September Editor Letter, Hock Literary Post

 

The Garden of Stories: Cultivating a Lifelong Love of Reading

How does a love of reading truly begin? Is it something we teach, or something we nurture? Is it a lesson to be learned, or a magic to be unlocked?

 

Here at Hollyhock Books, we believe it is the latter. We see a child’s mind not as a vessel to be filled with facts, but as a garden. A garden where, with the right care, the seeds of stories can take root, unfurling into a lifelong landscape of wonder, empathy, and curiosity. But every gardener knows that a plant cannot be forced to grow; it must be given the right conditions—sunlight, water, and rich soil.

 

The question so many loving parents ask is, "How do I get my child to love reading?" And often, the well-intentioned answer involves a system of rewards. Finish this book, and you get a treat. Read for twenty minutes, and you earn screen time. On the surface, it makes perfect sense. But what if the greatest reward is not something we give after the book, but something found within the book itself?

 

Let us explore the delicate art of encouragement, and imagine a path that leads not just to a child who reads, but to a child who loves to read.

 

The Well-Intentioned Path: The Allure of External Rewards

It is a scene played out in many homes. A child is slumped at the kitchen table, a book lying closed before them like a dormant creature. A parent encourages, “Just read this chapter, and then you can have ice cream.” Or perhaps, “If you finish this book by Friday, I’ll buy you that new video game.”

 

The logic is sound. We use rewards to motivate ourselves all the time. We work towards a promotion, we exercise for the reward of feeling healthy, we complete a task for the satisfaction of checking it off a list. It seems natural to apply this same structure to reading, especially when a child is reluctant.

 

The immediate result can seem positive. The child opens the book. The pages are turned. The reading log is signed. The reward is given. Success! And in the short term, it is. The child has read.

 

But what has truly been nurtured in that transaction? Has the child connected with the story of the runaway pig, felt their heart beat faster as the glitter dragon faced its challenge, or sighed with contentment when the clock-tower girl found her friend? Or have they simply learned to endure the act of reading as the price to pay for a scoop of chocolate chip?

 

This is the hidden danger of purely external rewards: they can accidentally teach a child that reading is a chore, a bitter medicine that must be swallowed to get to the sweet prize. The focus shifts from the intrinsic joy of the journey to the extrinsic prize at the finish line. The book becomes an obstacle, not a gateway.

 

A Different Kind of Reward: Weaving Magic into the Reading Ritual

So, if we move away from sticker charts and sweet treats, what is the alternative? It is to transform the entire experience of reading from a task into a treasure hunt, where the rewards are woven into the fabric of the story itself.

 

The greatest reward for reading a book is the book itself—the adventure, the friendship, the knowledge, the escape. Our job as parents, grandparents, and storytellers is to be the guides who help children discover this treasure. We must become the magicians who reveal the magic hidden within the pages.

 

This begins long before a child can read a single word. It begins in the warmth of a lap, the sound of a voice bringing characters to life, the shared laughter over a funny illustration. The first and most powerful reward we can ever give a child is our undivided attention, with a story as its conduit.

 

As children grow older, the rewards evolve, but they should always serve to deepen the connection to the story, not sever it. Instead of rewarding the completion of a book, we can reward the engagement with it.

 

Here are a few ways to make the reading experience its own reward:

 

The Reward of Connection: After reading a chapter together, become the characters. Act out a scene over dinner. Put on a play for the stuffed animals. This rewards the child with the joy of shared imagination and play.

 

The Reward of Exploration: If you’re reading a book about dragons, the reward could be a trip to a natural history museum to look at dinosaur skeletons, or a afternoon crafting your own dragon from clay and glitter. This rewards the child by expanding the world of the story into their own.

 

The Reward of Anticipation: Create a "Storytelling Nook"—a special fort of blankets and pillows that is only used for reading. The act of building the nook and settling in with a book becomes the coveted event, a ritual of comfort and wonder.

 

The Reward of Being an Expert: When a child finishes a book, let them be the authority. Ask them to tell you the story. Listen, rapt, as they recount the plot. Ask their opinion: "Was the ending fair?" "What would you have done?" This rewards them with a sense of mastery and intellectual confidence.

 

The goal is to make the world inside the book feel as real and exciting as the world outside of it. When we succeed, the desire to read comes from within, a natural hunger to return to that world of wonder.

 

The Thoughtful Approach: The Essay as an Act of Love

Now, let us turn to the specific suggestion posed: rewarding a child with a book, then having them write an essay about it, followed by a "wonderful" reward.

 

At first glance, to a child, this might sound like a school assignment followed by a bribe. But what if we reframed it? What if we transformed this process from a transactional chore into a creative celebration? The spirit of this idea is beautiful—it seeks to encourage deep engagement and reflection. Let us weave it with the Hollyhock philosophy.

 

The word "essay" can feel formal and daunting. It conjures images of five paragraphs, thesis statements, and red pen marks. But an essay, at its heart, is simply a person trying to figure out what they think about something. It is a conversation with oneself, made tangible.

 

For a child, we must banish the word "essay" and replace it with the magic of being a "Story Catcher."

 

Step One: The Gift of the Book (The First Reward)

This is a sacred moment. Do not simply hand over a book. Present it. Wrap it. Tell them why you chose this story for them. "I saw this book about a wild garden, and it made me think of your adventurous spirit." Or, "This tale of a girl who solves mysteries reminded me of how curious you are." You are not just giving them a story; you are giving them a mirror, showing them you see their soul. The book itself is the first reward—a token of your understanding and love.

 

Step Two: The Act of "Catching the Story" (The Deep Engagement)

When the final page is turned and the quiet wonder of the story settles, do not say, "Now, write an essay." Instead, invite them on a new adventure. Say, "Let's catch that story before it flutters away! Let's be Story Catchers."

 

The goal is not to test their comprehension, but to give their feelings and thoughts a form. This can be done in a hundred ways far more enchanting than a formal essay:

 

The Letter: "Why don't you write a letter to the main character? What would you want to ask them? What advice would you give them?"

 

The Map: "Could you draw a map of the story's world? Show me the path the hero took, and don't forget the secret places!"

 

The Front Page: "Let's make a newspaper front page from the world of the book! The headline could be 'GLITTER DRAGON SAVES THE DAY!' You can write an interview with the dragon and draw a picture."

 

The Playlist: "If this book were a movie, what five songs would be on the soundtrack? Why did you choose each one?"

 

The Diary Entry: "What if you wrote a diary entry from the point of view of the runaway pig the night before his big adventure? What was he feeling?"

 

In each of these activities, the child is doing the critical work of reflection—analyzing plot, understanding character motivation, exploring theme—but they are doing it as an artist, a journalist, a friend. They are not writing for a grade; they are creating to honour a story they have loved. This act of creation is, in itself, a profound reward. It makes the story a permanent part of them.

 

Step Three: The "Wonderful Something" (The Culminating Celebration)

Once this act of creation is complete—the letter is written, the map is drawn, the playlist is curated—it is time for the culminating reward. This is crucial. The reward must not be a payment for services rendered, but a celebration of the journey you have just taken together.

 

The reward should be an experience that extends the magic of the story and the bond you've forged through it.

 

The reward is not for writing the essay; it is for sharing the adventure.

 

Here is how to make that "something wonderful" truly meaningful:

 

If the book was about a chef, the reward could be baking a recipe from the story (or inventing a new one together).

 

If the book was about an explorer, the reward could be a family hike to a new park, pretending you are the characters on your next great quest.

 

If the book was about music, the reward could be a living room dance party to the playlist the child created.

 

If the book was about art, the reward could be a trip to an art supply store to choose a new medium to work with, just like the character in the story.

 

The most powerful reward of all, however, is often the simplest: the gift of the next story. A trip to a real, dusty, wonderful bookstore or a library, where you can spend an hour together exploring the shelves, is a reward that keeps the entire beautiful cycle turning. You are rewarding their deep engagement with the promise of more adventure to come.

 

The Story Never Ends: Weaving a Tapestry of Literary Love

Getting a child to love reading is not a program to be implemented, but a culture to be built within a family. It is built in the quiet moments, the shared laughs, the thoughtful conversations, and the celebratory adventures that spring from the pages of a book.

 

The method of "Book -> Reflection -> Celebration" is a beautiful framework, provided its heart is in the right place. The book is a gift of insight, the reflection is an act of creative love, and the celebration is a shared memory that ties the story to the child's own life.

 

At Hollyhock Books, we believe that children deserve stories that speak to the heart. But they also deserve guides who will help them listen. By shifting our focus from external rewards to intrinsic joys, we stop being taskmasters and become fellow travellers. We are no longer just giving them books; we are giving them keys to countless worlds, and the confidence to explore them.

 

So, let us begin this adventure today. Pick a book, not as an assignment, but as an invitation. Read it with your heart as well as your eyes. Then, catch that story together in whatever beautiful, messy, creative way you can. And finally, celebrate. Not because a task is done, but because a story has been lived.

 

For in the end, the greatest reward we can ever give—or receive—is that shared, silent understanding that passes between two people who have just closed a beloved book, a world of wonder hanging in the air between them, and the unspoken promise that another story awaits, just on the other side of tomorrow.