I LOVE reading not because someone in the family told me to read, but because I found reading materials everywhere. My maternal grandfather, my Lolo Miguel, a former war veteran, read only one newspaper everyday when he was still alive. Guess what! Tempo. He would give us every single copy of Tempo and a few magazines after reading them. As a high school student then, I was already reading this newspaper and enjoying its very strong sports page. I also read the publications and books discarded by my cousins from both sides. In addition, I borrowed a few of the books displayed in their shelves. I particularly enjoyed the short stories and essays in my cousins’ used textbooks and the shallow paperbacks of a relative. I was also fortunate enough to receive new hardbound copies of whodunits (with amazing book jackets) from a kind and generous cousin as pasalubong from the US. Each time I asked my father to buy a book or a newspaper for me, he granted my request.
Reading materials were always available.
November is National Reading Month. Expose children to different reading materials as one of the simplest ways for them to cultivate the habit of reading. No need to force them. If they see you engrossed in a book, they might wonder what’s in it that keeps you from putting it down.
Don’t worry if the materials are shallow and simple. What’s important in the beginning is the interest in reading. Children can be encouraged to choose more significant materials later. Besides, it is through experience that we all learn to identify the types of reading materials that truly matter.
“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” – Francis Bacon
