Getting children to love reading (without a fight)

No child was ever lectured into loving books. But plenty have been gently tricked into it. Here is what works, according to the parents and teachers we see every week.

Let them choose

A comic, a joke book or a book about football still counts. Children who choose their own books read more, and the "right" books follow later.

Read aloud, even to big children

Ten minutes before bed, every night, does more than an hour on Saturday. Older children love being read to as much as little ones; they just won't admit it.

Make books easy to reach

A low shelf, a basket in the sitting room, a book in the car. If the phone is easier to reach than the book, the phone wins.

Visit a bookshop together

Our children's corners in Nairobi, Eldoret and Kisumu are made for browsing. Sit, read, and leave with one book they picked themselves.