- Almost a third of young teenagers have so little passion
for reading that they cannot name a favourite story book, according to
a poll that suggests most youngsters' reading tastes are prompted by the
big screen.
-
- A survey of 300 seven- to 14-year-olds, heralding the
launch in September of a national storytelling festival for children, indicates
that a love of books withers as children get older. Across the age range,
one in five has no best-loved read.
-
- The poll, published by the Prince of Wales Arts and Kids
Foundation on the eve of the national release of the latest Harry Potter
film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, reveals that the schoolboy
wizard is the most popular read of those children naming a favourite book,
with just over half placing it in their top three.
-
- JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, also acquiring
new life and new audiences in cinemas, is popular with 25%, followed by
Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
-
- The findings were yesterday described by the children's
laureate, Michael Morpurgo, a patron of the foundation, as confirmation
that "a great welter of children simply don't read".
-
- A fall in the number of parents reading to young children
at bedtime, and a lack of love for books among parents and some teachers
contributed to youngsters' lack of enthusiasm for reading, he said.
-
- He warned that children could also be turned off by compulsory
literacy lessons in schools. They missed out on the "joy and excitement"
in favour of analysis and comprehension, he said.
-
- "I think probably most children don't get read to
at night," said Mr Morpurgo. "What is clearly evident is that
many, many children are stuck in front of the telly, have DVDs and PlayStations
and reading does not come high on that list of enjoyments and is not something
shared between parent and child."
-
- Mr Morpurgo said he hoped the StoryQuest festival, during
which authors would read and talk to children across Britain, would help
children "rekindle the secret joy of reading".
-
- He revealed that he disliked books when he was a teenager.
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- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2004 http://film.guardian.co.uk/harrypotter/news/0,10608,1229417,00.html
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