The Pleasures of Reading Non-Fiction

This article examines data gathered in a broader study of a school-based reading challenge to children aged from 8 to 14 to read science information books, centred in their school or class library. A survey was conducted before they embarked on the reading challenge to establish the children's reading habits. After the period of time allotted to the challenge had ended, participating teachers and children completed questionnaires and a sample from each were interviewed. Evidence relating to reading non-fiction for pleasure was identified and extracted from the dataset and analysed. Prior to the challenge, most children's attitude to science books was that they would be boring, difficult or at variance with what they perceived as their reader identity. More positive attitudes resulted from taking part in the challenge. Contemporary science information books were found to be in themselves a source of pleasure. It is concluded that it is possible to differentiate between the pleasures of fiction and non-fiction and that different types of pleasure which are derived from reading science non-fiction can also be differentiated, ranging from extrinsic to intrinsic and including efferent and aesthetic. A tentative typology of intrinsic pleasures is proposed.