Expand the definition of 'reading' to include non-fiction, humor

The wise Jon Scieszka once spoke: “Expand the definition of ‘reading’ to include non-fiction, humor, graphic novels, magazines, action adventure, and, yes, even websites. It’s the pleasure of reading that counts; the focus will naturally broaden. A boy won’t read shark books forever.” In this saying lies not merely a call to read, but a call to liberate the mind — to tear down the narrow walls we build around knowledge. The ancients would have understood this truth well, for wisdom is not born only in scrolls and temples, but also in the marketplaces, the songs of sailors, and the laughter of children. Scieszka’s words remind us that learning begins in joy, not in duty — that pleasure is the first gate through which the soul enters the realm of understanding.

To expand the definition of reading is to recognize that the act of learning wears many forms. It is to honor the scroll and the screen alike, the ink and the image, the poem and the comic. The spirit of the reader is not bound to parchment or paper; it is bound to curiosity, the eternal hunger to know. When Scieszka speaks of the boy who “won’t read shark books forever,” he speaks not of limitation, but of growth — of the natural widening of the heart and mind when the spark of wonder is kept alive. For every small interest, if tended with patience and delight, becomes a bridge to greater knowledge.

In the days of old, there was a young shepherd named Simeon, who could neither read nor write, but who listened to the tales of travelers by the fire. He loved the stories of storms and sea monsters, of strange creatures beneath the waves. The elders mocked him for his “childish curiosity.” Yet years passed, and the boy became a sailor, then a navigator, and at last a scholar of the oceans, charting new lands and waters. His love for “shark tales” had deepened into a passion for exploration and science, for knowledge that served humankind. Thus, Scieszka’s wisdom proves true: what begins in play may flower into purpose, if only one is allowed to follow the pleasure of discovery.

This truth is as ancient as the philosophers of Athens. Even Socrates, who never wrote a word himself, believed that knowledge must be kindled like a flame — not forced like a yoke. To delight in learning is to make the mind a living garden. For if a child’s early reading is scorned as “unworthy,” that garden may wither before it ever blooms. A boy who reads about sharks may one day read about the seas; one who laughs at comics may grow to ponder the nature of laughter itself. No joy in learning is wasted, for joy is the breath that keeps the mind alive.

In these modern days, when the written word has taken a thousand shapes — books, screens, songs, and spoken tales — the ancient call still stands: read in all forms. Let not pride or fear confine you. Read the humor of the fool and the wisdom of the sage. Read the code of the machine and the verses of the poet. For every voice, however humble, carries a fragment of truth. The wise reader is not the one who reads the most sacred text, but the one who reads with an open heart.

The lesson, then, is simple yet profound: begin anywhere, but begin with joy. Do not measure the worth of a page by its form, nor judge a reader by his choice of stories. Instead, nurture the spark of curiosity wherever it burns. Parents, teachers, and elders — offer not restriction, but invitation. Let the child’s delight be his compass; the path will widen as he walks. Encourage every kind of reading, for the pleasure of reading is the seed of wisdom.

In your own life, heed this teaching: if you have lost the joy of reading, return to it as one returns to an old friend. Seek again the stories that once stirred your soul — be they tales of heroes, histories, or even humble web pages. Read not for duty, but for the pleasure that awakens the mind. For from pleasure arises passion, and from passion, greatness. And remember always: a boy may not read shark books forever — but it is through those shark books that he first learns to dive into the boundless sea of knowledge.