Anyone else dc read multiple books at once?

[Clarity]

My 2nd grader has recently really discovered her love of reading. She is reading voraciously every night and lately has more than one book in progress at a time. Right now she is in various stages of four different books. We asked her today if she could tell us about the stories and she was able to give a brief synapsis of each story up to what she has read so far.
I'm wondering if I should encourage her to finish one book before starting another? Is her current habit harmless? At 7, she is still a relatively new reader, but she is reading increasingly more complex stories. Any thoughts from our literacy experts or experienced mama's?

[mommy111]

Interested in people's replies to this my DD does the same and it drives me crazy, the 4 books at the same time

[egoldber]

Yes. Both my kids do this. I do this. :) I don't see why it's a problem?

[Clarity]

I hoped it wasn't! :). But I didn't know if there was a good reason to discourage it in young readers. She's moving through The Call of the Wild and some Boxcar books so she seems to be doing okay. I just have always worked through one at a time so it seemed unusual.

[KrisM]

DS1 and DD both do it. So do I. Drives DH nuts :). I always have a book in the car and a different one inside. I also am usually working on something non-fiction at the same time that I read in smaller pieces.

[brittone2]

Yep, we all do. DS1 and DD are so bad that I have to tell them on Wednesday night to clear their beds off, because I wash sheets on Thursdays usually. They need a day's warning so they can gather up the 12 different books they have spread all over the bed.

[mommy111]

Wow, great to know my DD is in good company :) The idea is foreign to me, I get so caught up in a book I have to finish it before I start any other :)

[KpbS]

My DC always has and he is a voracious reader. He will reread books many, many times and pick them up in the middle and read his favorite parts. That used to bother me and I'd urge him to restart at the beginning. He will read almost all day long (literally) so I'm glad he can read multiple books at the same time! :)

[lalasmama]

My DD did this, and we recently said "no more." The only reason we stopped it was that her school does an "accelerated reader" program, where kids earn points for taking a test on the book they read. DD was flunking the tests because she couldn't remember each story well enough to pass the tests. Now, she's finishing books faster, passing the tests with 90-100%s, and can recount the stories much better.

[123LuckyMom]

In always reading several books at once, and I've done it since I was little. Unless, as a PP mentioned, she's unable to recall plots for tests or something, I see no reason for you to discourage her. It's wonderful that she loves reading so much!

[Meatball Mommie]

My niece is like this. She'll have multiple books going at the same time and she just reads what is available where she is. Like she'll keep one book in their car, one in her backback, one in her room, one in the bathroom ;) SIL got her a kindle in the summer, which has cut down on it somewhat. she'll still read multiple book on the kindle though! Not sure if it's related, but her dad (my BIL) is like this too.

I'm a one-book-at-a-time kind of girl! I'm also a hate-to-not-finish-a-book kind of person too, but I've learned to get past that as not all books I start are worth finishing.

[maestramommy]

DD1 does, although she doesn't necessarily finish all of them. I think she picks up multiple books just to see what they are like. At the moment she's got an Ivy and Bean, Nancy Drew, and HP1 going. Who knows if she'll finish any of them.

I do this though. Right now I've got 4 books going.

[chiisai]

DH and I alternate reading to DS at bedtime, and as of late he has us each reading different books.

I used to do it as a kid.

[marinkitty]

My daughter usually only reads one at a time. My son likes to have a couple going but his current teacher asked them to read one at a time so he has switched over to that now.

[egoldber]

I don't know how I could even stop my kids. They pick books and start reading sort of wherever they are. They both have stacks of books they have started next to their beds. With a house full of books, books in their rooms, and older DD has a Kindle, how do you stop it?

[kboyle]

i do, i generally have a 'nightstand' book, and a book that stays in my car for when i'm waiting at work btwn customers, or whenever i'm out and about. ds1/10y generally has a silent reading book for school, and then he reads his kindle at home at night. last month he mastered a school lock, so when he ran out of library books i let him take the kindle so the past two-three wks, he's been reading same book, but they also read a 'class' book in language arts. after talking to ds2/2nd grade's teacher during conferences i realized he reads about 3 chapters books at a time during the week in class, 1 for whole class, 1 for silent reading, 1 for his reading group...plus his book that he reads at night.

[MelissaTC]

Both M and I are guilty of this.

[hellokitty]

Yes, my kids do this too, esp my 4th grader, who reads every minute he can get a chance. I volunteered at school and saw that his class took a bathroom break, they were lined up in the hallway and of course DS HAD to bring a book with him, so he could read while waiting, lol. I will sometimes bounce btwn a couple of books myself, but I have a tendancy to drop the book that isn't as interesting.

[jent]

Yes. Both my kids do this. I do this. :) I don't see why it's a problem?
:yeahthat: I love the Gilmore Girls episode where Rory is unpacking her bags, taking out about 10 books and explaining to Lorelai: "Well this one is my read-on-the-bus book, this is my I-finished-my-work-early-in-class-book, this is my study hall book, this is my waiting-for-debate-club-to-start-after-school book...."

I can totally relate.

DD is just getting started, but already she likes to keep the reading-on-her-own books separate from the bedtime books.