Reader-Friendly Bookmark

Encouraging your child to read is great, but getting them to develop a love of reading on their own is even better! As you likely know from experience, if you want to turn something into a habit, you have to enjoy doing it. If your child lacks interest in reading, don’t panic! It could simply be that they have yet to come across that special book that shows them the magic of reading. To avoid having your child view reading as something they have to do because adults say so, aim to present it as an enjoyable activity that they can choose to do whenever they like.

It was in this spirit that author Daniel Pennac came up with his 10 “rights of the reader”:

1. The right not to read
2. The right to skip
3. The right not to finish a book
4. The right to read it again
5. The right to read anything
6. The right to mistake a book for real life
7. The right to read anywhere
8. The right to dip in (i.e., to read only passages of a book)
9. The right to read out loud
10. The right to be quiet (i.e., to not talk about what you are reading)

Discuss these rights with your child. 

• Do you agree with these principles? 
• Which one is your favourite? 
• What other rights would you add?
• What exceptions would you make to these rights?
• Etc.

The rights of the reader remind us that reading is a leisure activity, and that it is okay, and sometimes even necessary, to set down your book, such as if you feel tired or are just in the mood to read something else.