Description Foreword _ A Word to Readers Part 1: Reading Should Be Fun Why do we study? Why do we read? Children are trustworthy beings. Children who hide judgment and understanding greater than their parents'. Children become what adults make them — the "soap opera determines college entrance exam success" rule. How is learning ability formed? To excel academically, quit workbooks! Can't we wait until children do things on their own? Some homework can actually be enjoyable. The most negative and painful kind of homework. Workbooks are the greatest enemy of reading — and of learning itself. The Miracle of Two Newspapers Do children raised in homes without newspapers grow up to be more successful? For essay writing education, two newspapers are all you need! Part 2: The Joy of Reading Grades improve when reading is fun. Can reading alone make a top student? Please don't cut off the sprout of intellectual curiosity. Intellectual curiosity: the shortcut to success. Three gifts that reading gives — curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity. Extra benefits that even raise grades: how to get top marks in foreign language subjects. Blocking reading is blocking academic improvement. The road less traveled is the faster road. The start of enjoyable reading: a power stronger than 100 billion won. There are different kinds of fun — how to enjoy true joy. Setting out toward enjoyable reading. The first book matters. Avoid bestsellers when possible. Let children choose their own books. Buy books even if they aren't read right away. Recommended fun books. A few things to know for serious reading: - Art is logic. - Imagination, too, is a product of logical systems. - Books also contain internal logic. - The first time you pick up a book, you must get past the initial resistance. Stages in the Evolution of Reading The Shawshank Redemption of reading — living as a creator through reading. The 7 Stages of Reading Development: - Stage 1: Visual Interest - Stage 2: Emotional Engagement - Stage 3: Emotional Reading - Stage 4: Accumulating Impressions, Making Reading a Habit - Stage 5: Intellectual Reading, Expanding Imagination - Stage 6: Analytical Reading Based on Critical Thinking - Stage 7: Self-Directed Thinking and Expanded Creativity Part 3: Obstacles That Block Reading The greatest enemy of reading: formulaic writing. Do children really need to keep a diary? Isn't the same true of book reports? The last exit toward fun writing. There is no fixed format for a book report. A book report written freely is a well-written book report. The Three Principles of Writing: Principle 1: Write at length. Principle 2: Write honestly. Principle 3: Write inductively. The trap of recommended reading lists. Does being the same age mean having the same reading ability? Reading is not a required condition. About Comics: There are many kinds of comics. Comics are reading too. Why comics have been viewed negatively. How to tell a good comic from a bad one. Always buy the book your child asks for. How to guide children who only pick comics at the bookstore. Part 4: "But My Child Doesn't Like to Read" Children who read a lot and also do well in school. Step-by-Step Shared Reading: - Stage 1: Picture-Book Centered - Stage 2: Text + Pictures - Stage 3: Full-Fledged Reading There are methods for shared reading too: - Using a voice recorder - Recording and watching/listening together Creating your child's own library: - Building a library by subject - Organizing it neatly - Attaching classification labels - Making and stamping a bookplate Part 5: 100 Books Are Better Than One Textbook for Great Grades There are no true "consumers" in a bookstore. Liberal arts books you don't need to memorize, versus textbooks you can never seem to memorize no matter how hard you try. Knowing something is right yet not practicing it is a disservice to our children. Why do avid readers stand out even more in high school? Either ignore the avid-reading kid next door, or start buying books for your own child. Afterword _ The Path to Our Children's Happiness Inside the Book We must now show children happiness, joy, a sense of existence as human beings, and above all, that each day is worth living. Otherwise, our country has no future. To escape as quickly as possible from the shameful distinction of having the highest youth suicide rate and the lowest social interaction competence, we must treat them as equal human beings, just like us. (p. 43) What exactly is it about book reports that binds children up so tightly? It is the idea that they must be "written well." But what does "written well" even mean? There is no vaguer standard than this. Yet we must painfully realize that this so-called standard — one that hardly deserves to be called a standard — is what keeps both adults and children paralyzed, unable to move. (p. 152) Most of the recommended reading lists published by institutions in our country...