In Denise Walter McConduit's charming book The Boy Who Wouldn't Read we see a typical boy hates books scenario. Little Robbie can't stand to read and only wants to play. His teacher tries to get him interested by checking out numerous books, but it doesn't work. He makes it a point to let everyone know wherever he goes that "I hate reading, I hate reading!" One night after he gets in trouble for swinging on the chandelier at his house, he revolts and destroys any book that he can get his hands on.
Just then, a sorcerer, Sileas, swoops into his room and decides to grant Robbie's wish of never having to read ever again by taking every word in the world and storing it in fish bowls. Robbie goes outside and sees that it worked. There are no more words ANYWHERE!
His enthusiasm quickly wears thin after he realizes that the world no longer works the way it should anymore. People are not able to read the newspaper, money is now worthless green paper, and no one can drive without getting into wrecks. The final straw came when poor Robbie went home to have a snack. To his dismay, he could not figure out what kind of food was in each container. He popped popcorn that turned out to be garden rocks, animals crackers turned out to be a pencil box, and his tuna smelled like cat food!
This is when Sileas returns to point out to Robbie just how important the world of words is important to everyone everyday. He restores words to their rightful places, and Robbie becomes an avid reader from that day on. He is also engaged in classroom reading, and he gladly reads whenever he is called on to do so.
Discussion and Classroom Applications
This is such a cute story of a young boy becoming a reader. This would be great for classes that range from pre-k (as a read-aloud) well into upper elementary. If I were to teach this to a classroom of reluctant readers, I would plan ahead by removing any and all labels, and visible writing from being seen. Mind, I would not warn the students ahead of time, so when they come into the room they will have the same experience as Robbie does when he first realizes that he cannot read to identify everyday items. Then, I would gather everyone for the reading of the book to see if/when the students start making the connections between the feelings of confusion, exasperation, and relief that Robbie feels and how they felt when they entered the "wordless" room. Of course, this is not going to make every student an enthusiastic reader in an instant, but it will plant the seed of thinking about words and books in a different context. Which is a win in and of itself. For a video of the reading of this book or a list of films that have a similar premise to promote a joy for reading, see the information below, and enjoy!
Films:
The Pagemaster (1994)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Inkheart (2008)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
The Book of Life (2014)
Nightbook (2021) *May be for older children*
**While there are an innumerable number of movies that are based on wonderful works of children's literature that I do recommend showing to children, the movies listed above specifically show who book are directly connected to the characters' stories.
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