Why is reading Harry Potter in K so great?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harry Potter is not even "literature". It is a book that is fun to read and nothing more.

A kindergartner can not understand fantasy.

This is a troll, right? Apart from whether a K kid can read a particular fantasy book, young kids thrive on imaginary play and are better than most adults at understanding fantasy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, why do you care what some other children are doing or reading? Yes, there can be a lot of parental bragging that is obnoxious, but, really, beyond that, what's the problem? If you don't like it or if your kids aren't interested, fine.

I think your frustration (possibly justified) at the parental bragging, has morphed into being mean about children. Don't down-talk any kid for something that interests/excites him. It is just mean and ugly - especially by and adult.

Parental bragging? Reading HP is brag-worthy? I don't think so... It's pretty standard to read or be read those books in the 5-8 age range now. Nothing exceptional about it, so I don't think you'd find parents "bragging."

[Anonymous]

Hey, all! My 5.5 year old is reading the Bob books! No joke! I'm all about keepin' it real on here!

(Seriously. That's where she is at right now. We start K in the Fall.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess these books must interest kids with older siblings. That's all I can figure out. DS would never be overly engrossed in these pre-teen books. DS, age 6, is at the top of his class for reading in one of the highly respected elementary schools in VA and mostly reads picture books.

Different kids have different interests. There's nothing to figure out. It's not a competition. It doesn't indicate anything about a kid if he is NOT interested in YA books or chapter books. Lots of gifted kids and very bright kids don't read early and don't read above their age level.

My first kid is bright and was an early reader, but he didn't read any fiction, except picture books, for a long, long time. He didn't even read fiction at his age/grade level. He just wasn't interested.

His brother loves fiction, though, and read a lot of it early and read advanced books for his age.

Different kids, different interests. One isn't smarter than the other.

[Anonymous]

My son stopped reading books I chose for him at some point. He sees what other kids are reading, finds things that resonate with him, and that's what he reads. If it were up to me he would be reading classic literature, but the reality is that he wouldn't make it past page one of a book he isn't excited about. So he reads HP, "strange fact" type books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and a smattering of other books that I don't love. The only thing I find "great" about HP, and it's not a small thing, is that a lot of boys like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, why do you care what some other children are doing or reading? Yes, there can be a lot of parental bragging that is obnoxious, but, really, beyond that, what's the problem? If you don't like it or if your kids aren't interested, fine.

I think your frustration (possibly justified) at the parental bragging, has morphed into being mean about children. Don't down-talk any kid for something that interests/excites him. It is just mean and ugly - especially by and adult.

Parental bragging? Reading HP is brag-worthy? I don't think so... It's pretty standard to read or be read those books in the 5-8 age range now. Nothing exceptional about it, so I don't think you'd find parents "bragging."

Maybe it is standard fare for above average 8-year-olds, but a 5-year-old who can get through the first Harry Potter, full comprehension aside, is brag-worthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey, all! My 5.5 year old is reading the Bob books! No joke! I'm all about keepin' it real on here!

(Seriously. That's where she is at right now. We start K in the Fall.)

Hey! My 5.5 year old is wading BOBbooks too and she loves them!

[Anonymous]

As someone whose kids grew up with the books, I think that the first book is great for a 7 or 8 year old, and then each subsequent one for a year later. Yes, I'm conservative, but the last book is really upsetting in some ways, so to me it's more for a 13 or 14 year old.

Of course, it wasn't a problem for us, because we had to wait for the next book to come out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harry Potter is not even "literature". It is a book that is fun to read and nothing more.

A kindergartner can not understand fantasy.

Are you the same grump who commented in another thread that a kid shouldn't be read Phantom Tollbooth b/c they couldn't understand it completely?

[Anonymous]

Children who can seemingly read before age 5 without prior training may have hyperlexia - the ability to decode and sound out words. However, this does not mean they comprehend what they read. It may actually be a sign of autism and such children may need to be evaluated for developmental disorders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Children who can seemingly read before age 5 without prior training may have hyperlexia - the ability to decode and sound out words. However, this does not mean they comprehend what they read. It may actually be a sign of autism and such children may need to be evaluated for developmental disorders.

Yeah, that's what my K teacher said about my DS, who is now a TJ graduate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children who can seemingly read before age 5 without prior training may have hyperlexia - the ability to decode and sound out words. However, this does not mean they comprehend what they read. It may actually be a sign of autism and such children may need to be evaluated for developmental disorders.

Yeah, that's what my K teacher said about my DS, who is now a TJ graduate.

He is really doing well with his reading "problem"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Children who can seemingly read before age 5 without prior training may have hyperlexia - the ability to decode and sound out words. However, this does not mean they comprehend what they read. It may actually be a sign of autism and such children may need to be evaluated for developmental disorders.

My DS, who is on the spectrum, taught himself how to read when he was 3 so he was certainly at risk of hyperlexia. We were instructed to slow him down and make sure he was reading age appropriate materials and to push hard on comprehension. As a result, he never developed hyperlexia, he was simply an early reader. But had we given him HP in kindergarten -- which he certainly could have read -- it would have been a bad thing. Comprehension is the most important issue, not reading level. When a kindergartner read HP and his parents crow about how brilliant he is, it only reenforces the practice btu the child may not be comprehending what he is reading. This is true for kids who do not have ASDs as well. You can really screw up the whole reading thing if you turn it into a mechanical exercise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Children who can seemingly read before age 5 without prior training may have hyperlexia - the ability to decode and sound out words. However, this does not mean they comprehend what they read. It may actually be a sign of autism and such children may need to be evaluated for developmental disorders.

Yeah, that's what my K teacher said about my DS, who is now a TJ graduate.

9:11 again. Just because a teacher (not a clinician, mind you) gave you incorrect information doesn't mean that this can't be a serious problem for other children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, why do you care what some other children are doing or reading? Yes, there can be a lot of parental bragging that is obnoxious, but, really, beyond that, what's the problem? If you don't like it or if your kids aren't interested, fine.

I think your frustration (possibly justified) at the parental bragging, has morphed into being mean about children. Don't down-talk any kid for something that interests/excites him. It is just mean and ugly - especially by and adult.

Parental bragging? Reading HP is brag-worthy? I don't think so... It's pretty standard to read or be read those books in the 5-8 age range now. Nothing exceptional about it, so I don't think you'd find parents "bragging."

Maybe it is standard fare for above average 8-year-olds, but a 5-year-old who can get through the first Harry Potter, full comprehension aside, is brag-worthy.

Huh. I didn't brag on dd when she did this. You're saying I should have?