The certificate beside the book

Original opinion extract, written for practice.

I do not object to a certificate helping a hesitant reader open the first book. A small public welcome can matter. I become less enthusiastic when the books start looking like hurdles placed between a child and a shiny badge. We count titles, stamp cards and applaud the highest stack, then wonder why someone chooses six quick books instead of the one which might keep asking questions for a month. The easiest total to display is not always the experience we meant to encourage. Let the prize introduce the library. Let it make the first visit less daunting. Then leave enough room for a child to read slowly, return to a favourite page or abandon an unsuitable book without feeling that curiosity has cost the team a point.

Use your own words to evaluate the writer’s attitude to prizes for reading. Give details from the extract to justify your answer.