Best Practices

Nutrient-Rich Reading

Jamie Bryant

Summer is officially here, at least in the minds of kids. Schools are out, pools are open, and libraries across the country have begun summer reading programs. For me, that last part was the best of the seasonal perks. I used to look forward to summer precisely because I could read through a stack of books at my own pace. I could curate my own collection of titles, alternately sampling short YA fiction and devouring Robert Ludlum doorstops. One week, I could be in 1940’s New York, the next flit around the globe on a spy adventure, all without leaving my lounge chair in the sun. Books were my best friends.

As I stood watching my daughter’s sixth-grade recognition ceremony, I couldn’t help but wonder about her summer reading. Feeling somewhat remiss in my duties not only as a mother but as a devoted reader, I scurried to curate a list for her. I wanted her to love summer for reading just like I did. (You can tell I’m heading for trouble.) I’ve found some great nonfiction I think she’d like, some great YA fiction, some great classic fiction, and even some great spy novels. My mental reading list for her is growing almost as fast as the stack of actual books in and around her nightstand.

And therein lies the trouble. She’s a regular reader but not a voracious one. Computer games and playing outside are just as important to her as reading. In my drive to draw her attention to books and ensure at least some reading happens, I risk giving equal weight to all titles. The theory goes something like this: so long as she’s reading something, it must be a good thing, right? I’m not convinced it is, exactly.

Think of a child who is a finicky eater. To make sure she gets enough calories, the parents might allow her to eat nothing but hot dogs and pizza. Something is better than nothing, right? But as she restricts her diet to minimally nutritious food, her taste buds are less able to appreciate a variety of flavors. The more artificial sweeteners we eat, the less we can taste the natural sweetness of ripe berries, for example. How do we balance the need for sustenance with nutritional variety? And what does this have to do with reading?

Healthy reading should emulate the food pyramid model. Healthy diets comprise a variety of nutrient-rich foods and also leave room for dessert from time to time. Being exposed to a greater variety of foods expands a child’s palette, and the more frequent opportunities a child has to practice eating new flavors, the more enjoyable eating new flavors becomes.

So, too, it is with books. The greater the variety of reading material to which children are exposed, the greater the chance that those readers will develop a deeper appreciation for a wider range of writing types, tones, styles, devices, and plots. By cultivating a broad reading palette early, readers gain practice decoding and interpreting meaning in multiple genres, and that multifaceted approach to texts pays broader dividends for learning.

I’m not advocating you restrict children (your own or library patrons) to reading only what’s good for them, but I am encouraging you to stack the deck in favor of them grabbing a nutrient-rich piece of reading material more often. Think of it like stocking your pantry: If it’s full of junk food, kids will eat junk; but if you load your refrigerator with fruit and vegetable snacks, the outcome will be better all around.

Summer is generally the time we loosen the boundaries—later bedtimes, more pop culture, lots of fun. In that mix, though, be sure incorporate a healthy diet of books, magazines, and newspapers to keep your readers well-rounded even as they enjoy a heaping helping of summer’s dessert.

Jamie Bryant is the Founder and Editor of Kiki magazine, a nutrient-rich reading option for girls.