Does it matter that ds strongly prefers non-fiction?

[lecce]

Over the last few months I have noticed that pretty much every time he chooses a book it will be a non-fiction one and when I suggest a story he is pretty adamant that, no, he would prefer an 'information' book.

I have tried hard to find stories that are connected to topics he is interested in - whales/sharks, knights, dinosaurs and the ice-age, but none of them seem to fire him up the way factual books about these topics do.

I don't know if he is at a bit of an awkward stage at the moment. Dh has suggested that maybe, because we have read so many stories to him all his life, he kind of associates stories with being a 'baby' and is excited about all the 'big boy' topics he is now 'into', as he terms it, and wants to move away from the story books. I also think he could be at an 'in-between' stage as he may connect the picture story books with being younger but is not quite ready for chapter books. I tried him on 'Fantastic Mr Fox' and it scared him, likewise 'Magical wishing Chair'! He did, however, absolutely love 'Alice in Wonderland', which I thought would be far more challenging than Roald Dahl, so I'm really finding it hard to work out what his tastes are.

As an English teacher, I really didn't think I'd struggle in this area and really love reading stories to him but I can't seem to tap into his tastes. I suppose I'm asking two things - does it matter and does anyone have any suggestions for me of books he might like? (He's 5 next month, btw).

Tia

I wouldnt worry as long as he is enjoying listening to books. My DS was exactly the same and didnt want any fiction at this age and only listened to incredibly technical and very dull books (in my opinion) and I longed for fiction.

Once he could read fluently from start of year one he went into a phase of fiction only and then I wished for a return to non fiction as his choice of fiction was still not mine but I was determined to continue reading to him daily despite his reading much faster to himself. Have accepted our tastes may never conincide.

I wouldnt push chapter fiction early if reluctant as my DS loved it far more for it being new when he came to read it himself rather than having had it read to him first. He loved Astrosaurs, Beast Quest, Dinosaur cove, captain underpants etc as soon as he could read.

Try story tapes too as my DS would listen to any fiction in the car from age 2 onwards for hours on end and could often recite whole tapes!

My ds is in reception and would, from about age 2, prefer non-fiction. He went to the library last week and came home with 3 books all about the RAF in WWII. His preference for reading to himself is various plane books that I would describe as "for geeks". It''s amazing how quickly they learn to read technical terms when they're interested.

However I've recently read him the Little House books. He really enjoyed them, and I think the connection with reality helped. However he did what my older girls never were interested in, and then went onto google to look up various things from the books.
He's also enjoyed the Enid Blyton Adventure series. The stories are a bit more fast flowing than the Famous Five and more lively, which appeals to him.

My Ds was the same - but at age 6 was only the second person in his class to go onto free reading, so I don't think it hindered him. Comperhension is comprehension whether fact or fiction. As he has got older he is a bit more into fiction and is currently loving Roald Dahl. I'm sure some of them are like this because reference books are more interesting than bloody Biff and Chip

Actually lots of adults prefer non-fiction reading too and are still voracious readers.

DS (in year 1) was a very reluctant reader which broke my heart. The key with him was to show him that reading was useful and would allow him to find out information that he needed, rather than push the pleasure aspect.

Now he can use the Sky+ singlehandedly he's far more enthusiastic!

I would also say that he is too young for chapter books. I tried DS on Roald Dahl at that age and I'm afraid I put him off for life. They are quite complex and I think you might be aiming a bit high.

Usborne have some great reading book in their reading scheme which he might like.

My boys definetly preferred non-fiction at that age and probably for a couple of years after that but now at age 9 also reading fiction with enjoyment. Infact they learnt to read on 1960's ladybird non-fiction books - any topic was read avidly by them if not by me - courtesy of grandparents running a second-hand bookshop. I think they can dip into non-fiction which helps rather than having to read cover to cover. They are very good readers so it certainly didn't do them any harm.

It never even occurred to me that my dc would prefer non-fiction; I have been astonished at how often dd will choose to read an encyclopedia rather than a fiction book (though she reads plenty of them too). DSS rarely picked up a fiction book voluntarily (he is a poor reader and may be dyslexic).

I think non-fiction books are more visual for a start - which is one reason why a poor reader might choose one. DSS liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which is short takes of text and line drawings.

But more positively all my dc seem fascinated by real-life facts. It's great that they are learning to find out information from books so I would just go with it.

I think this is typical of lots of boys. Have you read 'Why gender matters'? It explains all this. My DS (6) seems to love fiction atm but he's just so thrilled to be able to read now that he'll read anything.

Absolutely not. Fiction is not the be all and end all, far from it.

I also have low tolerance for fiction!

DP reads almost exclusively non-fiction, mainly autobiographies. He's 47, degree educated blah blah blah. My soppy chick lit/Terry Pratchett just doesn't appeal because we're different people who get different things from reading.

He can read, and enjoys doing so. You've done well

My ds(5) is exactly the same , he loves non fiction books has loads of them on subjects ranging from sharks to ancient Egypt and in particular at the moment has a fascination with the bible ( we are note religious !) he constantly wants us to read to him , but that all said he hates reading himself and I just don't understand It ,

DD1 spent Y3/Y4 reading every nonfiction book in the school.
She's dyslexic and non fiction gets instantly to the point and gives instant rewards for the effort of reading.
You only get the payback from a story when you reach the end. By then we'd both lost the will to live.

Now in Y9 she reads every teen mystery and adventure book going for which I have to blame Twilight

I suspect as he gets quicker at reading your DS will find fiction that appeals.
Mind you DH is the son of two English teachers and he's most likely to have his head stuck in a mixture of maths and circuit diagrams,

Reading non-fiction is a life-skill: apart from all the school subject-matter, non-fiction covers maps, instructions, recipes, the internet, shopping, household expenses, seed packets, newspapers, bus-timetables. etc.etc

Reading fiction is a leisure activity.

DS1 was like this - he was only interested in non fiction for all of Reception and Year 1. In Year 2, he started to read to read Roald Dahl, then moved onto Horrid Henry, and now he reads Beast Quest, and is just shoing some enthusiam for Jacqueline Wilson.

His favourite book, however, is his History of Britain book!

My DS (almost 7) prefers non-fiction. On the one hand its great for general knowledge, e.g. science and technical knowledge, he likes to know how things work.

On the other hand, fiction would help him to extend vocabulary and find more sophisticated ways of expressing himself.

I think both is important. When it comes to reading fiction seems easier to DS, whereas in non-fiction books he comes across too many difficult and technical words.

But I have spend years to get him interested in fiction, but it hasn't worked. In the end, it will be each to their own I suppose, as long as they read, learn and find their own way that makes them happy.

In any case, they end up in a better paid job if they decided to do a scientific or engineering degree, language and literature has not so much eaning potential.

I don't think you can force it and it doesn't matter too much as long his reading ability is okay.
As a life long reader I would have loved for my DCs to enjoy reading as much as me.

DS1 (16) was a very early reader but has not willingly read fiction since he was about 8 or 9. He is perfectly happy to read heavy duty works about physics or maths which would make my brain hurt. He does however find Eng Lit quite difficult. Hates it in fact, and can't wait to drop it after GCSE.

DS2 on the other hand didn't take to reading as easily and hated it when he was at primary. Now 13 he reads and enjoys as much as I do.

I don't think you can or indeed should force the issue, particularly at a young age.

However, in the long run fiction provides a very different function to non fiction and as such I would say a huge part of someone's inner life would be missing without it. Story (as opposed to writing) is a facet of what it means to be human. We have used it since the dawn of man. One could say it is at the very heart of what makes us human. But as a fiction writer perhaps I would say that wouldn't I?

So whilst I wouldn't sweat at for young DCs I would consider it a massive gap in their development if they didn't come to understand and appreciate story.

It's not really a problem at the moment but as he gets older as you know reading tests cover both and he will have trouble achieving above level 2a if he hasn't developed his inference skills which are really only learnt through fiction. Possibly you could try comics or poetry? Does he like funny things?

Very normal/common - I see a lot of this as a librarian. I think autobiographies can be a good bridge when the time is right because it gets them used to first-person reading which works for so many novels. It will come on its own though - as long as he is reading something and enjoying it and not feeling stressed it doesn't matter.

Are parents here saying that their young sons, too young to read for them selves, were demanding to be read car repair manuals and fridge-freezer instruction sets at bedtime?

I've got a feeling my response to that would be, You'll have to wait till you're old enough to read it for yourself!

No, but when mine was 3/4 and let loose in the library, the books he would pick up were nearly always referernce!

I tend to prefer non fiction at the moment TBH. I find fiction too formulaic and dull, or cliched, or you can work out what's going to happen before it does.

Possibly I'm reading the wrong books but adult fiction in general is such a wide range I have trouble picking out anything really engaging from all the crap.

My ds (6 and a half) is the same. I know far more about the inside of an engine than I would ever have cared to know. Last term he did the Egyptians at school and we borrowed some books from the library abt the Egyptians which led to a book about the stories of the Egyptian Gods and now a book about Greek tales and fables - a bit of a half way house between fiction and non- fiction to him.

Hi lecce:

I don't think it matters a bit if your DS prefers non-fiction - it's the reading that is important.

I stumbled across Robert E Wells as a result of another MN feed and thought you might be interested in these books if you haven't come across them already: www.albertwhitman.com/content.cfm/bookdetails/Can-You-Count-to-a-Googol which gives reading age/ ISBN information. Also teacher support materials here www.albertwhitman.com/resources/BookResources/2/5/documents/aw510-08_robertwells_v22.pdf

HTH

My son (6.5) is a massive fan of non-fiction (well I suppose if you also include the Star Wars three volume encyclopaedia as a "fact book"). I have been trying to lure him into trying a few little simple "chapter" books. I am very happy that he is a such a book addict, but I think it's good to have a variety at this age.

I also have a (completely made-up) theory that sometimes men struggle with empathy when they are older (in relationships etc etc) and that maybe reading more fiction ingrains the habit of being able to "step into someone's shoes" a little more.

I just bought a small selection of simple chapter books, George Talks by Dick King-Smith, The Iron Man by Ted Hughes, The Hundred Mile an Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong and so on. I left them by his bed and slowly but surely he is lifting them and starting to read them.

His big sister mind you - couldn't get her to read a non-fiction book despite being a voracious novel reader. Seems to be very common!