Fifty Books a Child Should Read

[callmemadam]

Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, has said that every child should read fifty books a year. I read a great deal more myself as a child but how is number crunching to help reluctant readers? It seems a goal without a point; surely books should be read for pleasure and to expand the mind rather than to meet some literacy criterion? A list compiled by various interested parties can be found here from The Independent. It’s notable that apart from Michael Rosen’s choices, almost all the picks are of older, classic books. I like everything on Philip Pullman’s list and I love his comparison of Ransome with Mozart but then I adore both.

Comments

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Kudos to Pullman for picking the great Alan Garner, and to John Walsh for choosing How To Be Topp. But where's Uncle?

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

How to be Topp is a risky choice because, as it says in the introduction to the Puffin edition, it's 'for everyone over nine who likes to laugh and knows how to spell.' (My italics)

You mean Uncle Lubin, I take it?
I'm sure huskyteer will be saying, 'Where's Branestawm?'

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

No, I'm thinking of this Uncle.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

New to me! When someone says 'Uncle' I tend to think of David McCallum. Shallow, moi?

[ramblingfancy.livejournal.com]

Excellent lists! The two Michael ones matched a lot of my own favourites.

[mrsmsmeanderings.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

What a ridiculous comment by Michael Gove!

My 11 year old son is an avid reader (a fact for which I am eternally grateful), but also has long days at school (8.30 to 4 pm), a LOT of homework, and takes part in organised sporting activities two evenings a week and on Saturday mornings.

He has a reading age of 14.9 when last tested by the school in Sept, and reads quality children's literature, a lot of which is upwards of 600 pages (currently reading Brisinger which comes in at 747 pages).

There is no way he could read 50 books a year.

However, if a child of six was reading the ever-present-in-schools Oxford Reading Tree picture books,which come in at about 12 pages upwards, then it would clearly be easy to reach Mr Gove's target.

An ill-thought-out comment by the Education Secretary, I feel. Somebody ought to remind him of the old adage of quality versus quantity.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I agree.
I really don't think eleven year olds should have a lot of homework!