A new reading survey by Scholastic publishing tells us pretty much what we already knew: Fewer kids read for fun as they get older. So many studies have shown this, that the fact can’t be argued with. But there are several other facts that often get lost among that main point:

1. A lot of kids still DO read for fun. According to Publishers Weekly’s report of the Scholastic survey, a majority of children (68%) think it is “extremely” or “very” important to read for pleasure, and “like” or “love” doing so. That apparently is kids overall.  For those 5-8 years old, the percentage who love reading is 82 percent. For children 15-17 years old , 55 percent love reading for fun. So that is still the majority.

2. Most still prefer printed books rather than a computer screen or digital device. According to the survey, two-thirds prefer to read physical books.

3. The majority think reading is important to reach their future goals. Ninety percent of the kids surveyed said they “need to be a strong reader to get into a good college.”

So, what do a lot of kids get stuck doing during the summer: reading books that are somehow required for school. I can see why schools do this: they are afraid the kids won’t read anything at all. But as a parent and a book lover, I still think it’s better if the kids choose books they want to read for fun during the summer - that they don’t even have to write one word of summary during their days off or for a back-to-school essay. I think they should choose what books they want to read , even if it’s not Newbery Award material.

That happens naturally for a lot of kids. But I wonder if the children who don’t naturally pick up a book are somehow deterred from reading what they are naturally drawn toward, whether it’s a Pokeman cheat guide or yet another fantasy with talking animals. 

After I wrote this, I looked again at Scholastic’s survey. Publishers Weekly reports: When children were asked why they do not engage in more pleasure reading, the top answer selected was “I would rather do other things,” followed in frequency by “I have too much schoolwork and homework,” and “I have trouble finding books that I like.” (This third answer was the top response selected in the 2006 survey.) Among all age groups, boys outnumbered girls by 10% in all age categories in stating that they had trouble finding enjoyable books.