Readers Speak Out on Reading Aloud

After reading Elizabeth Mehren’s article “Read Me a Story” (Sept. 18), I had to smile in agreement and appreciation. My mother always read aloud to me, and now I too am passing on the joys of reading aloud to my four children.

However, what Mehren failed to mention in her well-written article is that in addition to building a bond with children and furthering their interest in books, reading aloud also helps children develop the attention span necessary for good critical thinking skills. The broadcast media (especially television) has shrunk this span of attention to the three-second “blip.” Consequently, children, in my opinion, more and more require visual bombardment in order to be entertained. The long-term consequences of this are scary, especially when one stops and thinks about how little our society reads or writes anymore, or how difficult it is for many people to listen to speeches, or participate in thoughtful debates.

If we all read to our children more, I believe we would have a better educated society with the ability to think more critically.

VINCENT J. AVIANI

San Luis Obispo