My granny used to talk about walking miles in the wet and cold to the library, choosing a book and making that same miserable trip home, only to spend the rest of the afternoon curled up on a rug by the fire captivated by passionate gothic novels such as Jane Eyre, or the adventures of Katy in the What Katy Did series.
A couple of generations later, an afternoon in front of the fire is more likely to see children captivated by the latest adventures of Keenan and Kel or the Rugrats. Whatever the source of entertainment, each generation certainly takes great pleasure from a cosy afternoon. But there's something about a powerful novel which has a far more profound impact on a child than the equally exciting but a bit more fleeting intrigue of life among the characters on children's television.
Robert Dunbar, lecturer in the Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin, and founder of the Children's Literature Association of Ireland, recently spoke at the annual conference of La Leche League about "Growing Up With Children's Books". "The benefit children derive from reading is anti-material, it isn't success-oriented, it is of benefit to them on an imaginative level," Dunbar says. "Children tend to lead circumscribed lives, but through the greatest authors they are offered an insight into something beyond their own horizon - which adds to their life experience."
While this may not help with points and careers, according to Dunbar reading can have implications for society as a whole. "Children will come across a greater variety of views in the pages of fiction than in their real lives. This can be a tremendous opportunity for inculcating tolerance and respect for other views. "Fiction of itself won't mould the child, but it shows them that the world is a very diverse place."
However, in a world where success is measured in terms of acquisitions and status, fostering an understanding of human diversity is often seen as a waste of good time which would be better spent studying prescribed exam texts. "We have no research here that I am aware of, but in Britain research indicates that there is almost a reluctance to encourage children to simply read," Dunbar says.
"The importance of reading good quality fiction has been recognised here in the new Irish primary-school curriculum. Children will be encouraged to read, and to read many, many genres."
However, as we all know, encouraging children to read, if they are accustomed to the "quick hit" technological sources of information and entertainment, can be a bit of a challenge. "It is getting tougher to convince an increasingly cynical generation of the value of reading. If parents shout too loud, so to speak, their children will find it very off-putting," says Dunbar. "Really the best way to get children reading is through the joy parents show for it themselves. Enthusiasm is the best form of encouragement in this respect."
Despite what might be seen as the more text-driven approach of the current curriculum, schools all around the country have adopted initiatives to encourage children to read, freely, good quality fiction. St Colmcille's junior primary school in Knocklyon, Co Dublin, places "a huge emphasis on reading in the school", says teacher Carol Doody. "We see it as fundamental. It is the basis for all learning, but it is also something we encourage the children to do for the sheer joy of it." The junior-infants teacher reads to her group every day, and each classroom has a library of books which are graded according to reading levels.
"The children always have a book in their schoolbag which they can be reading at home," Doody says. "Some teachers may ask the children to talk about what they have read and occasionally do book reports, but we try to steer clear of any pressure when it comes to reading." Jimmy O'Neill is the library resources and English curriculum co-ordinator of the senior cycle at St Comcille's. "We would look at reading as being of benefit from three basic points of view: for pleasure, functional and critical analysis. Reading a novel also lends itself to quite a lot of discussion. The children are used to this sort of discussion from a young age and it gives them quite a sense of confidence."
For parents, probably the most vexed question of all is: what should children be reading? There is a thriving market in "self-help" style manuals for the pre-teen and teen market; there are series books like the Goosebumps or the likes of Enid Blyton, which tend to be frowned upon, and any number of new books and authors of which parents have never heard. Dunbar is reluctant to make recommendations, though self-help tends to get the thumbs down, and the likes of Goosebumps doesn't fare too well either. "Books which work on a number of levels and use language intelligently and playfully are wonderful," he says. "There are also a lot of fabulous picture books out there. Something like Zoo by Anthony Browne is great because it works on so many different levels. "Another good book, aimed at the nine-to-12 age group, is a book of short stories by Susan Price called Forbidden Doors.
"The very last line in that book goes: `And it's good to remember that when someone forbids you to open a certain door, you should ask what it is they don't want you to know' - and I would see this as a metaphor for the liberating potential of reading."
