In the past children who struggled with reading were written off as lazy or thick, or their teachers incompetent. Some parents don't think it necessary or even possible for their children to spend time reading for pleasure.
A first step towards happy reading is a sight test. Children do not need to 'know their letters' to take a sight test. Spectacles might be needed or your optometrist may recommend some eye exercises.
In the past children were, and often still are left to find their own way to cope with reading difficulties–
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Some simply avoid attending school,
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Some play the clown or find alternative ways to avoid being labeled the 'class dunce'.
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Some labelled dunce or 'thicko' might be placed into remedial learning classes but too many reach adulthood unable to make sense of written words.
Recent research has given educationists some insights into just how complex the reading process is, what should surprise us is that anyone learns to enjoy reading. After years of research and argument it has come to be accepted that many children really do find reading a struggle, they are not thick or stupid, their brains are 'wired different' to those who find literacy easy, and therefore require different learning strategies.
At the present time there are considered to be 3 blocks to a child learning to read fluently – see Reading and poor vision, visual stress, and/or dyslexia.
Sometimes simple exercises can help to make reading more comfortable. Look at simple eye exercises for convergence insuffiency exercises or Brock String Exercise to see what is involved- but these should only be done if recommended by your optometrist
No doubt some children don't learn to read fluently because they just don't see the point, and maybe at some time in the future reading skills will be 'archaic,' unnecessary as technology allows everything to talk to us (possibly even through direct mental imput) – but for now we owe it to the present generation to give them every opportunity to become fluent readers.