Reading–Do the Math<\/p>\n
I recently heard a public radio interview (http:\/\/minnesota.publicradio.org\/display\/web\/2012\/05\/08\/julie-schumacher\/) with Julie Schumacher, author of The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls. She talked about her “rule of 3,000.” She said,<\/p>\n
“If I read a book a week, which I generally do, and you average that to 50 books per year over a reading lifetime of 60 years, between ages 20 and 80 — that’s 3,000 books,” she said. “And all you get in your whole life, if you are reading a book a week, is 3,000. So people always say what book would you take with you to a desert island? I think, no, the better metaphor is if you walk into Wilson Library on the U of M campus, which has millions of volumes, which 3,000 do you want?”<\/p>\n
Or which 3,000 do you not want to miss out on?<\/p>\n
I love a good beach read as much as anybody, but this gave me pause. Reading became even more precious. Maybe a person should pick up the pace. Read two books a week. Start younger. Live longer.<\/p>\n
The same principle certainly applies to children’s books. Kids are young for such a short time. Are we offering them books they’ll remember and love throughout their lives? Ones they’ll pass on to their kids. Even their just-for-fun books should at least be really fun. Check out www.SWAK publishing.com and also www.readkiddoread.com for starters.<\/p>\n
And don’t let anybody tell you read too much. Just tell them to do the math.<\/p>\n
Happy reading!<\/p>\n\n