I'd like to say that this was an uncommon scenario, but in three years of teaching writing residencies in the public schools, regardless of locale, I find many children, are reluctant to learn, unprepared to think, unable to sustain interest, and difficult to engage. Groups like Citizens for Excellence in Education, American Coalition for Traditional Values, and Christian Educators Association have attacked series and programs that focus on the very things I see missing in classroom. Parents are most often the means to the ends these groups envision. Parents, who unlike me, have not been in classrooms and seen how unprepared our children are to greet the complexities of life in the 21st century. Children I see in classrooms are desperate to be heard, to get answers for their thoughtful question, to receive help in finding answers to complex decisions.
Parents are their best resource.
Family reading can help parents who are afraid and overwhelmed by their children's needs. The American Booksellers for Children has put forth a motto which I see as a practical way to begin chipping away at the fear. Here for overwhelmed parents is a specific suggestion and a concrete object to help them frame meaningful discussion and question asking. By example, I offer three new books, rich with discussion potential, and some questions to begin a thoughtful discussion in your home. Some of the most amazing books are those that can weave philosophy and meaty material for thought into a first story books that is simple in appearance and sparse in prose.