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KEY NOTE

Learning to read is the first step, yearning to read the next. The first step develops a mere basic
skill, whereas the second step goes light years beyond, cultivating the mind, building character, and

revealing ages of the past and a glimpse of the future.

PREFACE

This book is designed, first and foremost, to teach students how to think, not what to think. To

do so children will learn not only how to read, but to comprehend well what they read. To get to
this level they should begin by becoming familiar with the phonetic structure of the English

language, i.e. phonics. By and by, as they learn to read, they will learn phonics thoroughly.

Although this book remains consistently easy on one hand and challenging on the other, it never
talks down to students, yet it is never daunting, . Therefore it is appropriate for all beginners

students no matter how old or young they may be. Students may be six or one hundred six
years of age and not complain about the material being too adult-like or too childish. If

students want to learn how to read well and have a lot of fun doing so, this book is an apt choice.
There is not another book that covers the rudiments of reading more thoroughly. With the

assistance of a dedicated parent or teacher, students will learn to comprehend more than
simple sentences. They will learn to find oft-hidden meanings lying between the lines, as it

were. They will learn that the printed word, as well as the spoken word, is not always to be
taken literally. Students will learn to recognize various styles of expression – such as irony,

satire, overstatement, and plain foolishness. All of which are essential tools of expression.
Moreover, as students read and understand the stories of The Red Well-Read Reader, they will

gain awareness as to how the world actually turns. Said in a different way, they will become
aware of the human predicament which they, as well as everyone else, is unavoidably beset.

Reading a city bus schedule or filling out an unemployment form is well and good, but such

functional know-how is a far cry from being considered literate. It is a far cry from
understanding the political and economic forces at work responsible for shipping American

factories overseas, for example. Albeit this book does not endeavor to explain this particular
issue, but it tangentially touches on many such issues of critical importance. The book covers a

broad cross-section of human endeavor, ranging from sports to economics, from vice to virtue,
from current politics to ancient history, and from frivolity to war–all necessary for children to

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