Pizza Hut's Book It Program and Other Reading Incentives

There's an article on Cnn.com today about Pizza Hut's Book It program, which has been around for over twenty years.

Those against cite rewarding reading with fattening food and using the program to get more consumers in the restuarant. In light of how many youngsters are fat these days and eat unhealthy, I have to agree with that part.

And while dangling a carrot to get kids to read, rather than instilling the desire to read as a reward in of itself, is not the best way to promote literacy, it's been done for years. As a grade schooler, our teachers had reward programs for reading. I clearly remember one where the teacher gave a free small book for every ten books the student read. (I got a lot of free books, as I loved to read!)

There's other programs I question, too, like the Advanced Reader Program. A book must be on the list or it does not count, and there are so many not on the list! Many great books are lost this way if they are not nominated by enough people for the list. I think making the list all-inclusive would be better and give the students a wider selection.

Then again, I am just an author - what do I know?