For the record, lists are good to do!

If kids are taught to maintain a record of the books they read, it can turn out to be fun as well as useful, both for the child and the parent.

When I was eight, my father told me he wished he’d maintained a list of all the books he’d read in his life, and suggested that I start such a list. I didn’t.

When my daughter was eight, I told her I wished I’d maintained a list of all the books I’d read in my life, and suggested that she start such a list. She didn’t.

I’m still trying to convince my daughter, especially because, over the last decade, I’ve become better at recording the books I’ve read. I mark them as “Read” on Goodreads, a social book cataloguing website. I’ve realised how useful such a record can be. I’ve been able to make better book recommendations to those who ask for it. My memory is not as trustworthy as I think it is and I’ve often entered increasingly desperate search terms on Google trying to find a book I’d loved but don’t remember the name of — my list comes to the rescue in some such cases. Also, this list has helped me avoid wasting my time re-reading a book I’d read and disliked, but forgotten all about.

Children maintaining a record of books they’ve read can be both fun and useful, both for the child and the parent. A book record is like a biography, even a personal diary. You can see how the child has grown, what obsessions they had at different ages, and so on. It’s interesting to observe how the child’s reading evolves over the years.This could provide a glimpse into their personalities and future interests/goals too. Besides, kids love to look back and shake their heads sagely and laugh at what their younger selves used to like!

A record can be as simple or as complicated as the child wants. The record could consist of just the name of the book and the author. Or if the child is so inclined, they could include a short note on what the book is about or whether they liked it or not, their favourite characters, and so on. It can be a pencil-written list in a notebook. Or they can enter it into a spreadsheet.

A digital record makes searching easy. There are social cataloguing websites for kids of all ages. (Goodreads is only for 13 and above.)

A record can be as creative as the child wishes it to be. Some children like to write reviews. Some post written or video reviews on social media (managed by their parents).

Another does monthly roundups of “books I liked best.” Some note down dialogues or passages they like. These require more investment in terms of time and effort. But if your children are so inclined, then why not!

As always, it’s best that the child maintains records of what they’ve read, only if they’re interested in doing it. Also, the moment it veers towards unhealthy competition (“my list is longer than my friend’s”), it could be time to take a step back!

The author has written 12 books for children and can be reached at www.shruthi-rao.com

GobbledyBook is a fortnightly column that gives a peek into the wondrous world of children’s books. Hop on! Or as Alice did, plunge into the rabbit hole.