Reader Under Construction

We post a lot on this blog about the craft of writing, but today I want to concentrate on reading, and building readers.

Mrs. Latimer, my first grade teacher, sparked my interest in books with the Dick and Jane series. Each day after lunch, we laid our heads on the table and listened to her read. Their dog, Tip, was always my favorite and as I almost dozed off on the desktop, I pictured myself playing in a grassy park with that pup, and still recall to this day a story about the color violet in one of those stories.

Interesting, because I’m colorblind, but I’ve always like the sound of that word.

Fast forward to second grade, and Miss Russell the school librarian. I adored that redhead, and quickly became the teacher’s pet. She recognized my love for reading and while most students could check out only one book at a time, she allowed me two.

And then each grade after, I could check out the corresponding number of books to my grade level. By seventh grade, I’d read almost everything in that library.

Cowboy Sam, the We Were There books, Will James and Smoky the Cowhorse, sparked my interest in history that soon lead to biographies of Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, and here in Texas, the Alamo legend and all the fiction that gathered around it. After that, it was everything I could lay my hands on, and by the time I was in junior high, I was reading books intended for adults.

Those two educators inspired a reader to grow, and by the time our daughters came around, they were surrounded by books, because the Bride reads, too. Those who know me have seen the bookshelves and cases in our home, and I often get the question, “Did you read all these?”

They wouldn’t be on our shelves if I hadn’t.

Books were available for our daughters and today they’re both educators. The Redhead is a high school librarian, and the One Known as Taz is an elementary school counselor. Each Sunday we all get together for dinner at our house, and most of the time the girls discuss whatever they’re reading at the time.

Now we have the grand-critters, and from day one they’ve had access to books, beginning with those to chew on, tactile books that absorbed them with crackles and textures, to cardboard picture books.

Of the seven, not all are readers, though we’ve tried. As you can tell from this photo, they’ve enjoyed books together, though some are more enamored with the printed word than others.

One will need a chiropractor someday from carrying around a backpack full of books, even when she travels with her parents the full eight miles to our house. When she goes on weekend trips, a second suitcase is necessary.

The others aren’t as addicted, but they still read and look forward to the public library at least once a month, and weekly during the summertime. They love to attend signings, and each time they’re in a bookstore, these guys go home with a new book.

This past weekend at the Will Rogers Medallion conference, I heard some disturbing news that physical books are in jeopardy, but eBooks are the new way to go. I hope that’s not true, because we’re caught in a Catch-22 issue. My girls and their husbands work hard to keep the kids off their devices, but everything in our world is dragging them in that direction. I’d rather them read on their pads, though, instead of spending valuable time on social media and games.

Which leads me to a side discussion, and that’s getting them away from those devices and into the outdoors. We’ve taught them all to enjoy nature, and getting outside is even more important these days as school, competitive sports, and screens absorb so much of their time.

And here I sit, staring at this screen and typing words that will never see a physical page.

In my opinion, a book within reach is the best way to pass the time (instead of scrolling through inane social media platforms that do little more than capture an individual’s interest for a second between swipes), and the adventures inside those pages are pure educational gold.

Kids will soon forget the games on those devices, and the videos which seem to be taking control of their time, but the stories they read in books will remain forever.

Let’s concentrate on building more readers, and the time to start is when they’re sitting in our laps. Turn off your damned devices and read to them, because those days are fleeting.

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About Reavis Wortham

NYT Bestselling Author and two-time Spur Award winner Reavis Z. Wortham pens the Texas Red River historical mystery series, and the high-octane Sonny Hawke contemporary western thrillers. His new Tucker Snow series begins in 2022. The Red River books are set in rural Northeast Texas in the 1960s. Kirkus Reviews listed his first novel in a Starred Review, The Rock Hole, as one of the “Top 12 Mysteries of 2011.” His Sonny Hawke series from Kensington Publishing features Texas Ranger Sonny Hawke and debuted in 2018 with Hawke’s Prey. Hawke’s War, the second in this series won the Spur Award from the Western Writers Association of America as the Best Mass Market Paperback of 2019. He also garnered a second Spur for Hawke’s Target in 2020. A frequent speaker at literary events across the country. Reavis also teaches seminars on mystery and thriller writing techniques at a wide variety of venues, from local libraries to writing conventions, to the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort, SC. He frequently speaks to smaller groups, encouraging future authors, and offers dozens of tips for them to avoid the writing pitfalls and hazards he has survived. His most popular talk is entitled, My Road to Publication, and Other Great Disasters. He has been a newspaper columnist and magazine writer since 1988, penning over 2,000 columns and articles, and has been the Humor Editor for Texas Fish and Game Magazine for the past 25 years. He and his wife, Shana, live in Northeast Texas. All his works are available at your favorite online bookstore or outlet, in all formats. Check out his website at www.reaviszwortham.com. “Burrows, Wortham’s outstanding sequel to The Rock Hole combines the gonzo sensibility of Joe R. Lansdale and the elegiac mood of To Kill a Mockingbird to strike just the right balance between childhood innocence and adult horror.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “The cinematic characters have substance and a pulse. They walk off the page and talk Texas.” —The Dallas Morning News On his most recent Red River novel, Laying Bones: “Captivating. Wortham adroitly balances richly nuanced human drama with two-fisted action, and displays a knack for the striking phrase (‘R.B. was the best drunk driver in the county, and I don’t believe he run off in here on his own’). This entry is sure to win the author new fans.” —Publishers Weekly “Well-drawn characters and clever blending of light and dark kept this reader thinking of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.” —Mystery Scene Magazine

24 thoughts on “Reader Under Construction

  1. Very early in our marriage, when the Hubster was working on his PhD, he’d come home and I’d hand him our firstborn, somewhere around 6-9 months old as I recall. Hubster would say, “Let’s turn pages” and would sit the infant in his lap while he read the scientific tomes for research. Reading time was bonding time, and the seeds for the love of reading were planted.

    • It IS bonding time, and I love the feel of a little on in my lap. I’ve re-read a dozen books hundreds of times with all these critters, and still love it.

      They don’t know I made own comments in the Hungry Caterpillar, and even made myself laugh at all the snide comments.

  2. Amen, Rev! When a new Barnes & Noble opened in our town last January, the most heartening event I’ve seen in a long time was kids from toddlers to teens with their arms full of books, eager to take them home to read. That gave me hope that all is not entirely lost to the two-dimensional world of bits, bytes, and bots.

  3. Amen, Rev. Physical books and the wealth and wonder of reading. Turn kids on to that instead of Super Mario, and they will thrive.

    One of the saddest sights I behold is the toddler in a stroller, pushed around outisde on a sunny day, with head bent over a device.

    • Though our kids are surrounded by books, they still want devices. We’re guilty of letting them look at those devices, but I urge them to watch real “films.” One loves to see lobsters and undersea creatures, while the youngest LOVES volcanic eruptions. It’s a fine edge to walk, but we’ll never give up.

  4. Nature is indeed a rare and wonderful place. Time spent outside is never wasted. Agreed about reading physical books to children! I continue to buy my grandkids books. The eldest and middle child were both farther along than most in school due to their early love of reading. The youngest is a boy, who’d rather climb trees than read (he’s six). On rainy days, however, he’ll grab a book off the shelf. Sadly, they all have iPads, but their parents limit the time spent on devices. None enjoy ebooks. It’s encouraging.

    • We have to limit their screen time for sure. Getting them outside is essential, and I fear we’re losing the opportunity to find real outdoors, instead of local parks (which at least allows kids to breathe fresh air).

      I’ve read in every place imaginable, including deer stands and under trees in Alaska when I probably should have been fishing.

  5. The most children we see at our local public library is when the library hosts “Books For Treats” instead of giving out Halloween candy. Children from infants up to sixth grade can come in and choose a book of their choice from the hundreds of new and nearly new books categorized by age/grade level. The local Friends of the Library group works all year to pull together enough books to meet the demand. The event opens at 3 pm the Friday before the Halloween Parade. Hundreds of books are usually gone in 45 minutes. This is a small town, but the event is a big one in the life of these children. Our goal, of course, is to cultivate several lifetime readers.

    • The schools in our district still have Book Fairs, and our grand-critters love it. They come home with books each time. Goosebumps is a standard, while other series catch their attention. As long as they’re reading, I’m happy!

  6. Hear, hear, Rev! Reading to children from print books has an irreplaceable magic about it. I read to children for many years at the library during my story time, and there’s nothing better than doing what you can to add a little drama to your reading when the little ones are sitting in rows before you, rapt as the story unfolds,

    That wasn’t always the scene, toddlers are easily distracted after all, but it happened often enough to know that reading aloud from print books can really make a difference for young kids, and lead to them becoming life long readers.

    Often a parent and child would come up to me after story time and ask if they could borrow a particular book I’d read that day. That’s the power of reading right there.

    • That’s exactly what I’m talking about!

      In addition, seeing adults read becomes commonplace in a household and they learn by example. When children see adults with a book, it sparks an interest and tells them it’s a pleasant experience.

      My kids grew up seeing us with books all the time, and the grands are surrounded by books that are open or marked, instantly available wherever I might be at the time. It lit a fire once, and continues to do so to this day.

  7. Yes! I’m so thankful my parents provided tons of books for us to read as children. I read every spare moment I could get. One of my all time favorite memories is coming home from the library with a stack of Zane Grey novels half as tall as I was.

    Plus you don’t realize how good you’ve got it when you get to spend all that time reading as a kid. By the time you have to start doing that adulting thing, you don’t get anywhere near as much reading time.

    • Funny you should say that. I have wonderful memories of riding home from the bookmobile on my bike with a stack of books balanced between the handlebars

      A favorite recollection is lying on a cot in our garage one chill, rainy Saturday beside a rough bookcase full of Reader’s Digest magazines, their condensed books, and some of my own. It was chilly enough to require a blanket. My parents were inside, out of my hair (me out or theirs) and I read all day.

      I’d like to recreate that sometime.

  8. One of the things that gives me great hope for the world is the amazing love of reading I’m seeing in the “younger” generation. I raised my kids with reading & books from the time when they were newborns. My daughter and my daughter-in-law are avid readers. They’re raising my grandkids by surrounding them with books, trips to the bookstore, trips to to the library, and reading time every night. My niece and her spouse (all the women are millenials) are readers and booktokers on TikTok. Even the booktok phenomenon represents the amazing number of young people who are reading since it’s predominately a young person’s platform. Yes, much of it’s being done on screens, but it gives me joy, regardless, because my young relatives access the library and Libby to get those books, which makes them affordable for everyone. With the skyrocketing price of books, it’s good to know those of us who are less affluent still have access. As a kid I used to walk to the library with my 4 siblings every week to check out books and read books we could never afford to buy. As for getting outdoors, I’ve watched as my daughter and daughter-in-law (and their spouses) have introduced my grandkids to hiking, baseball, soccer, swimming, and a plethora of other outdoor activities that they love. Don’t believe everything you read in the media. Many of our kids are doing a great job of navigating a world that is far more difficult than it was even in our days. Sorry to go on so long, but it’s a topic I obviously feel strongly about. Too many people want to criticize young people when they’re dealing with a screwed up world filled with toxic issues we never could’ve dreamed of (and some that we had a hand in creating).

    • You’re absolutely right! Libraries are still cornerstones for our young people’s educational foundation, and I always love signing there and talking to the kids about books and reading.

  9. Love this post, Rev!

    I don’t know how many times I see young parents in the park with small children…the parent is staring at a screen while the kiddos play. What a waste of time!

    Kids will soon forget the games on those devices, and the videos which seem to be taking control of their time, but the stories they read in books will remain forever. Worth repeating.

    Have a great weekend!

    • I tell all the young parents I know that time is fleeting. I heard that, and didn’t take it to heart. I think it takes the passage of years to understand how fast kids grown.

      Looking at our smallest grandchild who turns four this week is both fun, and saddening. I’ll miss having little ones in my lap, and some day he’ll be too big (in his mind) to sleep with us. I good-naturedly complain about feet or a head in my side as they turn crossways between us, but I’ll sure miss it.

  10. I was lucky to have a well-stocked library within walking distance to my home, and, when we moved, a book mobile. I had a real love of reading, and special thanks to my Aunt Dorothy, who always read me a story when I followed her around the house. I also learned to read with the Dick and Jane books.

  11. I an very lucky to have grown up in a home where television was thought to be a distraction. There was always plenty to read-Scientific American, Life, The Saturday Evening Post, Collier’s, two newspapers and the Sunday New York Times. I learned to read early and it is a window to the world that has served me well these past 76 years.

    With a book I can go anywhere, be anyone I want to be, learn anything I want to know, at any time of the day or night.

    I have a friend who has published three collections of short stories and he insists on hard copy. He is of the opinion that e-files and similar things can be ignored and erased but a book is a physical artifact.

    Someone someday will find it and know that he existed. But that’s him.

    As for me, take me to Half Price Books.

  12. This year, I had another of those damned things called a birthday. I don’t mind growing older. It’s far better than the alternative, and so many were denied that opportunity. But I hate celebrating it. But this year, my husband got me a gift that was thoughtful and totally me. He bought me a stack of used books as tall as me. They were all my favorites. Among them were To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the first three Hardy Boys mysteries, and My Side of the Mountain. I’ve read these books so many times, I can close my eyes and read them again. I picked up To Kill a Mockingbird and before dinner was served, I was deep into the adventures of Scout, Jem, and Dill. Like many others, I’ve had the experience of “losing everything” and the things that hurt to most to lose were my books. We both embarked on finding our favorites in electronic form. In our shared Kindle account we have nearly 10,000. New favorites and old. But I still get lost in the book pages when I have one in my hands.

  13. When I was five, Sunday afternoons were for trips to the Pink Palace in Memphis, then home where he taught me how to read with the Sunday comics. I was a reader long before I became a writer.

  14. Some of my most treasured memories are taking our son to the local library when he was a wee lad and helping him check out an armful of books. After we arrived back home, I’d ask, “Which book would you like us to read first?” He’d always reply, “Let’s read them ALL!”

    Reading does so much to train a young child’s brain.

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