In his Sunday New York Times op-ed piece, Nicholas D. Kristof exhorts parents to get their children to read during the summer months so that they won't fall behind when school resumes. Kristof then chooses to help the cause by offering a list of what he considers the best children's books ever.Little Lord Fauntleroy? (It's ranked #10, in ascending order of difficulty.) I count 9 copies among the 50 LINK libraries. Collection development oversight or egregious reader's advisory? You make the call.
I must say that I'm aghast at his missed opportunity. Every public library in U.S. is currently offering reading incentive programs and other activities for childrens and teens. Children's librarians spend many hours planning and promoting these programs -- and have been offering them as a regular service for decades. At a minimum, I hope that the New York Public Library has already taken Mr. Kristof to task.
Kristof's blog is found here. And be sure to let him know that summer reading programs aren't just for kids anymore.
Y'know, I hear what you're saying, and there's no accounting for taste. Frankly, I don't much care for his list either. But his main message, that parents should encourage their children to read, is one I can find little fault with.
ReplyDeleteYep, I wish he had promoted libraries. But it's hard to be sorry that he's promoting reading. And I'm right with him on "Wind in the Willows." :)