Parents Must Share the Magic

Harry Potter is about to cast his spell again over millions of American children, but the magic will be short lived if parents don't do their part.

For years, we've heard that J.K. Rowling's masterpieces ushered in a new generation of young readers. Recent studies, though, show that what Rowling did was grow a tremendous number of fans. Once they are finished with Harry, most children do not go hunting for the next good book to read.

We can blame their high-tech diversions, but these are not chance encounters. Parents set the agenda, willfully or by acquiescence.

"Parents are children's first teachers, and, in early years, they are their most important teachers," says Linda Gambrell, president of the International Reading Association, which promotes literacy worldwide. "It's not enough for parents to read to their children. They must also share their own interest in books by talking with excitement about what they're reading."

Unfortunately, parents also aren't reading at the rates they used to, which the National Endowment for the Arts revealed in its 2004 study, titled "Reading at Risk." The study showed that adults are reading books at the lowest levels in modern history. Hardly a proud legacy for our children.

I saw the evidence of this decline in reading when I was house hunting three years ago and ventured into new construction. In one weekend, we looked at eight houses, all of them built within the last three to seven years.

Each house had what builders love to call "the Great Room," which CNNMoney.com recently targeted as one of the top five regrettable errors in new construction. Picture a hotel lobby between your kitchen and dining room.

What I noticed in these houses, one after another, was what was missing: books. No bookshelves, either. Even in the Great Room, which could easily house a satellite branch of the public library, there were no books in sight. There was, however, always an "entertainment center," which typically included a large flat-screen TV, a stereo system and surround sound with enough reach and screech to make your teeth tremble.

Virtually all of these homes had young children in them.

While the occasional kids' bedrooms had a few books, it was clear that their parents' weren't cracking the spine of anything much thicker than a TV Guide.

When we mentioned to our real estate agent that the Great Room was a perfect place for a home library, she cautioned against built-ins: "You'll hurt the resale value of your home."

We didn't talk about the value of a child's mind.

So, why should we care if today's kids aren't reading?

The NEA study offered this sober assessment in its preface:

"More than reading is at stake ... readers play a more active and involved role in their communities. The decline in reading, therefore, parallels a larger retreat from participation in civic and cultural life. The long-term implications of this study not only affect literature but all the arts — as well as social activities such as volunteerism, philanthropy, and even political engagement."

Sharon Wiesler is a reading teacher in an affluent Cleveland suburb, and she sees too many kids leading lives of all toys and no substance. This is particularly frustrating considering the education level of their parents.

Wiesler had none of her students' advantages, but she had the gift of her parents. She was the oldest of 10 kids in a working-class family. Joan and Frank Wiesler never went to college, but they loved books — and as family hobbies go, it was non-negotiable.

"We had family reading time, and all of us still read today," Sharon said. "Three of us became teachers."

She smiled when she recounted a recent family picnic. Her 75-year-old father was in charge of the grilling, as always, but he disappeared once the boisterous family started playing games.

His daughter knew just where to find him.

She looked for a cozy patch of shade, and there he was — reading a book.

Now that's a magic that never dies.

Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Plain Dealer and the author of two books from Random House: "Life Happens" and "… And His Lovely Wife." To find out more about Connie Schultz (cschultz@plaind.com) and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.