I'm not a particularly opinionated blogger, but when I ran across this NPR article, I just had to say something. The piece is about my absolutely favorite television show when I was a small child: Reading Rainbow. I still remember the catchy theme song. I remember the illustrations and the book reviews by the kids. And I remember how very much it made me want to read.
I learned from the article that the show is ending a 26-year run. According to the piece, it's ending due to both a funding crunch and an increased focus these days on shows that teach children how to read rather than why to read. Now I'm not an expert by any means, but I believe the why is abundantly important. Yes, fundamentals are obviously essential. But after a child masters the basics, then what? How do you transform him or her from a reader to a true lover of books? There are probably several different answers to that (for one, I was blessed to have parents who read to me constantly as a youngster). But personally, I think shows like Reading Rainbow can play an important role. For me it did. It highlighted books as exciting portals to distant worlds. It made me want to race to the library and pick up a few more....