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CNN Live Saturday

First Lady Laura Bush Launches Book Festival

Aired September 08, 2001 - 13:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this morning in Washington, first lady Laura Bush launches one of her first major initiatives since coming to the White House, the National Book Festival to raise money for libraries around the country. The kickoff for the first annual event came at the Library of Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: We're all in for a treat at this festival, where writers and illustrators, countless volunteers, thousands of book lovers have come together to revel in the joy of the written word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KELLEY: As you probably know, Mrs. Bush, a former librarian and school teacher, has championed the importance of reading. And joining me now from Washington is Donna Ogle, she's president of the International Reading Association, a champion of getting kids to read.

Hi, Donna, nice to have you chat with.

DONNA OGLE, INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION: Hi, Donna, nice to be here.

KELLEY: Well, do kids get it? I mean, and how do you get through to them? Do they get the importance of reading?

OGLE: I think more and more children really do. I think making literacy visible in our society has helped a great deal. Events like this National Book Festival really highlight the importance of all of the authors in our society and the great books that are published for children, as well as for adults.

So it is always a struggle, given our society and given the pressures on time and activity, but there is an awfully light out there that is celebrating books and reading right now.

KELLEY: But how do you compete? How do you say, I'm sure you will enjoy reading this book more than you would enjoy playing this video game, or more than you would enjoy watching this TV program, or more than whatever they can come up with?

OGLE: Well, I don't know that you always can get them to read instead of doing the other things. I think it's a balance of activities. Sometimes they want to read, and then other times involve themselves in all sorts of other activities too. Linking activities with reading I think is one of the most exciting and best ways to keep children reading.

KELLEY: That was a neat thing I saw. What about that? I saw you had the link kind of with sports with boys.

OGLE: That's right, exactly. Because many times what we have to do is listen to young people and find out what they are interested in and then show them all of the resources that are available in books, on the Web, in magazines and newspapers, so that they go deeper into their interest areas through reading.

KELLEY: Boy, that's probably a true key. If you can find what they are interested in -- and then, I think, you know, with the computer and the Internet, you can have them reading -- and they almost don't realize it, you know. Look at this fun game, and you're reading as well.

OGLE: That's absolutely right. And what they learn is the Internet provides all sorts of information on whatever topics they are interested in. So we don't really have to push them to read, we simply have to invite them to finding the resources that work best for them.

KELLEY: Let's talk about age. What's the toughest age to get a kid to really be interested in reading, and how young should you start?

OGLE: Well, the starting age is right away, when the children are born. There's nothing more important than parents talking with their children, doing rhymes with kids, getting kids involved in the lovely, wonderful world of words and language. And that's from the very beginning of life.

And then, as the children get older, it's very clear their tastes and their interests differentiate. And what we have to do is be sensitive to those differences. It's much harder to get adolescents reading books that we require them to read and they are the ones that our favorites, than it is if we let their interests in the world in which they are living help guide us into how we help nurture their reading and keep them reading.

KELLEY: Right, maybe make some requirements, but then maybe let them choose a little bit so they're reading something that they want to do for fun. Is reading something better than nothing? If a kid says, hey, look, I'm reading a comic book or I'm reading a magazine, is that OK?

OGLE: Oh, absolutely. As a matter of fact, some of the studies of the vocabulary used in comic books and in magazines show that they introduce children to even more vocabulary and a wider range of words than some of the traditional novels or books that we think are most important. So, it is absolutely to their advantage to continue to read whatever materials they are interested in. But particularly, to keep expanding the links they make between their interests and what they read.

KELLEY: And talking about links -- maybe even movies, when there is a book. And we were just talking about this before we were chatting with you, the "Harry Potter" movie coming out now later in the year, but those books have been out for a while, so it will encourage the kids to read the books.

OGLE: And we have also found those "Harry Potter" books have invited many people who are non-readers into the joy of reading again. All of a sudden, they found something that they were interested in and that they were transported into a new world with. So, "Harry Potter" has been an incredible phenomenon for us. And I think the movie is going to help bring even more people into reading those books.

KELLEY: Best little quick piece of advice you can give somebody who is struggling with a child who says, "you know, I don't want to read, don't bug me." What would you tell them?

OGLE: Well, probably I'd listen to them to find out what they were interested in doing. And then I'd try to find something that would link to this, and many times it's magazines, it's not full books. Start with something short.

KELLEY: All right. Donna Ogle, with the International Reading Association, a pleasure to have you with us. Thanks a bunch.

OGLE: Thank you.

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