There has been a great deal of debate about the quality and type of books that children read. Some teachers who argue that only high quality texts should be used by parents to select books to be read by their children or that parents should use lists of books recommended by the librarian of the school when purchasing books for their children. However, who gets to defines high quality.

We all read different types of books when we get to select our own reading materials. I might select a book on child psychology, someone else might select a book about gardening or cooking, other may choose science fiction, while others may select books on computer repair. We all have favourite authors and styles that we like when we read for pleasure. For example, some enjoy magazines, some enjoy novels and some may enjoy comic books.

As parents we want to encourage our children to read often and to enjoy reading so it is important that we recognize that all types of texts are read by adults. Some of these materials may not fit our idea of high quality texts (i.e. comic books) but it is important to consider the end goal. In addition, I am suggesting that you should be aware of what your child is reading and even encourage them to consider other authors or genres. We can be a strong influence on the their reading preferences but not at the expense of interfering with their choices. Our goal is to support reading development, not stifle it.

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