Valuable information from mediocre fiction.....
A lot of us tend to look down upon or scoff at a certain genré of books a là Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Trixie Beldon, Three Investigators etc. The all knowing elders are always anxious to get their wards to pass over this stage. They feel that this genré is too immature and kiddish and mediocre.
But all that I can say is - Rubbish !!!
I myself have been at the receiving end of much ridicule during my school days when I used to be an avid fan of this genré . I stronlgy believe that in these times of dwindling readership and books losing their sheen to other interactive media; to sustain and stimulate children's interest in books and reading, the cause of books should be taken up at a much earlier stage. Kiddy books should be given and the kids should be encouraged to read it. Many methods can be used to motivate children to read. After all, at a young age, your motivating factors are always limited !!
Books like Herge's Tintin which is a comic, are so well researched and provide so much of general knowledge of places and people. So is the case with the hardy boys and nancy drew. Though the quality of the fiction is debatable, what is important is that the books serve as a interesting and voluntary tool to enrich knowledge and more importantly serve as a platform to prepare the children towards more "serious" reading.
The intelligentsia still has a scornful eye towards more mature fiction. Can't help it, though it may not provide a solution to the problems that plague today's world or that it serves a different purpose - of personal satisfaction and effecting a feel good factor, it may be looked at as a poor cousin of the non-fiction genre. But some of the books have been written over such a long time and after much intensive research that it could equal a couple of volumes worth of textbook material. What would be a logical choice for youngsters ? information gift wrapped in a story or reams and reams of monospaced text in Times New Roman ??? That should be our mission as bibliophiles or otherwise... to stimulate interest in the dying art of book reading...
But all that I can say is - Rubbish !!!
I myself have been at the receiving end of much ridicule during my school days when I used to be an avid fan of this genré . I stronlgy believe that in these times of dwindling readership and books losing their sheen to other interactive media; to sustain and stimulate children's interest in books and reading, the cause of books should be taken up at a much earlier stage. Kiddy books should be given and the kids should be encouraged to read it. Many methods can be used to motivate children to read. After all, at a young age, your motivating factors are always limited !!
Books like Herge's Tintin which is a comic, are so well researched and provide so much of general knowledge of places and people. So is the case with the hardy boys and nancy drew. Though the quality of the fiction is debatable, what is important is that the books serve as a interesting and voluntary tool to enrich knowledge and more importantly serve as a platform to prepare the children towards more "serious" reading.
The intelligentsia still has a scornful eye towards more mature fiction. Can't help it, though it may not provide a solution to the problems that plague today's world or that it serves a different purpose - of personal satisfaction and effecting a feel good factor, it may be looked at as a poor cousin of the non-fiction genre. But some of the books have been written over such a long time and after much intensive research that it could equal a couple of volumes worth of textbook material. What would be a logical choice for youngsters ? information gift wrapped in a story or reams and reams of monospaced text in Times New Roman ??? That should be our mission as bibliophiles or otherwise... to stimulate interest in the dying art of book reading...
long live the book !
posted by Vibez Well at 8:36 pm
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