CHILDREN’S

READING INTER-
ESTS
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• Children’s Reading materials, when chosen in the light of their

needs and interest, serve as one of the essential factors in their de-
velopment in various phases of growth.
• Good literature brings the child into contact with great minds and
various forms of experiences increasing their knowledge of human
nature and the expanding world around him
• Literature can also increase a child’s capabilities toward creative
writing, drama, art and music.
Interests and Needs

Interest is an expression of an individual’s pattern of reaction or behaviour to-

ward himself, his environment, associates and the situations he may find himself.
The Interests develop from early childhood and progresses onward as a result of
experience. An interest can be interpreted as a motivating force that stimulates
an individual to participate in one activity rather than in another.

Need on the other hand is the “desire for what has been called as “necessities”.
Needs are strong motivations that have to met and can be classified in many dif-
ferent ways such as physical, mental, emotional, social, moral, spiritual, aes-
thetic, economic and recreational.
For educators and educational psychologists, the following
are the classification of a child’s needs:
• Material Security
• Emotional Security
• Intellectual Security
• Spiritual security
• Need to belong
• Need to love and be loved
• Need to achieve
• Need to be part of the group
• Need for recreation or diversion
• Need for aesthetic satisfaction
Areas for Evaluation upon Book
Selection based on Children’s
Needs and Interests
• The theme must be worth imparting to the young readers’ mind and must be
based on justice and integrity rather than being preachy or moralizing.
• The plot should develop through actions and incident rather than narrations
• The content must be something that is within the experience and back-
ground
of the children
• The character must be someone that speaks, acts and thinks with their age,
culture, and educational background.
• The changes in the characters in the books must be gradual and convincing
rather than swift and unrealistic
• There must be a growth and development in the character as s/he tries to
resolve a conflict in the story
• The style of author towards writing the story must be simple and easily
understandable
• The binding should be durable and practical, one that can stand frequent
use and handling.
• In terms of the qualities of paper, the color of the print must not be very
white rather must be creamy in nature
• In terms of typography, the type must be large enough for easy reading
by the age level for which it was intended.
• The spaces between line must be wide enough to make the text clear.
• The bottom margins must be larger than at the top
• The over-all print should make an attractive appearance of the bool
• Illustrations must be appropriate with vibrant/ lively colors.