The pleasures of reading non‐fiction

Abstract

This article examines data gathered in a broader study of a school‐based reading challenge to children aged from 8 to 14 to read science information books, centred in their school or class library. A survey was conducted before they embarked on the reading challenge to establish the children's reading habits. After the period of time allotted to the challenge had ended, participating teachers and children completed questionnaires and a sample from each were interviewed. Evidence relating to reading non‐fiction for pleasure was identified and extracted from the dataset and analysed. Prior to the challenge, most children's attitude to science books was that they would be boring, difficult or at variance with what they perceived as their reader identity. More positive attitudes resulted from taking part in the challenge. Contemporary science information books were found to be in themselves a source of pleasure. It is concluded that it is possible to differentiate between the pleasures of fiction and non‐fiction and that different types of pleasure which are derived from reading science non‐fiction can also be differentiated, ranging from extrinsic to intrinsic and including efferent and aesthetic. A tentative typology of intrinsic pleasures is proposed.

Reading for pleasure: exploring reading culture in an Australian early years classroom

“…To facilitate a culture of RfP, students must be enveloped in an enthralling abundance of varied literature, challenging the notion that enjoyment is derived exclusively from fiction (Alexander and Jarman, 2018; Burnett and Merchant, 2018). Consequently, teachers should seek to extend and challenge students' diet of reading material, preventing ‘book‐bound’ classrooms (Cremin, 2015).…”

Validación de parrilla de contenidos y desarrollo de plataforma digital de libros ilustrados de no ficción / Content grid validation and digital platform development for non-fiction picture books

“…Este cambio de paradigma ha posibilitado, desde los albores del nuevo milenio, la expansión del mercado editorial. Es precisamente en este contexto en el que proliferan los libros ilustrados de no ficción, que plantean, desde una nueva concepción manipulativa de libro-objeto o libro-arte (Tabernero, 2018;2019) una hibridación entre lo analógico y lo digital para la divulgación del saber científico, y, por ende, el I S S N : 1 9 8 8 -8430 desarrollo paulatino de la competencia informacional de la infancia y la juventud (Moss, 1991;Alexander y Jarman, 2018;Cordón-García, 2018).…”

“…En consonancia con lo expuesto anteriormente, partiendo de las características que Young, Moss y Cornwell (2007) atribuyen a este tipo de libros, consideramos, como constatan Romero Oliva et al (2021b), que resultan de gran utilidad para la formación de lectores críticos desde una doble perspectiva: la intrínseca y la extrínseca. Partiendo de la perspectiva intrínseca, directamente relacionada con las características del propio lector, estos libros ayudan a despertar la curiosidad desde la motivación de los lectores reacios atrayéndolos con soportes visuales y formatos atractivos además de combinar la lectura por placer con la lectura por información y la investigación (Brugarolas y Martin, 2002;Bortnem, 2008;Alexander y Jarman, 2018).…”

“I Love Creepy Pasta”: EFL Students’ Book Selection for Extensive Reading

“…Y.C. Huang's case study conducted by involving students in Taiwan recommended authentic materials for extensive reading implementation [21]. Besides giving original view of language use and culture, benefits of using authentic materials was that students got exposure of cultural knowledge embedded in the language.…”