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Subj:   HFPE on Literature in the Home
Contributor: Holly in Maryland

What an exciting Homemaking this will be!  I too am an avid reader and could talk for hours about books and reading.  Although I do not have children of  my own, and thus no practical experience with encouraging children to become lifelong readers, here are some suggestions I've gathered from reading experts and my childhood experiences.

1.  Although most parents are aware of the importance of reading to their children when they are small, few realize how important it is for children to see their parents reading for their own enjoyment.  It is also important to continue reading to and with children even after they are old enough to read on their own.

2.  Every child should have a bookcase in his bedroom and some books of his own.  New children's books can be expensive, so try thrift stores, used-book stores, and library sales.  These are also good sources for your own reading material.  My most recent trip to the used-book store yielded seven paperback classics for $14 plus the $11 store credit I received when I took some books back.

3.  Only censor your child's reading in extreme cases.  For the most part, it is better to let children read whatever interests them than to try to force their reading habits.  How many of us have bad memories of books that we were required to read in school?  Don't ruin a good book by forcing your child to read it!  Let her discover it when she's ready.

4.  Set aside time to read.  Why not establish one night a week as a no-TV night?  This night could be used for family reading or individual reading.

5.  Make reading relevant to what's happening in your family.  Before going on vacation, read a book that's set in your vacation locale.  I can still remember the thrill I got out of visiting some of the streets in London that I had just read about in Dickens' Bleak House.  Even though I knew the book was fiction, it was fun to think that I was walking on the same streets as the book's characters.

6.  Keep a list of the books you read.  I started doing this a few years ago and was surprized at how much of what I read was junk.  This really motivated me to go back to reading the classics that I had always loved.  Also, when I'm tempted to read a book that's complete trash, I ask myself, "Would I want someone to see this book on my list?"

7.  If you don't know what to read, ask your schools and libraries for reading lists.  The Newberry and Caldecott winners are always good choices for children.  For adults, try reading something from the high school reading list.  In fact, try rereading some of the books you had to read in high school.  You may be surprised at how you react to them from an adult perspective.  When I've done this, I'm amazed at how little I understood the book as a teenager.

8.  Establish family traditions about books and reading.  One tradition I have with my nieces is that whenever I take them to the movies, we go to the library book sale first and they can each pick out a book of their own.  They love being able to select their own book and they know that reading is important to me.

9.  Don't forget poetry!  Get a standard collection of American and English poetry and have a poetry FHE.  Let everyone select a poem in advance, and then have them read/recite the poem.  When I was a kid my father would recite "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and we children were absolutely enthralled.  We loved it!  Better than a ghost story!

Well, as I said, I could go on for hours!  Mary Engelbreit has some charming artwork that really convey the magic of books that you might be able to find printed up as cards.  These would be great to go along with Homemaking.  One of them says, "Books fall open, you fall in!"  Have fun!

"Just the knowledge that a good book is waiting one at the end of a long day makes that day happier."  Kathleen Norris