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[Coop and Dino singing]

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We’re told from a young age that reading is a big deal. [Little girl reading a book with teddy bears]

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But…why?

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Is it…just important so we know when a floor is wet?

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Eh, not so much.

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There are actually a few reasons. [Coop giving reasons why to read]

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First of all, we read to get information.

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Books that are jam-packed with information are usually called nonfiction—and each one

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teaches us about a particular topic.

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We also read to have fun and enjoy.

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Some books are written purely to entertain us.

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These are usually fiction books.

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Yeah…they’re like movies on paper, if you want to think of them that way. [Boy wearing 3D glasses reading a book]

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Without all the annoying previews.

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We read to learn new vocabulary, and to be introduced to new opinions.

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Not every writer thinks the same way, and by reading their books, we can learn about [Books angrily staring at each other]

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their viewpoints.

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Even if some of those viewpoints cause us to go prematurely bald…

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Now, how do you choose a good book to read?

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There are a few questions you can ask yourself when mulling over your next big reading project. [Girl deciding which book to read in a library]

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First, why do you want to read this book?

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Does it cover a topic you want to learn more about?

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Next, does this book interest you? [Coop discussing considerations for what to read]

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If you love learning about dinosaurs but the book in front of you is about cats, maybe

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you need to keep looking.

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Because…the “fluffosaurus”? [Fluffosaurus appears in a forest]

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Not a real thing.

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Next…do you understand the book?

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Does it make sense when you try to read it?

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It’s hard to get through a whole story where you don’t really understand the story or

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what’s going on.

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Just check out these poor souls who accidentally wandered into a lecture on quantum theory. [Students wearing swimming gear appear in a lecture room]

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Yeah…no one deserves to look that lost.

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Finally, do you know most of the words?

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If you can’t pronounce or decode most of the words in a book, reading it will definitely

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be a struggle.

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Unless there are some pretty pictures to distract you.

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Hmm…don’t know what calcification is, but check out that colorful diagram of the [Girl reading a book and image of kidney appears on a page]

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human kidney!

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