Anne Letain

National and international reading scores confirm this, and of course, this doesn’ t bode well for the development of critical thinking and problemsolving skills for today’ s youth, especially if you can use an“ AI” generative language model to write what you need. All hail to the chatbot, indeed.

If we want to change this trajectory, now’ s the time to insert personal interest and enthusiasm into the equation— we need to show kids the joy of reading and encourage the idea of reading for pleasure. My own efforts have been diverse: I resolved long ago that every new baby in my orbit would receive specially selected books from me; kids who visit our home always leave with a book in hand, and I love to peruse the local thrift shops with friends for titles to gift to their grandchildren. Kids always get books from me, even if they might prefer a potato gun or cash!

My latest“ project” began in an innocuous way. My neighbours’ children are used to receiving books from me on both Halloween and Christmas. But last Christmas, I decided to change the usual gift-giving format, giving each child a generous gift card to a nearby bookstore. The only proviso I stipulated was that they would show me which books they selected for themselves. When their

picture arrived in my inbox, my smug attitude disappeared. I was shocked and disappointed with their choices.

Yes, the books were of a questionable quality, but then, who wants to be told what to read? More to the point, the books were seriously below their ability levels— they are all bright, talented, and lively kids. What to do?

28 | arta. net JOY