I was once upon a time one of those children who hates reading. I mean I didn't get most of what I read and it was just boring. I think a big problem could be a lack of vocab but it could also be a lack of interest. Fortunately, I was able to solve both.
What actually got me started on loving to read was graphic novels, comic books, and manga. They're not like picture books with only a few sentences on each page, but they aren't exactly Crime and Punishment or War and Peace either. I understood what it meant because I could see pictures. The stories are also really interesting! I was so into it that I started looking up words that I didn't know when I came across some because I didn't want to miss out on any of the action. In the long run, that really built up my vocab and I could finally understand what people are talking about in novels!
Then after a while, I started to read novels (small and not so dense one first; baby steps) because they had more description. It eventually snowballed to how I am now, willing to read all sorts of books with pleasure.
Hope this helps.