Gear up for the junior read-a-thons

“Parents in India do not realise that reading for pleasure is something more than just time- pass,” says Sheela Anugolam, former IT professional and founder of Out of The Box, a concept library and enrichment centre for children.

“They don’t realise that the more a child reads outside the academic curriculum, the more likely he or she is to excel in academics. Unfortunately for Indian parents, all reading has to be mandatory academic reading,” she continues.

Vanishree Mahesh, founder of EasyLib, has a slightly more positive view on this: “Indian parents are hell-bent on academics. They need to realise that reading is an essential skill and improves vocabulary and communication skills in a child. It is extremely difficult for a child to develop a reading habit, unless the parents inculcate it. However, they are gradually waking up to the fact.”

Both Out of The Box and EasyLib are conducting summer read-at-thons for kids soon. British Library has joined the party with their Summer Reading Challenge 2011, starting from 9th of April.

Out of The Box is offering the read-a-thon to members and non-members alike from 5th of April. Open to kids between six and 14 years of age, it’s going to be a race where kids read as many books as they can over summer.

They have to participate in a quiz on the books they read and get to win exciting prizes.

Out of The Box also has several enhancement programmes for reading and comprehension skills, science, arts and crafts. And as an added incentive for reading, they offer a free subscription to a book kit to children enrolled for their programmes.

This is a theme-based reading programme, where a child gets to take two books on a given theme. There are 35 different themes for kids.

And yes, children do read by topic, as Anugolum can vouch from experience: “I’ve been asked by children where they can find books on dinosaurs or human bodies, and memorably, about teeth!”

“We try to promote reading and out-of-the-box thinking in children,” she says and they do need to read up on whatever fixes their interest.

As she has seen with her own children, a healthy appetite for books helps lateral thinking in children, which she feels is an essential tool for academic success.

British Library’s Summer Reading Challenge, starting from 9th April, is a programme that makes children read six or more books of their choice. Children get to have incentives and points; and a certificate and medal upon completion of the challenge.

This year’s theme is ‘Space Hop’. Children can issue two books on theme at a time and exchange them as many times as they want during the programme.

Along with the certificate and medal, there is a welcome pack for each child complete with a bag, Space Hop notebooks and folders.

EasyLib’s read-a-thon, co-presented with Puffin India, is a two-week event starting from 12th of April. Open to all children between 5 and 13 years of age, this involves children reading as many books as they can within that period.

They can read any book, anywhere, at home or at any other library. The children are required to write a short review of each book they read and the time it took them to finish the book. The parents sign on the review sheet issued by EasyLib.

Children under 7 years can read picture books or have their parents read to them, children between 8 and ten must read books with at least 80 pages and children above ten must read books with at least 150 pages.

All participants get certificates and the winners get a book hamper from Puffin and Lady Bird Books.

“Last year our top three readers read about 25 books in three weeks,” marvels Mahesh. She goes on to explain: “Children always like competition. Put a competitive edge and they start devouring books. And the whole shebang of writing reviews and getting sheets signed, adds to the thrill. We had a 95% success rate last year and the participants were truly hooked to books and continued to use the library through the year afterwards.”

EasilyLib is also conducting another workshop, Must Reads, for advanced readers in collaboration with Kathalaya. This five-day workshop, starting on April 14, is aimed at introducing children to classic works of Ruskin Bond, Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens, EB White, and RK Narayan. Geeta Ramanujam and other trained storytellers from Kathalaya will read out aloud from their works.

The discussions that follow the readings will emphasise language and constructs, literary nuances that children may miss and the writers’ styles and motives for writing for children.

But Anugolam’s warning is one that bodes well to heed. “It is not enough to hold the events for children. The parents must see the point of non-academic reading. We need more parent participation in the process, in order to help kids expand their reading.” Mahesh agrees with this and goes on to add that “parent can’t be switched off from their child’s reading process. They can’t just let them read whatever they want. One needs to monitor and guide children to the right kinds of books too”.

With the intrusion of television and Internet, readers are a dwindling species and it is to be hoped that reading events like these help get some kids to turn the pages and keep them hooked.