Reading Levels Helpful or Hurtful?

Librarians and parents have long depended on publishers’ age-guidance recommendations. It’s helpful information, as long as it isn’t misused. Philip Pullman and more than 700 children’s book authors and illustrators have signed a statement against this type of guidance, feeling that it stigmatizes young readers. (To find out more about Pullman’s crusade, visit www.notoagebanding.org)

As a librarian who is constantly being asked where the books are for 'X year-olds', I have spent a lot of time telling parents, that instead of treating your child as an age level, treat them as an individual with personal reading tastes and abilities.

I also try and advise parents to allow their children to choose their own reading material. If a parent is patient and allows a child to explore in the library, they will find something that interests them. If the child picks something they deem inappropriate, they then can discuss why they feel the child should choose something different.

If a parent is uncertain of the reading level of the child, they can quickly find out if the book the child has chosen is of adequate reading level. It's called the five finger test. It works like this. Open the book to a page in the middle. Have the child read the page aloud, for each word that the child does not know(excluding proper nouns) they hold up one finger. If at the end of the page the child is holding up 5 or more fingers, the reading level may be too hard. It may be a perfect choice for the parent and child to read together. If they are holding up 2 or 3 fingers the book will be a challenge but not unreadable, and if they are holding up 1 or 0 fingers the book may be a pleasant easy read, but may not challenge their reading skill.

And something that I have often thought I needed to ask my childrens' English teachers. "So what, if this book doesn't challenge them? Can they still enjoy it?". Yes, they can! My personal favorite titles are picture books, and hopefully my reading level is beyond them.

What if, as adults, we were limited to the titles we had access to based on age? gender? social standing? race? religion? educational background? Would you stand for such a thing? No way! Then why shouldn't we allow our children to read what they want, no matter what the suggested reading level or age is.