“I think when you’re choosing books with your children to read, I think the big word is ‘choice,’ and I think that you need to respect your children’s choice. I think they should be the first choice. If you feel that it’s not a book that you want to read, perhaps explain to them why you don’t think it’s a good book to read.”
“But I’m a great believer in the fact that children can read most things and can absorb. And children are sensible enough to know fact from fiction, and they know that they aren’t going to do many of the things that are funny. They’re not going to turn their head teacher into something weird. It’s not going to happen. But it doesn’t mean that they’re not having fun when they’re reading it. And if that’s encouraging them to read, let them do it, I think. If you’re reading the back of a food packet, it’s still reading. Encouraging them is the big thing.”
“If you’re reading with them, then, yes, you probably want something that you are getting enjoyment out of. But don’t force books. Don’t force books down their throats, because then you’ll turn a potential reader into a very bored person who doesn’t want to read.”
