Making Books Accessible

I know this...but more than ever, I have realized that a lot of the reason my boys read is because...books are everywhere. Not in the clutter-filled, hoarder type way, but in a "we-have-books-at-hand-all-the-time" way.

The boys' backpacks, the baskets in the car, baskets in the armoires in the family room and den, the bookshelves in their rooms and the office...they are always available.

I think when books are a constant option, they are more apt to be involved with them.

Liken it to food - I read an article this morning on how San Fran (love that city) is trying to ban toys from Happy Meals. It mentioned that it isn't the toys that are the problem, but they are a draw. They talked about  how the meals aren't the evil in themselves (albiet not healthy), but it is the frequency that kids are consuming the meals.

Ok, so how does that relate to what I was saying about accessibility? Well, when we lived in Houston, there was fast food on every corner (just about). It was everywhere. On any drive we took, we would pass something. Of course, that made it that much easier to swing through (oh yes, the drive through makes it really simple) and get a quick meal rather than going home.

It takes more effort (and time) to go home, prepare a meal, and sit down. It even takes more effort (and time) to go to a sit down restaurant. Both of those options, however, provide a setting where people will savor their food, talk, and make eating an experience - people make choices - what to eat, how much to make, etc.

Back to books. It's kind of the reverse - we WANT books to be easy for them to get their hands on. Once they have the habit, then we want them to go to the library, bookshelf, and bookstore and be discerning - choosing what they want to read.

Maybe not the best comparison, but my thoughts on books sort of collided with what I was reading in the paper this morning.