Children's Reading Preferences
By Robert C. Diaz

Since 1967, on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, 2 April, International Children's Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books.

To celebrate this day NewsFour carried out a local survey about children's reading and pastimes. Results have been taken from St. Matthew's National School, St. Brigid's GNS, St. Mary's BNS, St. Patrick's BNS, Star of the Sea, Scoil Mhuire, Sandymount Montessori, and the Ringsend Public Library.

124 (97 girls and 27 boys) participated in the survey from 4 age levels: 13-12, 11-10, 9-8, and 5-7 years old.
Apparently, watching TV programmes, playing outside with friends and reading books seemed to have been the most popular activities among children. However, video games, practising sports (specially, swimming and football) were also very popular.

36% of girls among 12-13 year-old say that TV is their favourite spare-time activity. 18% of them prefer reading and practising sports, but 9% of them love singing and dancing.

100% of the boys selected watching TV as their first preference, while 25% dedicate time to reading and 75% of them usually prefer to go to practice sports and painting. But, both girls and boys said they did not think reading was difficult.

29% of girls from the 10-11 year-old category prefer watching TV programmes, but 23% enjoy reading and 25% listed dancing and singing, as their favourites activities.

Likewise, 50% of boys with the same age prefer to watch TV, and 25% of them enjoy reading and 25% listed sports as their first activity.

In the 8-9 year olds, 30% of girls have decided that watching TV and reading are on the same level of preference.

60% of boys have reading in first place. Also, in both cases, practising sports, dancing and singing represent 10% of their favourite activities, respectively.

The top ten favourite books reflected a mixture between all-time classics and new books: 'Harry Potter' Series; 'The B.F.G'.; 'Cinderella', 'Alice in Wonderland'; 'Beauty and the Beast'; 'The Lion King'; 'The Giggler Treatment'; 'Alex Riders' series; 'Peter Pan', and animal books. At least, most of these pupils interviewed have seen one 'Lord of the Rings' film, without any previous reading of Tolkien's masterpiece.

The number of books reported as having been read by children comprised 155 different titles. Also, at primary level, the pattern of book ownership was very similar for boys and girls.

The vast majority of those interviewed enjoyed reading of some kind, whether it is books or comics.

Among primary pupils, girls read more books than boys. 88% of those interviewed picked up their books at a library and bed is given as the best place for their reading.

'NewsFour' would like to thank all the people who have been involved, the children in the first instance, as well as their teachers and principals.

In particular, we are grateful to Anne Kavanagh from St. Matthew's National School, Sisters Mary Louise and Mary from St. Brigid's NS., and librarians Phil Comerford and Joanne Monahan from Ringsend Public Library, without whose assistance this poll would have been impossible.

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