Reading?

I was talking in one of my previous posts about wanting to teach the kids how to truly enjoy reading. The lack of wanting to read in kids nowadays always surprises me greatly. By the time I was six years old, I was going to the library weekly and taking out six books every single time. And these weren’t picture books, I read 6 full on novels a week. While I didn’t always enjoy the classics quite as much as the “fluff” books, I was forced to read 2 classics a week, and then I could have 4 more books of my choice.

In contrast, right now it’s a battle to have the kids read one book a week! On the other hand, both Auna and Xavier if they really get into a book can finish it the same day, or within two days. I would like them to be able to do this with every single book they are given. They have the capability, and the drive to really read and enjoy it, but it's hard to find the books that will trigger that drive.

One of the ways I want to go about this is for us to go to the used bookstore that is right around the corner every week in order to choose a new book. If we keep it at paperback books, they would be able to each pick a book and the cost would still be under 6 dollars.
I’m hoping that this will give them the satisfaction of being able to build up their own library.
We already have four walls covered with books in our study room, and I know that the kids love to see people’s exited reactions to all of the things we have to read. They also really love being able to just walk in the study room and choose a new book as needed. And I’ve been catching both Auna and Xavier hoard books in their room, pretending they weren’t doing it on purpose the past few months. (Not that I mind, I just find it funny).
So I figure that being able to build their own library for their rooms would be a great feeling for both of them. The only rule will be that they have to read the last book they bought before getting another one…. Oh, and they have to let the rest of the family read the books if they want to.

In some ways I'm a bit weary to be doing this, I'm afraid that it might be spoiling them quite a bit. On the other hand we would still be going to the library every week for research and extra books for them to read. I don't want them to start taking books for granted either, I want this building of a library to feel special to them. From the used book store to special trips to Borders, they should feel that building their own library is a privilege.