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Original poster

AIBU to be shocked at new survey re children and books?

178 replies

mrscoleridge · 08/12/2011 17:17

New survey out seems to suggest that 4 million children do not have a book at home. AIBU to think this is completely unbelievable especially when cost is mentioned. I thought libraries were free and that you can pick up books for next to nothing on ebay/charity shops/second hand on Amazon etc. Our literacy rate is near the bottom of the table in Europe and no wonder; bet lots of theses households have Xbox and all that twaddle etc.

OP posts:
misspopsicle · 09/12/2011 12:54

I'm shocked! I have 4 LOs and even though my eldest (10) hates reading novels, he has a lot of reference books that he does like. My ds2 (7) loves reading and reads every night. My 2 youngest both really enjoy their bedtime stories, and when I can afford it, I love buying them all books. However, I had a trip to the local library recently and was really disappointed to see that there were no books for children between the ages of 5-10. Well, no novels anyway. DS2 came away very disappointed, as was I.

WhoIsThatMaskedWoman · 09/12/2011 13:01

Book start wouldn't impact on this survey because it's aimed at 9-13 yr olds I think. Very few 9 year olds would count their book start copy of That's Not My Unicorn as an actual book even if they still posess it - I think most of my DC's book start books are long gone to the charity shop.

giveitago · 09/12/2011 13:24

Nah I got bookstart when ds was a baby. So he was reliant on the parent reading and showing him. If they don't, they don't.

SardineQueen · 09/12/2011 14:19

here is the original report

Unfortunately it doesn't give the questions that were asked (which I think is a big oversight TBH the questions should always be included in the appendix at least).

Note the report talks about having "books of your own" rather than owning a book.

Also note this is a charity which runs on donations and so it is in their interest to find problems (although no way implying they have done anything wrong - but without seeing their questions it is hard to judge whether they were leading or ambiguous etc etc)

OhdearNigel · 09/12/2011 14:56

I think it's really sad. Reading & the subsequent ability to improve their education and prospects are the only way out of poverty for a lot of children around the world and it's ironic that it is the "strata" of society that most need the advantages of a love of reading that aren't being encouraged.

I firmly believe that a love of reading is the most precious gift you can give your child, after your love and time

PrincessScrumpy · 09/12/2011 15:04

Our local primary is giving each child a notebook (minnie lap top not the paper kind) to use for all lessons and kids will have handwriting classes once a week! IMO primary is when the basics should be taught, especially in infants. dd will NOT be going to that primary.

StealthPenguin · 09/12/2011 15:15

I'm not surprised.

Case-in-point number one:
I'm 21 and I'm a bibliophile. I'll read anything - and I mean anything. All through Secondary school and college the one question I would always be asked is "What are you reading for?". Not "What are you reading?" but "What are you reading for?". Like they couldn't comprehend someone reading for pleasure.

Case-in-point number two:
I bought a nursery rhymes book for a lovely lady that I don't know very well, but she's due to give birth soon. She unwrapped it, took one look and went "yeah, great... but we don't really 'do' books in this house. Sorry." and tossed it to one side. Aside from the incredible rudeness of just tossing a gift aside, I was gobsmacked that they "don't do books" in their house. How can one not "do" books?!

lunaticow · 09/12/2011 15:20

I find it difficult to believe. I've never known anyone living in a household with absolutely no books. Who has met such a family?

StealthPenguin · 09/12/2011 15:24

Me. They are out there, then again I come from a rather..........................................................disadvantaged area.

OhdearNigel · 09/12/2011 15:37

lunaticcow, there are plenty of them. I work in an environment where that is perfectly normal in "customers'" houses

lunaticow · 09/12/2011 15:51

Crikey! I have obviously led a sheltered life.

giveitago · 09/12/2011 15:52

It's common and nothing new. The difference is that before the schools would accomodate this and now given the exclusiveness and divisiveness of schools, they can't.

If my dh were the sole carer for our ds, ds would have very little access to books and hence his reading would suffer. Why? Dh is not from UK, his english isn't great. In his home country he had zero access to books (but read at school) and he wouldn't tap into english language kids books.

That's one scenario.

Another is that both parents are non english speakers.

My dh comes from a household (abroad) with no books (in the last 18 years that I've seen, including grown up magazines or newspapers).

Illiteracy at home.

Many people are only interested in news - we tend to get that from tv.

My ds is a great reader at 5, but I was reading far more at his age. But so what. This is the here and now.

Our schools want far more parental intervention and I hear that libraries are closing. What are we to do?

We can all say 'I'm a great reader' but so what - how do we help this nation's kids?

BrianButterfield · 09/12/2011 16:48

StealthPenguin:

LeQueen · 09/12/2011 16:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

giveitago · 09/12/2011 16:58

So lewqueen if they are STILL ploughing through biff, chip and kipper books at the age of 5/6 - what should they be 'ploughing' through?

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 09/12/2011 17:03

giveitago LeQueen said YR5 &YR6 so 10 -11 year olds

LeQueen · 09/12/2011 17:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LeQueen · 09/12/2011 17:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IndigoBell · 09/12/2011 17:10

Other studies have shown there is a correlation between books in the house and greater academic attainment, but it is not the cause of the greater academic attainment.

It's just that more academic parents have more books in the house.

We've had bookstart here for ages, giving every child a book, hasn't helped. Because having books in the house, by itself, does not help anything.

WhoIsThatMaskedWoman · 09/12/2011 17:12

There is such research LeQueen - but there is also conflicting research that suggests that that's because parents with books in their house are more literate, more book-orientated, and less likely to be passing on inherited dyslexia or learning disabilities.

I'm not going to call it either way - I'd be the last person to say that having books in a house is a bad thing (as long as your floorboards are strong enough) but the claims made for the magic powers of physical books within a house are difficult to prove.

WhoIsThatMaskedWoman · 09/12/2011 17:13

X-post with Indigo there

LeQueen · 09/12/2011 17:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IndigoBell · 09/12/2011 17:29

It's also far easier for schools to blame kids who don't learn to read on their parents / home life - then admit that actually the school has not done a good job of teaching them to read.

There are schools that get very impressive results for all kids.

Just not many. :(

spiderpig8 · 09/12/2011 17:35

Oh doesn't this kind of smug, 'smacking-of-insecure-parenting-so lets-kick-those-even worse' type of thread get on your tits!!

spiderpig8 · 09/12/2011 17:38

But just to humour you can I point out that the parents might be illiterate.Some cultures are great on story telling rather than reading to their DC. Actually conversation is a lot better for a child's literacy skills than reading to them.