s/o Twaddle: WWYD with my boys?

[Annabel Lee]

I was reading the recent thread on twaddle; the one about Animorphs books. I agree that kids need some "down time", a break for their brains, the 85% rule, whatever you call it. Something I noticed in many of the replies was that many of your children enjoy at least some great classics.

 

My boys are BOTH (2nd and 4th grades this year) enamored with the Magic Tree House books. This, along with sports biographies, is what they choose for their free reading time. {ETA: The reading level of these is OK for free reading for my 2nd grader, but not for my 4th grader since he never chooses anything harder.} I've allowed it because I thought they need a time when they get to choose & when reading is purely for enjoyment. Their assigned reading and read alouds for school consist of classic lit. or children's versions of it or about it.

 

The only classic lit. they've ever shown much interest in are Greek myths, but that was only because it further defined characters they read about in Percy Jackson (Lightning Thief). Ugh.

 

For this week, I've got both Lois Burdett & Bruce Coville's Shakespeare books for kids & a Rosemary Sutcliffe King Arthur book to align with the time in history we're studying. Lamb's Shakespeare just didn't grab them at all. Of course, I tried starting with The Tempest - I have no clue if that mattered or not. I'm hoping (knock on wood) *something* sparks their interest.

 

There's only so much time in the day & there's reading to be done for school subjects already. I can't hand them difficult reading that doesn't really interest them and expect it to get done on top of that. WWYD?

Edited August 1, 2010 by Annabel Lee

[shannatheshedevil]

The only classic lit. they've ever shown much interest in are Greek myths, but that was only because it further defined characters they read about in Percy Jackson (Lightning Thief). Ugh.

 

 

I, personally, think that's awesome. Modern literature is opening them up to classic literature. I don't know much about the series because my son is too little to care about it, but I love that they are interested in greek literature because of a modern book.

[Annabel Lee]

Unfortunately that was only for a season; it was short-lived. The books became too scary for my youngest (this was just over a yr. ago) and my oldest ds tired of what he deemed difficult reading. I would have had to find time to read aloud to ds9 w/o ds7 hearing - hard to accomplish in a super small space w/ kids who want to snuggle when they know a RA is going on.

[i.love.lucy]

Sometimes I think reading classic lit is like eating your spinach. There is NO WAY a 7 or 9 year old is going to love steamed spinach (ok, maybe a few of you have kids like that). I have to hide it, sneak it in, cover it with some cheese sauce, etc...you get the idea. Eventually hopefully they will develop a taste for it as it gets less disguised, right?

 

There are great books, like on the 1000 Great Books site, that could potentially pique their interest, and being good literature they will grow to love the quality of the writing. They may never really love the old fashioned stuff, but they can love quality writing, a great story, etc. Can you look there for some things that might be more modern adventure stories for boys that could appeal to them instead of the really old stuff like Shakespeare? Save that for later maybe?

[Night Elf]

The only classic lit. they've ever shown much interest in are Greek myths, but that was only because it further defined characters they read about in Percy Jackson (Lightning Thief). Ugh.

 

That's called a jumping-off point and I think it's fabulous. I'm jealous. My kids don't do that. Dd12 reads books she gets at her book club because she gets a chance to review books not yet published. She also reads books assigned in her literature course but that's assigned reading. Other than that, she might average one book a month. My ds14 is not a reader at all. I have to force him to read books and he's totally indifferent to most of them. He did enjoy The Martian Chronicles and Tom Sawyer, but those are the only 2 books in the past 18 months he really enjoyed. He will never be a pleasure reader.

[EmilyK]

This pretty much sounds like my younger son and I guess I'm pleased with Percy Jackson and Magic Tree House. I know they're not great lit but the PJ books got him really involved with mythology, which we love, and MTH has opened up a lot of historical topics. In my mind they are *so* much better than books that are equally (or more) junky and don't gateway to anything.

 

Though I have to say if my younger son was a pleasure reader on just about anything I'd be cool with it within reason. I'm such a fast reader which really happened because I read so much as a kid. I'm a bit worried neither of my kids will pleasure read as much as I do/did.

 

If you don't do audiobooks already, and can, they are so great for my boys. They listen before they go to bed, or while building legos, or on long car trips. It has really broadened their horizons to books they wouldn't read to themselves. At night they may listen together or separately depending on interest.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Your dc are young yet. IMO they have plenty of time to mature into the type of reading you want them to be doing.

 

My oldest two are 11 and 12 and they don't like reading anything that I would consider classical literature. In fact they don't really enjoy reading at all. I struggled and fought with them for the past 2 years about it and this year I've finally come to the conclusion that I can't force a love of reading and by my constantly trying to force feed what I think is a super great, not to be missed book into their minds, I am making the problem worse.

My solution has been to insist upon the reading that needs to be done for school work, although I try to keep it as interesting as possible, and for their other reading time they are allowed to choose what they want but it can't be more than 1 reading level below where they are. I have lots of classics sitting on the shelves and I also download lots onto my Kindle. I will read these aloud to my dd7 and they will sometimes sit in on it and sometimes they won't.

The other concession I have made that is actually exposing my girls to lots of classic literature is to find them in movie format. We don't watch any tv (don't even have cable at all) but we are a movie family. We love all manner of movies and documentaries. Just recently we had an incredible in depth conversation about mythology. We analyzed all the movies we have seen depicting the story of Perseus and compared them to the original myth. (The most recent blockbuster Clash of the Titans really skewed the story a lot.) We also talked about how these myths and legends take on a different spin depending on the time in which they are being told. All this discussion and deep thought was brought on by movies and a few documentaries.

All that to say, work with your dc's interests. To me, getting them exposed to as many of the stories of great literature will hopefully spur them to actually pick up the book later on when their reading interests mature.

Oh, and IMO Shakespeare should be watched first. It is a play after all.:D

[nmoira]

There's only so much time in the day & there's reading to be done for school subjects already. I can't hand them difficult reading that doesn't really interest them and expect it to get done on top of that. WWYD?

Read alouds and audio books for heavier classical kids' lit: Pyle, Stevenson, Barrie, Jack London, etc. I'd stick with high interest adventure and humorous novels for awhile. FWIW, I wouldn't expect your older son to get through Sutcliff's Arthur books with ease, but the trilogy is a fantastic read aloud. Audio book are great for exposure to not only vocabulary, but also antiquated syntax and grammar. RL Stevenson and Pyle in particular can be a slog if you're not familiar with the syntax or the cadence is off.

 

For reading, there are many threads of with recommendations for high interest boys' books. Don't be afraid of modern series.

 

Here are some recent threads:

 

What would you do with this 9yo boy?

Which literature for a 3rd grade boy?

need book recommendations for a 9yo boy who loves fantasy

Book recommendations for an 8yo boy?

Book recommendations for a 10yo boy?

Edited August 2, 2010 by nmoira

[chris's girl]

I have one child so far that loves literature. My next 2 children could not care less about great books. It really might always be that way, and if so, I accept it.

I do like a lot of the pp and require good books for school reading, and allow them to read what they want for fun (within reason). This means that my second and third children read Magic Tree House and Arhtur books like they are going out of style. But they are READING. That is the first step to their loving literature at all. If I allow them only to read classics I can be assured they will never pick up a book for fun.

Even my 12 yo reader loves Nancy Drew. So did I. Not everything has to be great mind food, IMO. And I don't feel a bit guilty about it. :)

[Guest]

Read alouds and audio books for heavier classical kids lit: Pyle, Stevenson, Barrie, Jack London, etc.

 

 

I absolutely agree with this. Use audiobooks as much as you can; read aloud during lunch and at bedtime.

 

And as others have noted, your boys are still young. This is the age of the series book -- reading from an easy series helps kids develop reading stamina and fluency. It won't ruin them forever, especially if you keep more complex books going in other formats. My daughter read through every single one of the Animorphs books, many a dozen times, before she was finished with them. But she also listened to classics on CD from the library, was read aloud to every day, and eventually moved from chapter books to adult novels in one giant step. She basically skipped the books aimed at kids elevenish to late teens (which is not a bad thing!).

[MorganClassicalPrep]

eh. I don't plan on controlling DD's free reading choices. I'll just keep including the classics within school time, and as long as she is keeping up with that, it'll be up to her what she reads in her own time. I don't even plan on censoring much for themes.

 

As a child I had free rein over what I read. It wasn't even until high school that I had required books to read, and those weren't the "classics" for the most part. I read Goosebumps, The Babysitter's Club, Sweet Valley High... all that twaddle. The important part though is that I developed a love for reading that eventually led me to read the "classics". I was even double majoring in history and literature for awhile before I dropped the lit to focus on my foreign languages that I'm going to need for graduate school.

[Hedgehogs4]

my ds has picked up good reads from WWE. SWB's selections so piqued his interest that he went and read the books. so much of his "reading" has been read-aloud and audio books that there is now nothing that intimidates him. he just picks up and reads. If he doesn't understand it, he puts it down and tries something else, or asks me to read it to him and explain it. Jim Weiss recordings are a godsend. they want to listen to him all the time. I'm beginning to think of him as a member of the family.

 

there is such a variety of stuff that we have read out loud to him: his dad read him The Great Brain series, which is GREAT for boys this age, not to mention the Ralph Moody "Little Britches" series (i have read 5 of these aloud to my whole family. Even Dad enjoys the read aloud time as a family). We have also read Carry on, Mr. Bowditch, another family favorite. All of these have difficult language which would be hard for my son to read on his own, but it gives us a great opportunity to talk about things because the stories stimulate discussion, and the vocabulary needs to be explained sometimes. On his own he has read the Marguerite Henry books, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Alice in Wonderland (unabridged), several Lamplighter books, Beverly Cleary's Ribsy series (which i suppose could be considered "twaddle" but they're kids classics now.) Actually it was Beverly Cleary which really started him reading well on his own, but we read the Runaway Ralph series aloud.

 

So I guess my suggestion is to pick books that you think may be valuable and read to them all kinds of things, but mainly things that are above his own reading level. even my daughter (5) loves Ralph Moody, and those are not "easy" stories.

[In2why]

Ok my view from the cheap seats.....I think a lot of times twaddle is defined to broadly. I define it as.............we don't eat cereal, buy toys, or buy books based on cartoon's. Other than that I let them read what they like as long as it isn't something I would rate R if it were on my TV.

 

I think it is important to read classics, I think great stories are great because they stay with us and expand our thinking in some way. But at the same time I also want them to just plain love reading. I want them to read for comfort when they are lonely. I want them to read to relax before they fall asleep. I want them to read to pass time while waiting at the DMV. I want them to understand that there are very few things they will come up against in life that they can't read something to help them get through it. I want them to read in times of curiousity, to learn, to heal, to grow, and to laugh. I want them to understand that books are like trusted advisors, and lay it on the line and laugh till you pee friends. Books serve many different purposes and sometimes twaddle and escape are what we all need.

Maybe they need to start with the easy and familiar before building up trust for the harder and more rewarding. I think the key is to keep introducing great books through audio, family reading time and library visits. Don't make it a chore or another thing to just get through. Once the love of books is in place, then the love for great stories naturally follow.

[Annabel Lee]

Well, I guess we'll just keep chugging along and use anything that piques their interest as a jumping off point. I may have been misunderstood about the Shakespeare thing - we're just doing a touch of that this week b/c it's the period lit. that goes alongside our history. I have highly abridged children's versions (if you've never checked out Lois Burdett's you really must, it's a hoot to see how other kids have drawn the characters and what they would have them say) that are humourous and have those plays in my Netflix Q. I don't expect them to sit and read it, and I'm not worried about them "getting" it or loving it at this point. It's merely a literature branch of our history curric. and hopefully a few repeated short exposures will, at the least, make it less intimidating in HS.

 

Ya, I need to get better about reserving audio books from the library. I should start with something they just like (vs. assigned for school), even if it's the "twaddle" I allow for free reading to get them hooked. My youngest had nightmares of Jim Weis' voice & both dislike listening to him... so sad. *I* think he's a great orator but they've apparently got their own standards. I bet they would LOVE a story read in funny voices, like chipmunks, aliens or robots. LOL HEY! That just gave me an idea (that I'll share in case anyone wants to steal it)! I'll do a RA or an audiobook and have them act it out with their beloved stuffies! They did this w/ the Wizard of Oz series (until book 4 when it got too scary for youngest). Dorothy was the stuffed chicken, the Wicked Witch was a stuffed alligator, etc. Too cute! They did that on their own, and loved it. I hope they go for it again (fingers crossed)!

 

Thanks for the inspiration & encouragement, all of you!

[Annabel Lee]

Boy am I longwinded or what?! No such thing as a short post from arcticmom!

[MorganClassicalPrep]

Boy am I longwinded or what?! No such thing as a short post from arcticmom!

 

That was short! :D

[ma23peas]

Read Alouds for boys:

 

The Golden Goblet

The Bronze Bow

Castle in the Attic

Anything by Linda Sue Park

Anything by Avi

Anything by Marguerite D'Angeli (Door in the Wall)

Adam of the Road

Princess and the Goblin (George MacDonald)

Detectives in Togas

Great audiobook was Dragon Rider (narrated by Brendan Fraser, he did an excellent job and both boys will enjoy this one! We listened to it all the way to Florida (8 hour drive) and never once heard, when will we get there?? :)

Also the Hobbit and ALL the Chronicles of Narnia on CD through the Focus on the Family series of books, I HIGHLY recommend ALL their CD's..we probably went through 100 of them during grades 2-6! :)

 

My children really loved the Redwall series at that age (4th grade) and we found the Roman Mysteries series to be excellent twaddle..a step above treehouse...

 

I think at 4th grade we were 50/50....half read alouds/audio books and half reading alone...

[jetzmama]

We definitely love audiobooks! But I've also learned two other tricks to pique the interest of my son who can read at a much higher level than what he chooses.

First, I'll slowly read the book. As I read it, I'll share with friends (live or phone) or family about scenes or characters that I find funny or that are kind of quirky (making sure ds is w/in earshot). By the time I'm 1/2 way through, he is often asking if I'm done yet because he wants to read it.

 

Second, and more often because of time contraints, I'll read the first chapter or two out loud (sometimes to myself, other times with the character voices) while he is busy with something else nearby. As soon as I put it down, he is chomping at the bit to hear more. "Sorry, can't just now." "Can I read it or is it a RA that I have to wait for?" "Go ahead."

 

He is pretty loyal to authors, so if there is an author I'd like to introduce him to, these are usually effective ways to hook him.

[ubermomto5]

i didn't read all the other posts but i firmly believe: if you expose them regularly to good literature at some point they will be interested on their own. but i would find very storybook versions of the classics...because at their age, is it more important to read the exact words or to enjoy the story? you want to get them hooked! it's classic for a reason! and good literature doesn't have to be heavy. i would think the tempest beyond most kids that age. do those classics together so your interest will spread.

with my 4 readers, i don't buy or check out books that are based on tv shows or movies. if they made a movie from a previous book, that's different! i make sure they can choose what they like at the library but it's our rule that they get a biography, a 'nature' book, and if they're not interested on their own i get something 'classic' they will enjoy if it's put in front of their face...like mrs. pigglewiggle and encyclopedia brown. my 8 year old constantly checks out donald duck comics (came before the cartoon!) but i got him the return of the indian - and he read that too.

[Joyofsixreboot]

At least my kids aren't alone in their tastes. Sometimes I feel eveyone's kids are reading Homer in the original Greek while my kid is reading Lego magazines.

[Farrar]

Don't be afraid of modern series.

 

 

:iagree: I feel like there's a sense on this forum that all modern series are automatically twaddle. I disagree with that so firmly. I would also say that while I'm not in love with The Magic Treehouse either, I think that a reasonably well-written, high interest book series with so many repetitive elements is an important reading stage for kids because it helps them know what to expect (Here's the part where Jack misses something because he's trying to write everything down. Here's the part where Annie runs off without thinking. You get the idea...).

[Sahamamama]

Haven't read the other responses, so maybe someone else has already posted this: Try audiobooks. You could hand your 4th grader a copy of D'Aulaire's

Greek Myths, then have him (require him to?) listen to it being read to him on CD/tape. You could hand your 2nd grader a copy of James Herriotts' Classic Stories for Children (something like that) and require him to listen to it on CD.

 

Our library is great, so I might be spoiled into thinking these are all available on audiobook. But you might be surprised how much is available to you at your library. Here, we use audiobooks right before bedtime (we tuck the girls in and put on the audiobook, unless they're really tired, then they get music).

 

Check your library for classic books that have ALREADY been read aloud ;) and bring out the headphones! :D

 

Suggestions:

 

Swiss Family Robinson

Black Beauty

The Black Stallion

D'Aulaire's Greek Myths

D'Aulaire's Norse Myths

Peter Pan

American Tall Tales (Jim Weiss)

The Jungle Book

Just So Stories (Rudyard Kipling -- these are funny!)

Just So Stories (Jim W. has a CD that's fun to listen to)

Julius Caesar and the Story of Rome (Jim W.)

Tales from Shakespeare (Jim W.)

Little House in the Big Woods (read by Cherry Jones -- WONDERFUL!)

Little House on the Prairie

Farmer Boy

On the Banks of Plum Creek

By the Shores of Silver Lake

The Long Winter

[my2boysteacher]

i didn't read all the other posts but i firmly believe: if you expose them regularly to good literature at some point they will be interested on their own.

 

:iagree: I let my boys choose whatever book they want for our daily free reading time. I read a loud to them daily as well, and choose good quality literature which I think is appropriate for them at this stage. We are currently reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "Little Men".

When we start school again in a few weeks I am going to use the book basket method for free reading time. I hope that will encourage them to 'kick it up a notch' yet still let them feel they are making the choice of what to read.

[NanceXToo]

It sounds like your boys are doing just fine.

 

You say they're doing reading for school that I'm assuming means stories and books you think are quality.

 

You say that they have an interest in greek myths and sports biographies (that's great!!) on top of their lighter reading.

 

They read on their free time for fun, regardless of what they are reading...and they're still so young.

 

It sounds perfectly ideal to me!

[Rosy]

Read alouds and audio books for heavier classical kids lit: Pyle, Stevenson, Barrie, Jack London, etc. I'd stick with high interest adventure and humorous novels for awhile.

:iagree: