When I got my library card, that's when my life began. ~Rita Mae Brown
According to the U.S. Department of Education more than 60% of school children are reading below the level needed to proficiently process the written materials used in their grade levels - well this is in the USA , but since we do not have much statistics in India , it could be at the least the same .
Now what happens when reading proficiency is below standards, Apparently they see it as something wrong with themselves,
Most children who struggle with reading, experience the struggle as a reflection of something to be ashamed of.
Unintentionally but pervasively, parents, schools, and society as a whole contribute to perpetuating this insidious myth. - they don't think that maybe their parents, siblings, and other care-givers didn't engage them in enough conversation before they started school
- they don't think that perhaps their teachers didn't teach them correctly
no, they blame themselves - they feel ashamed of themselves - ashamed of their minds. Statements like: "I'm dumb", "I'm stupid", "I'm not smart", "I'm not good in school" are all strategies to protect themselves from the shame they feel.
Source : http://www.childrenofthecode.org/
Learning to read begins long before a child enters school. It begins when parents read to their children, buy their children books and encourage their children to read, now thats a tall order.
If coping up daily work pressures isn't enough, where fast food chains outnumber book shops any day , where HDTV and portable playstations are the norm . Books and reading take a back seat.
Childrens Libraries , are a rarity and even so they consist a motley collection of books that are insipid , tattered and do not reflect the interests of the current generation.
With this background Justmonkeying was conceived , a brick and mortar Children's Library in Ahmedabad , with a collection of Children's Books of all ages , from the best publishers across the planet . A home based library Justmonkeying has over 4000 books and growing .
The books have been selected keeping the Kids Interest in mind and not the parents , given a chance most parents would jump at bulky encyclopedia's , long drawn classics as what would interest their Kids.
Its perhaps a beginning when parents realize that the neighborhood library is just as important as the multiplex or the mall that they visit every weekend.
http://www.justmonkeying.com/
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