A WISHING SHELF BOOK REVIEW

23rd Feb, 2017

TITLE: CLASSICS, WHY AND HOW WE CAN ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO READ THEM

AUTHOR: Fiza Pathan

Star Rating: 5 Stars!

STATS

Writing Style 9/10

Subject Knowledge 10/10

Editing 9/10

Unputdownable or Putdownable: Totally Unputdownable

Who’s it For: Parents/teachers

CATCHY BYLINE

‘A bible for anybody working with children’s literature. Fascinating and informative.’ A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review

REVIEW

I love the classics. Love them! So, I was delighted to read this book and offer a little feedback to the author, Fiza Pathan.

To start with, let me tell you who I am. I’m an English teacher, a literacy coordinator and I worked on my masters in English literature at Durham University in England. So, my knowledge of the classics is better than most; and my love of the classics is incredibly strong. Growing up, I devoured Alice in Wonderland, and every week a Sherlock mystery confounded me and filled me with wonder. I am, to put it mildly ‘classic-addicted’.

So, on to the book. Well, it’s good. In fact, it’s very good. Mind you, it’s not for literary scholars who know every aspect of a literary work. No, it’s for parents and teachers who want to know how to inspire children to pick up a classic and not an iPad. And, in this respect, it excels.

This book is written by a woman who grew up in a culture that did not recognize the importance of education for girls. In fact, she was abandoned by her father because she wasn’t a boy. And that is where her love for the classics seems to have begun. For, in the classics, she discovered Stoker, Dickens and Wells; she discovered the wonderful characters of Doctor Dolittle and Peter Pan. They were a better father-figure than her father had ever been.

This book is written with a powerful energy, and her need to inspire children to enjoy the classics jumps from every word she’s written. But, still, she keeps it simple. She seems to understand that parents and teachers want to know ‘how to do it’ and not be immersed in endless literary facts and theory. Take, for example, the chapter entitled Classical Characters Who Have Influenced My Reality.  It is only a page or two long and simply tells the reader who the characters are and why they influenced her. Only a sentence or two, that’s all. Fantastic! Less, I think, is often best.

Any and all teachers who work with children and who wish to inspire them to enjoy classic texts, should read this book from cover to cover. It is packed full of helpful tips, from deciding whether to go for abridged or unabridged to when to read the classics and how often. There’s even a quiz to check your classic knowledge. I got most of them right!

I always like to end with what I think is the ‘best line’. Well, I loved this: I wonder what Aruna (the school librarian) is doing these days? Has she retired or is she still there saving other bookaholic children from the snares of the malicious world of socializing?

A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review

www.thewsa.co.uk

Fiza Pathan has written a marvelous book to encourage children to read literature that will greatly improve their language skills, writing capabilities, vocabulary and general intelligence. CLASSICS: Why and how we can encourage children to read them, is filled with examples, from her own experiences as a teacher, of the beautiful impact reading classical literature has had on her students. But, it’s more than just that. Pathan really includes three books in one as she shares the first section, which is “Classics: Why We Should Encourage Children to Read Them”, the second section, “Classics: How We Can Encourage Children to Read Them” and the final section, “My Take on the Classics: A Memoir”. Devouring all three of these sections gives young readers, parents and teachers exciting reasons to do just as Fiza Pathan encourages and read the classics.

CLASSICS: Why and how we can encourage children to read them is not simply a book written to inspire young readers by telling them the benefits. Instead, Fiza Pathan includes a long list of classics she recommends. She breaks down what some of the specific classics help students learn and the areas in which it will help them grow. There are even quizzes and fun “worksheet-like” exercises included. The authors skills as an educator shine brightly throughout the book as she guides young readers and parents towards embracing the classics as a vital part of education. Fiza Pathan’s CLASSICS: Why and how we can encourage children to read them is a must read for parents, homeschool parents, teachers and children of all ages!

Today’s world evolves at breakneck speed and it often seems that classic children’s literature is being usurped by more contemporary offerings, yet the role of children’s classics and their importance has never been more apt. Reading the classics, to our children, can be some of the most memorable and meaningful times we can have with them but times do change. and on this level, Pathan’s release proves both timely and powerfully poignant. She reminds us of the need to safeguard the reading of children's classic literature or risk depriving our young readers of the wealth of knowledge, enjoyment and sense of heritage to be gained from them. However, one of the major challenges in encouraging children and even educators to read them is the evolution of language and the ability of children to relate and engage with the subject matter. Too much of today’s children’s literature is driven by the need to make money but what makes many classics worth reading over and over again are the core values they convey. Through her experiences as an author and educator Pathan is uniquely placed to draw these comparisons but more importantly she shares with us her proven strategies for keeping the love of children’s classics alive.

Beautifully presented, authoritative and articulate, Classics: Why and How We Can Encourage Children to Read Them is an absolute must read and is recommended without reservation.

An instructor and avid reader shares lessons from years spent introducing children to classic literature.

In this education book, Pathan (Raman and Sunny: Middle School Blues, 2015, etc.) combines three previously published works into a single volume. The first presents arguments in favor of encouraging young people to read the canon of Western literature; the second offers strategies Pathan has used to develop enthusiasm for the classics among her students; and the third details the author’s experiences teaching and learning about books. Pathan’s own love of literature is evident from the first animated pages (“Classics therefore are like bound movie scripts for our brain production house”). The rationale for teaching the classics is a familiar one—improving writing skills, providing moral lessons, understanding the human condition—but also emphasizes the opportunities for fostering a love of reading among even the youngest pupils. Pathan’s strategies for turning students into fans of the classics are wide-ranging and constitute the most useful elements of the work, addressing ways of encouraging reluctant readers and students whose interests lie in other subjects while advocating the cross-generational sharing of books. The memoir elements are often charming, like Pathan’s account of how Frankenstein helped her “cope with” science when her teachers did not, her gratitude to Oscar Wilde for giving her a broader understanding of sexuality, and the letters of appreciation she writes to former students. While the volume’s focus is on classic literature, Pathan avoids demonizing more contemporary books and discusses her admiration of those works as well. The account overreaches at times (as in the suggestion that “tribal culture” is something students can learn about from Robinson Crusoe ) and never addresses the lack of diversity inherent in a canon drawn almost entirely from European and American novelists writing in the 19th and early 20th centuries. By eliding entirely the debate over which works should be considered classics, the book avoids a crucial question teachers must wrestle with, thus limiting the effectiveness of an otherwise comprehensive and appealing discussion of literary education.

An enthusiastic and engaging—but somewhat narrow—argument in favor of teaching beloved books.