Reasons to Love Books

How do you help a child to fall in love with reading? It starts by getting them to love books. One way we do this at Wellington College International Shanghai is to celebrate World Book Day on the 2nd of March each year. So, if you happened to be passing the College  on that day, you would have seen a multitude of fictional characters streaming into the school. More on these characters later, but first let’s look at what we do at Wellington College to promote reading. Firstly, the study of literature is central to our English curriculum in the Prep School. At all levels between Year 3 and Year 8, our units revolve around key texts that are carefully chosen by teachers to best support and challenge the children.  For instance, at Year 3, pupils might be reading Dick King-Smith’s The Hodgeheg, at Year 7 pupils could be studying Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black. It is important to stress that the choice of text is taken very seriously. It must be something that pupils are able to connect with and enjoy, as well as being a text that is sufficiently challenging to give all pupils access to higher levels of vocabulary, plot structure and character complexity. For example, in Year 5 we teach Louis Sachar’s Holes in the Lent term. As well as being an excellent read (adults, I highly recommend it – read it now!) it also has some features that we want to expose children to, such as the way it uses non-linear time sequences (flashbacks) to tell the story. Children are forced to piece the story together as they read. Having read a narrative like this at age 10 with the support of a teacher, they will be far more able to recognise this and decode it in other books they read independently. In addition to the study done in class, library lessons are held every week for all years in the prep school. This is an opportunity for teachers to hear children read, recommend books and keep a track of how often they are reading at home. And, of course, it is a vital time for children to read quietly for an hour undisturbed. We are blessed at Wellington College with an excellent library and an equally excellent librarian (more on Mrs Jacobi later). Regular arrivals of books mean that there is always something new and exciting to read. As well as this, the specialist knowledge of the teachers and our librarian allows us to tailor our recommendations to each and every child. All of these elements come together to form the everyday reading environment at the school, but the jewel in the crown of the year is the day when we all shun uniform in favour of costumes of our favourite literary characters! For this year’s World Book Day, our theme was ‘Graphics & Classics’. This could be interpreted as graphic novels, classic literature, or graphic novels of classics. I was delighted to discover that this prompted many conversations between children and teachers about books. It also got them talking and thinking about the characters they could choose to represent. Many pupils put a lot of thought into their choice, asking questions like: “What is a classic?” “What is a graphic novel?” “Can I come as a character from a film if it’s been made into a graphic novel?” In a way, the answers to these questions are less important than the fact that the questions were being asked. Each conversation about reading that children have with their teachers, parents and fellow pupils helps to create a culture in which reading and books themselves are seen to be important. On the day itself we were treated to an incredible array of fantastically costumed characters. While I couldn’t list them all, some of the standout examples included: Tintin, Cho Chang, The Cat in the Hat, Pippi Longstocking, Sherlock Holmes, The Wicked Witch of the West, and many, many others. My personal favourite? Well, it has to be Mrs Jacobi, who had a bed installed in the library and entertained the children all day as Grandma Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! There is a place throughout the year for focus, challenge and knowledge. These are the key foundations for learning. However, if we want children to love reading, we also have to build into the year the events they will remember and cherish. Events like World Book Day are vital in helping to create readers and lovers of books. David Marshall Head of Prep English