Best-selling children's author Morris Gleitzman wants parents to turn off Netflix and start spending more time reading aloud to their kids.
As Australia's new Children's Laureate, Gleitzman plans to devote as much time as possible over the next two years "pestering" parents about the importance of reading to their children.
"Yes, you can sit down and watch a series on Netflix together, but reading to somebody else is a more intimate thing than even sharing those wonderful Netflix series," he told AAP.
"I will be recommending that to one and all."
The author behind the popular Felix series and titles including Boy Overboard and Two Weeks with the Queen will this week take up his prestigious new role, which was created in 2008 by the Australian Children's Literature Alliance and has previously been bestowed on authors including Leigh Hobbs and Alison Lester.
Gleitzman sees himself as an ambassador for stories and their characters, and as Laureate wants to remind adults and policy makers of the vital role they play in a child's development.
As a parent he understands the relief when a child is able to read by themselves, but also warns that's no reason to stop reading aloud to them.
"Good stories make us want to, once we finish the reading, to talk about what we've just read," he said.
"This is particularly true of middle and upper primary kids.
"If the adults in their life are able to make time to have these conversations, that's brilliant, but if as part of that they can share some of the reading of the books that's absolutely wonderful."
Gleitzman, whose books are sold in 20 countries, believes stories are key to children developing their confidence, determination and problem-solving skills - all qualities that can help them as they become grown-ups.
"Stories time and again show a process where a character finds himself trying to solve or at least survive a problem that at first seems insurmountable but they've got no choice," he said.
"So they go through a process of learning to work out what the problem is and what might be causing it, making new friendships if they need to to confront the problem, and realising that those problem-solving strategies almost never work immediately."
Gleitzman plans visiting education policy makers in Canberra to share his views on the importance of making enough resources and support available so all children become proficient and enthusiastic readers, particularly those having difficulties.
An international study released last December showed that while the reading skills of Year 4 students in Australia had improved, there's been little change in the number of kids who are struggling.
Gleitzman doesn't believe there's a "magic bullet" to fix the problem, but believes the answer lies in having education policies that prioritise the importance of reading stories along with teaching methods such as phonics.
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