Naomi Baron’s book Words Onscreen is an exploration into the changing nature of reading. With the increasing use of eReaders many people are forgoing paper books. With this change, Baron asserts, comes a change in how we read, with reading onscreen linked to surface rather than contemplative reading. Words Onscreen is not only a fascinating read, … Read more
An interesting infographic sourced from https://electricliterature.com/infographic-how-the-world-reads-1de1543b163c#.lpo6rqbo0
In light of the widely acknowledged benefits of recreational reading, in 2012 the West Australian Study in Adolescent Book Reading (WASABR) attempted to uncover the most effective ways that social influences can support teenagers to read for pleasure. Some of the key findings from the study can be found here.
In the UK, children’s laureate Chris Riddell, with the support of all eight former laureates including Quentin Blake and Julia Donaldson, has sent an amazing letter to the Department of Education to address current policy that has led to hundreds of school libraries losing a dedicated librarian over the last decade. To see this beautiful … Read more
Dr Alice Sullivan talks about her UK research exploring the benefits of recreational reading for cognition. She explains “Of the 17,000 members, 6,000 took a range of cognitive tests at age 16. We compared children from the same social backgrounds who achieved similar tested abilities at ages five and 10, and discovered that those who … Read more
Reading books for pleasure has little appeal for smart phone fixated American teenagers, according to an article published in The New Yorker earlier this year. It’s not just the idea of reading that seems like a chore to millennials, according to David Denby, it’s that paper books have little appeal as objects. He quotes a school student from New Haven … Read more
US publications such as Time and Forbes are reporting on revisions of the American Academy of Pediatric’ guidelines for children and screens, in recognition of the growing variety of screens and the uses to which they’re now put. It is hard, reports Time, ‘for the AAP to say definitively … that playing smartphone games is bad … Read more