Encouraging Boys to Read: Jon Scieszka The Stinky Cheese Man - John D. Fitzgerald The Great Brain

Between the lines: boys and reading

Sunday, 27 January, 2013, 12:00am

Annie Hofamilypost@scmp.com

Are girls better readers than boys? This seems to be the conclusion from an international study spanning nearly 50 countries over a period of a decade, in which girls consistently scored higher than boys in reading comprehension.

This study measured reading comprehension by the ability to retrieve, integrate, evaluate and make inferences from stated information, and tested literary reading (reading for pleasure) and informational reading (reading to learn content). The gender gap was much wider for literary reading than for informational reading.

Boys have it tough when it comes to the joy of reading. When they are young, female family members and female teachers inform their reading choices. Females generally prefer narrative fiction with an emotional message, whereas men and boys like to acquire information through non-narrative texts. When boys don't share this love for narrative, they are labelled as being not good at, or not interested in, reading. But maybe they just don't like what their mothers and teachers like.

We constantly encounter advertisements, magazines, social media, packaging, labels and product instructions. Boys can read these just as well as girls, and many may even enjoy and comprehend them more than girls. The ability to understand informational texts is necessary for daily life and career success, so parents should not frown upon sons who read informational texts but shy away from fiction.

Studies have also shown that boys read when the content interests them. So feel free to ply your boys with "books for boys", or whatever reading material keeps their attention. Read aloud a more classic type of narrative story once in a while to test whether their tastes are expanding. You may find yourself with a book lover in the making.

When not spearheading literacy programmes to encourage boys to read more, Jon Scieszka writes great books for boys (and girls).

Truck-loving pre-school boys will love Smash! Crash!, from Scieszka's Trucktown series. Without any moral dilemma to resolve, these books are full of names of all the different types of construction and other vehicles.

His award-winning book, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, upends not only the plot of traditional fairy tales, but also the structure of the picture book itself. These side-splittingly funny tales have been entertaining both pre-schoolers and adults for two decades.

When it comes to narrative fiction, I can't think of a better introduction thanThe Great Brain, by John D. Fitzgerald. This and others in the series were my childhood favourites, and I can't wait to share them with my daughters when they are a bit older.

In this fictional account of the author's life in Utah in the early 1900s, JD idolises his older brother Tom, the Great Brain in the story, thus named for his penchant for swindling schoolmates and other misdeeds. How an obedient Chinese immigrant like me could be so enthralled with the misadventures of two brothers growing up in a Mormon family at the turn of the last century is a real testament to how well-written and delightful these stories are.

Perhaps, to get boys more interested in reading, schools can stock more reading material that appeals to them, such as special interest magazines and non-fiction books. These can also widen the range for girls, who tend to gravitate toward chapter books.

Annie Ho is board chairwoman of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving children's literacy by reading aloud to them. bringmeabook.org.hk

Tad Hills Rocket - Anthea Simmons

Quickly or slowly, the road to reading has its bumps

Sunday, 20 January, 2013, 12:00am

Annie Hofamilypost@scmp.com

I feel anxious that my elder daughter is about to turn five and cannot read. Before you roll your eyes and write me off as another tiger mother, let me plead my case. My expectations for her reading ability run high because I have been reading aloud to her for almost five years, and I have been advocating reading aloud as the best way to achieve early childhood literacy. Well, she is on the far end of early childhood and she is not literate.

Lately, when reading aloud to my daughter, I sneak glances to see where her eyes rest. And I notice that her gaze never falls on the words, even when I follow them with my finger. Her focus is invariably on all aspects of the illustrations.

But my daughter can read Chinese. In Anthea Simmons' Share!, "baby" is the younger sibling until the very end, when the word "little brother" is mentioned. We have a Chinese translation of this story in our home. The first time I read aloud in Chinese, I substituted "little brother" for "little sister", hoping this would help her better relate to the big sister in the story. She surprised me by correcting me, pointing to the Chinese characters for "little brother".

My daughter also likes to read out Chinese characters that she recognises on buildings and street signs. Yet she doesn't know the English word "the", even though it has been taught to her at school, and I have called attention to the words "the end" hundreds of times at the end of our storybooks.

To literate English speakers, the alphabet seems so much more straightforward than complex Chinese characters. However, to children, Chinese characters are pictures, and pictures are easy to remember. In the same way, children who read English can do so because they have learned to recognise the whole word.

It is unfortunate that when my daughter looks at an English word, she sees a collection of alphabet letters and sounds. She has become so adept at her phonics exercises that she cannot step back and see the whole word.

Rather than blame the premature introduction of phonics into my daughter's education, I also consider that perhaps she's just slower than her peers.

I liken my daughter to the eponymous tiger cub in Robert Kraus' Leo the Late Bloomer. Illustrated in evocative watercolour by Jose Aruego, Leo is surrounded by other cubs who are speaking, drawing and reading, but he can do none of these. I expected my daughter to appreciate the positive reassurance that Leo eventually blooms at the end of the story. We read this together once and she never asked for it again. But all was not lost. Leo the Late Bloomer made me feel better about my daughter's reading situation.

The book that my daughter does ask for again and again, and that I never tire of reading aloud, is How Rocket Learned to Read. An engaging story written and illustrated by Tad Hills, Rocket is a crazily adorable dog that progresses from reluctant student to eager reader with the help of a little yellow bird. This book is gently packed with teaching points beyond simply learning to read: the friendship between dog and bird, the changing seasons illustrated through Rocket's newly acquired reading skills, and the thoughtfully selected descriptive words such as "gorgeous alphabet" and "earthy smells of fall".

I remind myself that my elder daughter is not faster or slower than her peers; rather, she is at the right speed for her. And since I can't help comparing, I take comfort in knowing that her self-esteem is unharmed when it comes to being surpassed by a younger sibling. All will be well as long as my younger daughter continues to misspell her name. When asked how to spell it, she only remembers some of the letters that make up her name, and shouts, "P-I-G!"

Annie Ho is board chairperson of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving children's literacy by reading aloud to them. bringmeabook.org.hk

SCMP - Children's Books about Loss and Grieving

Between the Lines: Coming to terms with death is not child's play

Sunday, 13 January, 2013, 12:00am

Annie Hofamilypost@scmp.com

December was an emotional month for me. While happily belting out Christmas songs and wrapping gifts, I felt bouts of sadness from following the news in the wake of the Newtown shooting, and the inquiry into the Lamma ferry disaster.

We also spent time with friends who had lost loved ones around this time of year. Although the occasions were joyful, our hearts went out to these friends and their wonderful children who had lost a spouse and parent.

It seems that death is also not far from my daughter's thoughts. One day, while we were spending time together, she said to me, "When I die, can I come back again?" I briefly pondered the remote possibility that in a flash of genius, she had picked up the concept of reincarnation on her own. Not to confuse her by introducing non-Christian beliefs, I gently reminded her that she would go to heaven after she died. "Yes, but after heaven, I want to be here with you again," she continued.

After more discussion, it turned out that my daughter was not referring to reincarnation, but was just looking for reassurance about things staying the same.

Young children experience existential loneliness, even though they cannot verbalise what they are feeling. A child's realisation, and then fear, of the fact that he or she is fundamentally alone in this world can be exhibited through separation anxiety. Feelings of being alone are also a natural part of the grieving process, whether it is the result of the death of a loved one or another significant change.

Tomie dePaola explains death in children's terms in Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs. A true story, this Caldecott Honour author spent his childhood Sundays with his grandmother and her mother who was bedridden in her upstairs bedroom. DePaola tenderly recaptures how he felt the day he ran upstairs to find his great-grandmother's bedroom empty.

In the original 1973 publication, dePaola used only three colours: black, pink and ochre. The 1989 edition is re-illustrated in full colour, but uses soft hues "to retain the nostalgic feelings of the original".

Tear Soup, by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen, uses the process of making tear soup as an analogy for grieving. There are some very helpful tips for everyone involved at the back. The authors recognise that the age and gender of the grief-stricken affect the way they deal with loss.

In The Invisible String by Patrice Karst and Geoff Stevenson, a mother tells her children about an invisible string made of love that connects them together with their loved ones, no matter where they are.

While the theme is separation anxiety, it also serves as a gentle introduction to how we can stay connected to those we lose through death, divorce, or moving away.

These books open the channels to communicate with a child who has suffered a loss. Through references to different illustrations in these stories, children can learn how to articulate their feelings, better understand the empty space left by their loss, and know that it's OK to feel sad.

Annie Ho is board chairperson of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving children's literacy by reading aloud to them. bringmeabook.org.hk

SCMP - PIRLS International Results in Reading

Between The Lines: Our children top the world at reading, but do they enjoy it?

Sunday, 06 January, 2013, 12:00am

Annie Ho

The PIRLS 2011 International Results in Reading were recently announced, and Hong Kong placed first out of 49 countries in reading ability of fourth-graders. This was widely reported locally and internationally.

Local media focused on how well Hong Kong children are being educated, while international media reports made comparisons between the education system in their respective countries and those of Asian countries.

PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) has been tracking trends in fourth-grade reading ability for 15 years. It uses extensive measuring tools to assess a number of reading-related contexts, including home environment support, students' backgrounds and attitudes toward reading, the reading curriculum, and teachers' education and training.

I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but Hong Kong's first place in reading ability is just one outcome of this nearly 400-page report. Buried in the report are tables indicating that Hong Kong scored the lowest of all participants in three critical areas: motivation to read, confidence and interest in reading for pleasure, and parents' enjoyment of reading.

This report found that children had higher reading achievement by the fourth grade if they were able to read some sentences and write some words by the time they started primary school. Thus, Hong Kong's high scores can be attributed to the fact that virtually all Hong Kong children in the study attended one year or more of pre-primary education, and 68 per cent of them had three years or more.

This is high compared with the international average of 78 per cent having one year or more of preschool and 42 per cent having three years or more.

On the other hand, when Hong Kong fourth-graders were asked to rate statements such as "I like to read things that make me think", and "I like it when a book helps me imagine other worlds", this assessment of their motivation to read placed them at the very bottom of the table.

This report also differentiates between literary reading and informational reading. Informational reading is important for students to learn the material being taught, regardless of subject matter. For example, students who find reading difficult will also do poorly at problem-solving questions in maths class, and chain-reaction descriptions in science class.

It should come as no surprise that Hong Kong children are adept at informational reading, that is, the type that has been assigned by their teachers. However, it's safe to extrapolate from the report that these children have yet to discover the joy of reading.

According to the report, literary reading plays "an important role in self-realisation, helping children learn about themselves and their potential". But until parents and teachers appreciate the immense value of children's literature, children will only read when required. After all, young children rely on grown-ups to provide them with reading materials.

Great children's literature provides our children with comfort when they worry, gives them courage when they are scared, cultivates their connections with the rest of the world and supports their emotional growth.

When we choose a book to share with our children, we are conveying to them our own values and giving them a moral compass. Our selections say a lot about what we hold dear and what we dream for our children. We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful authors who are willing to help give voice to what we want to say. In many cases, regardless of the story, the message for our children simply boils down to, "I love you no matter what."

Although the heavy load of informational reading that local schoolchildren contend with on a daily basis may be deterring them from reading for pleasure, I hope schools will continue to promote literary reading. Nurturing life-long readers seems a worthier long-term goal than breeding strong test-takers.

Annie Ho is board chairperson of Bring Me A Book Hong Kongbringmeabook.org.hk a non-profit organisation devoted to improving children's literacy through reading aloud to them