For some people, fewer things in life are more pleasurable than curling up with a good book.
The Oxford Public Library is spreading that message among area teens by hosting ‘Turn Off Your TV Week? from April 20-25.
That week, the library is encouraging students to ‘use your imagination to create your own world instead.?
Charli Osborne, the library’s head of teen services, encourages teens to visit the library that week and read books (both printed and audio), magazines, listen to music, work on puzzles, and play board games.
‘The main thing we’re trying to do is to get kids to realize that if you turn off the TV, you can read stories instead and make pictures in your head and cast your own movie in a way,? she said. ‘It’s a way to expand horizons.?
Osborne indicated the reason kids watch so much television today could be because they process information a lot differently than kids a generation or two ago did.
‘When I was a kid, you did your homework and then watched TV,? she explained. ‘Some also did homework while listening to records or the radio. Now, you do homework on the computer with mp3 player in your ears and text on a cell phone at the same time. There’s a lot of multi-tasking going on.?
Osborne hopes kids will take a break from the boob tube and peruse the many books that are available, including popular ones like the Twilight books, Inkheart and City of Ember, all of which have movies based on them.
One book that’s popular but hasn’t been made into a movie is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It’s about a government-sanctioned Survivor-style game among teens.
‘Fantasy, science fiction and realistic fiction are very popular here,? Osborne said.
The library’s at 530 Pontiac Road. For more information, call 248-628-3034 or visit their website at www.oxford.lib.mi.us.