A number of people that I know grew up in homes that were filled with books mine included. However, the significant number of books I was surrounded by as a child was not represented with my interest in reading. I was not the type of kid who would go grab a random book off the shelf in my house and start reading it. Even though there was a huge selection ranging from children’s books to adult literature I was not interested.
You could see my lack of interest in my reading ability. I was a very slow reader and did not practice to get better because it was not my idea of fun. My parents did everything including hiring a tutor to help me improve my reading ability but it just seemed like more work.
A few times however I would go with my mom to the bookstore and be fascinated by the children’s literature section. There were so many stories that I had never seen before and the bright colorful displays caught my interest. I would constantly lose my mom by turning down an intriguing aisle. I found my self actually looking forward to reading after going to the bookstore and having the power to pick from what seemed like any book in the world.
I read an article on TheRecord.com that discusses this exact issue and how it is the case for many children. The piece is called “Bookstores hold the key to unlocking young minds” A quote from it says “There is a point at which it is important to let a child choose their own books” which is very true to my case along with many other kids. Even when you are given access to a wide variety of books from early on in childhood many kids want to have the power to pick a book for themselves from what they see as any book in the world.
I think bookstores are a great tool to unlock minds and I completely agree with your opinion about going to the bookstore. I don't understand what it is but even though I'm not really a reader, I love going into bookstores and can always find something of interest. Whenever my mom would take me to the bookstore, I would find a book, read it once and then never pick it up again, I think the relationship with the books you had at home is similar to that of when you look at the clothes you have at home. When you go shopping, everything looks new and great and you want it, you wear it a few times and then it looses that spark. I guess it may just be in our human nature to enjoy new, exciting things and new books and going to the bookstore feeds into that desire.
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