here on GR. I'm definitly addicted to books. That's why I got my mom to let me have an account on here. :)And also, I look forward to when my four cousins start to read!!
For birthdays and Christmas, I get my god-daughter and my nephews books. They spend too much time watching tv/playing video games. All three of my nephews have trouble reading. Their level is a little low for their age. I have always given them books. Always. Now, the oldest one is gaining signficantly in his reading and the middle one seems to be getting the idea too. Working on the youngest.
My daughter just got her first bookcase. We bought a cheap one from a thrift shop, and then my husband took her to a painters shop and she got to choose the colour she wanted (surprise- pink!). He painted it for her and it's really nice now, and she spent the weekend arranging her picture books in it :-)
My daughter loved to be read to, especially before bed time and always loved books and participated in the local library summer reading program. I am an avid reader and read 2 to 3 books a month. Somehow, she just lost interest in reading--she is 15. Hoping she will gain interest again as I try to encourage her with teen genre and the interest is just not there.:(
I have three children, two boys 14 and 7, and my daughter is 11.My oldest could care less about reading. But I keep trying to get him to read. Recently he had to read a book for school and said he liked it.
My youngest two on the other land love books. We went to Books-A-Million the other day and they browsed around for a while. My youngest bought three books, my oldest picked one book (miracle). LOL
My daughter asked me several times how many books she was allowed to get. She went to the discount section and found some for $1.99, $2.97, etc. She ended up getting 12 books. Hopefully she will continue to love reading as she gets older.
Ella wrote: "My daughter loved to be read to, especially before bed time and always loved books and participated in the local library summer reading program. I am an avid reader and read 2 to 3 books a month. ..."
Ella, she may need to just skip the teen books and go into the adult books (whatever you feel is appropriate, of course!). My oldest daughter is 14, and she doesn't really like the teen books -- she doesn't like all the romance in them, and would rather read books that focus on bigger problems or ideas. The last time I was browsing the bookstore for her, she requested that I choose something I would like, then she would probably like it too -- I considered that a great compliment, LOL.
I finally have a kid old enough to share books with and to discuss them with -- I'm in heaven!
There is almost nothing I love more than picking something out for each of my daughters and having them LOVE their new books -- my kids are all really headstrong, so if I suggest a book to them they'll most likely say no. But if I bring it home and encourage them to read it, they'll usually like it!
I am DEFINITELY raising future book addicts . . .
Ella, she may need to just skip the teen books and go into the adult books (whatever you feel is appropriate, of course!). My oldest daughter is 14, and she doesn't really like the teen books -- she doesn't like all the romance in them, and would rather read books that focus on bigger problems or ideas. The last time I was browsing the bookstore for her, she requested that I choose something I would like, then she would probably like it too -- I considered that a great compliment, LOL.
I finally have a kid old enough to share books with and to discuss them with -- I'm in heaven!
There is almost nothing I love more than picking something out for each of my daughters and having them LOVE their new books -- my kids are all really headstrong, so if I suggest a book to them they'll most likely say no. But if I bring it home and encourage them to read it, they'll usually like it!
I am DEFINITELY raising future book addicts . . .
I don't have any kids yet but my parents are definitely book addicts, between them they probably have close over 1000 books (mostly hardbacks) and I remember growing up and not caring one iota about reading. I think it was because they were always trying to get me to head his books (they're all fantasy, mystery, or horror) but I'm just not into it and always felt like it was being forced on me. Once I got older though and found the genre I liked to read (historical fiction and non-fiction) I have become an addict as well.
I think it comes down to encouraging a love of reading, not necessarily a love of books. I know that for me, even as a teen, when I thought about reading the thing that always came to mind was my parent's books and I knew I didn't want to read those. So I never bothered to read anything.
*if that sounds a little redundant I apologize, after I wrote it I tried to reword it, but it wasn't really working for me.
Judie wrote: "I have a book habit that regularly fills my shelves and drains my bank account. I have to stop myself buying too many books for my two daughters (9 and 11) because they get overwhelmed with too ma..."
LOL, sounds like heaven to me! We're the family that goes out to dinner, and everyone at the table has their nose in a book . . .
LOL, sounds like heaven to me! We're the family that goes out to dinner, and everyone at the table has their nose in a book . . .
Melissa wrote: "I don't have any kids yet but my parents are definitely book addicts, between them they probably have close over 1000 books (mostly hardbacks) and I remember growing up and not caring one iota abou..."
That's a really interesting point of view -- I do keep trying to interest my kids in my science & history books (they're homeschooled, so I do think it would be a great way to study some different subjects, too!), but they're not really into it. The fiction seems okay so far, but not what they call my "weird" books, lol.
One of my favourite books is about lobsters -- oh how they love to tell friends that, then they laugh and laugh . . .
That's a really interesting point of view -- I do keep trying to interest my kids in my science & history books (they're homeschooled, so I do think it would be a great way to study some different subjects, too!), but they're not really into it. The fiction seems okay so far, but not what they call my "weird" books, lol.
One of my favourite books is about lobsters -- oh how they love to tell friends that, then they laugh and laugh . . .
Of all the potential addictions available today I would say an addiction to books and reading is little to worry about. My children, now young adults, were/are book spoiled. Cold, rainy days, hot humid days and any other kind of day we spent major amounts of time in libraries and bookstores. Even now, on any given days one of us can be found wandering books in garage sales, library sales, the library, bookstores or gift stores. It is rare we leave empty handed. I like to believe that the influence of books has contributed to their understanding of the world, art, human nature, nature and a multitude of other things that I would not have been able to cultivate alone. Emotionally, physically some of our most precious moments were curled up under a homemade tent during a rainstorm or ice storm, reading together. Far greater is the loss of books than too many!
Ella wrote: "My daughter loved to be read to, especially before bed time and always loved books and participated in the local library summer reading program. I am an avid reader and read 2 to 3 books a month. ..."Try Life of Pi; The Secret Life of Bees;The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm;Sarah's Key;Piers Anthony;Jane Eyre; . I agree with Lea she may be young adult rather than teen. And personally, I think, (BIAS ALERT), some of the teen material is junk anymore.Ethan Fromeis another.
Denise wrote: "Ella wrote: "My daughter loved to be read to, especially before bed time and always loved books and participated in the local library summer reading program. I am an avid reader and read 2 to 3 bo..."
My oldest daughter absolutely loved Life of Pi. She also really liked One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Book Thief.
The plus side of the teen book trend is that there are so many more choices than when a lot of us were growing up. The down side is that, yeah, a lot of it is crap.
My oldest daughter absolutely loved Life of Pi. She also really liked One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Book Thief.
The plus side of the teen book trend is that there are so many more choices than when a lot of us were growing up. The down side is that, yeah, a lot of it is crap.
Ella, she might like the author Anna Gavalda, or books like
and
.If she's into fantasy Garth Nix writes really well.
I remember that my mom always took me with her to the library when I was little and that was the best of times for me. I'm not a mom yet but I know that when I have kids, I will do everything possible to get them interested in books. I find it important and I think that it's a great way for them to learn on their own how to deal with words, and when you read to your kids, at a certain age they will start to look into the book with you and maybe already get used to the letters. That way maybe they will have it easy in school.
My little girl's first word was "book". Teaching kids to read for 5 years and always loving books means that my kids will never be short of books. I buy books that are in good condition in charity shops and while I try to stick to the age range I must admit I juts bought almost all of the Lemony Snickett series - she's 2 (lol) but it was buy one get one free ( so each set of 2 hardback books in perfect condition for £1 - who could resist?)
I had books before my kids were born. Every bookstore has such a multitude of kids books on clearance, that you can't just pass them by, right?? We have the classics, Dr. Suess, Disney, etc. Both of my children read, but only my son loves it as much as I do. He is a jock, but can't pass up the Redwall series. He is the one who told me about The Hunger Games!!
It was my daughters birthday yesterday, and my sister asked her whether she got any books from her parents, and she said, no, books aren't presents - mum gets me new books when I need them :-)
Love the posts! I happily admit that I am guilty as charged. My favorite place to search for hidden treasures is the thrift store and I take my kids (Joseph age 7 and Lydia age 9) frequently. Tonight, however, I stopped by myself on my way home from work and thought I would surprise each of them with a new chapter book (SpongeBob for Joseph and Drake and Josh - with a poster - for Lydia). However, before I could present them with their presents, they said they wanted me to watch this video. I got such a kick out of it I had to share...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuRuwR...
Bob wrote: "Love the posts! I happily admit that I am guilty as charged. My favorite place to search for hidden treasures is the thrift store and I take my kids (Joseph age 7 and Lydia age 9) frequently. Ton..."
That video is hysterical!
Just got back from B&N -- I originally intended just to buy some books I'd reserved for my youngest daughter. She's very interested in Amelia Earhart right now, so you know I have to pick some books up on the subject!
Walked out with 3 or 4 books for me, a couple more for my youngest and 4 or 5 for my middle daughter. My oldest daughter missed out today, unfortunately, but she just reads my books anyway!
That video is hysterical!
Just got back from B&N -- I originally intended just to buy some books I'd reserved for my youngest daughter. She's very interested in Amelia Earhart right now, so you know I have to pick some books up on the subject!
Walked out with 3 or 4 books for me, a couple more for my youngest and 4 or 5 for my middle daughter. My oldest daughter missed out today, unfortunately, but she just reads my books anyway!
That video was hilarious!! That is so true... who will admit that?? ..also, by reading to our kids from an early age; i think that encourages a natural interest in "knowing." I think also, that being a constant reader helps cultivate that interest. My son has been reading some serious books of late and recommending them; Count of Monte Cristo, Brave New World, etc.
My daughter, who is not a big reader like me and my son, does read quite often (thank God); and is already on the 3rd in the Hunger Games series after 2 weeks of reading. That is soooo big for her. I mean, she could be shopping with the girls or something... hahahha
When my grandson was a little over one, I heard him laughing and investigated. He was sitting on the floor, book open, laughing at the antics of Curious George. He is ten now, and an avid reader.
Wow, Joanne, ONE? My grandson is almost 2 and has just shown interest in books. He seems to ask me to read them to him, yet 'says so' with gestures rather than words. And Emily-I assume you're the o.p.-2 MONTHS? This is amazing! Keep on, my friend-or a friend of all readers.Laurel
Yes Laurel, not yet 1 1/2. His father recently corrected him about usage of a word. He wouldn't give in. His father said "I have a lot more experience in the language." "Yes" said my grandson, "but mine is fresher."
My husband and I are are both avid readers so I think it's only natural that both of our boys (ages 4 & 8) are growing a love for reading as well! They see us reading almost daily and often discussing books. We read books with them as part of their bedtime routine. My oldest is in 2nd grade, as part of his daily homework, his teacher encourages 20 minutes of reading. A lot of times, my 4 year old will also sit down and read during that time.
I've often caught them huddled together in one of their forts reading together. A sight that I will forever cherish!
i love it when I see young people read. it gives me a fuzzy feeling.
I don’t think parents can “turn their children into readers”. I tried and hope succeeded in instilling a love for books and the written word in my children. If they act on that knowledge is entirely up to them. Parents have little if any control over their children’s reading habits.
I do think if the kids see a parent or loved one reading a lot, though, that they do tend to become more interested in books. Also, a routine of nightly reading before they can read to themselves is important. Reading together is huge in my book! I love reading with and to my nieces and nephew. I remember reading to my younger sister, we are 10 years apart in age, when she was a baby. We don't always have a lot of time to read, college was a huge lack of reading time for me, but I still love to read. I see that same love in my nieces, nephews, and sister that did have reading time with someone that they loved! They even get excited to "read" to me a loved book when they are little. Or when they are just starting to read. No, it won't make them an addict or turn them into readers, but I think it will help them have a higher love of reading then someone that isn't read to.
My son is now 11 and I've always tried hard to get him into books in so many ways, but its never worked. I have to say that what some of the schools try to tell parents about turning their kids into readers by starting young and trying to read with them, etc., isn't necessarily true.
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Erin, unfortunately that idea isn't perfect, but more often than not, kids who are read to from the day they are born and are encouraged to read when they are just learning how to read for themselves do tend to stay readers as they get older.
This is true Joseph. Well my son is 11 now and still not a "reader". Sometimes he goes through phases where I think there may be hope though, but then it sadly dies down lol. Perhaps in the future.
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Book Buying Addicts Anonymous
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are any other parents doing this as well?