If they can learn to appreciate what is good about a book, it will make a big difference in what they read and how they read it the rest of their lives. There s always been a big difference of opinion in the library profession about buying books just because the children want them, or buying books that are good quality. There are people who say, If they want junk, they can buy it themselves. My library is going to have good books. Other people say, I want something that ll bring them into the library.
Any reading is better than nothing.
My feeling is that you can t generalize. Librarians know the books that excite children. You can say to a child who is in a reading rut, If you like to read about fantasies in which animals talk, here s a wonderful book called Rabbit Hill. Or Wind in the Willows. There are a lot of good books that you can recommend.