Jen Robinson's Book Page

Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment: Emma Walton Hamilton

Book: Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment
Author: Emma Walton Hamilton (blog)
Pages: 208
Age Range: Adult nonfiction

I recently read two books dedicated to helping parents to raise readers (see also my review of Book Love, by Melissa Taylor). The second of these was Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment by Emma Walton Hamilton. Raising Bookworms is a call to arms, written by a parent, "professional educator, children's book author and editor", aimed at encouraging parents to raise book-loving children.

Hamilton starts with the bad news, results from studies that show a decline in reading in the US (including a host of depressing statistics, like "Forty-two percent of college graduates never read another book once they have graduated."). She admits that she isn't a trained reading specialist or educator, and she doesn't get into the mechanics of reading at all, but she proposes the same essential solution that Jim Trelease does, emphasis (by parents and teachers) on the link between reading and pleasure. She says "This book is about creating--or restoring--the connection between reading and joy." She starts with context, giving a history of reading, and then she proposes concrete methods for encouraging reading, aimed at each age group (from birth through early adolescence).

The chapters for the different age groups are designed to allow each to be read independently, as needed by the parent of that age child. I think that this will be quite helpful for parents looking to inspire a particular child. This structure does make it a bit tedious to read Raising Bookworms straight through, however, as many of the tactics that Hamilton proposes apply to multiple age levels. These are thus repeated throughout the book. She does separate the previous suggestions from the new ones each time, so that it's not difficult to skip the ones that one has already read, but there is certainly extra page-turning. [Mind you, I don't have a better solution for the problem of creating standalone chapters but having content that applies to each. It's just tough to read straight through.] Hamilton also includes tables "encompassing all the ideas and recommendations", and indicating which recommendations apply to which age group, in the appendix.

One thing that I really like about Raising Bookworms is that Hamilton includes short, blurbed lists of book suggestions within the chapters for each age range. While I found her lists to be a bit heavy on classics (or relatively light on contemporary fare - she has nowhere near the breadth of Melissa Taylor), I liked that she took the time to tell parents why they should consider a particular book. Hamilton is the daughter of Julie Andrews, and there are some plugs for Andrews' and Hamilton's own books. But it's still clear that Hamilton is a genuine advocate for reading books of all sorts.

Hamilton is also "a great believer in the synergies that exist between literacy and the arts--and the ways in which each can inform the other". In addition to encouraging literacy and reading, she includes a number of suggests related to encouraging the arts in general (attending and participating in plays, etc.). I haven't seen this covered in many other literacy books, and this adds a bit of a personal slant to Raising Bookworms. She's also quite open with discussing the reading experiences of her own children, and what worked during their evolution as readers.

Raising Readers is well-sourced. There are references throughout to literacy organizations, books about encouraging readers, and research studies. There is a bibliography at the end of the book, as well as a helpful index. There is a short section on blogs and other online resources for learning about books (A Fuse #8 Production and Cynsations are both mentioned). Published in 2008, Raising Readers doesn't cover the rise of eBook readers, but these online references give the book a reasonable balance between traditional and contemporary (though without the up-to-the-minute feel of Book Love).

Raising Readers has a bit of a philosophical feel to it. Though there are certainly specific tips and recommendations, Hamilton is sharing her views in a number of areas related to literacy. The fact that these views tended to coincide with mine made this a satisfying read for me. Like this:

"By employing the techniques outlined in the following pages with your children, you stand a good chance of helping them to discover the power and wonder inherent in books. You also stand to enrich your own relationship with them, and to help them achieve rewarding relationships with others. You may even experience a greater sense of personal fulfillment--and might just gain (or rekindle) a new appreciation for reading yourself.

... Ultimately, my dream is that we might reestablish a society of readers ... and by extension, a society of thoughtful, engaged citizens who play an active, positive role in their community and their world." (Page 5-6)

and this:

"I believe that the main reason we move away from reading as an elective activity is because of our conscious association, often unwittingly learned at school and reinforced at home, between reading and "chore." (Page 12)

and this:

"Nothing will teach children to love reading more than seeing the adults around them showing enthusiasm for it. In fact, according to a recent survey by Scholastic, parents who regularly read for pleasure are six times more likely to have kids who read for fun." (Page 17)

Raising Bookworms is also sprinkled with quotes from other reading advocates (Jim Trelease, Esme Raji Codell, Daniel Pennac, etc.). This gives Raising Bookworms the feel of building on the efforts of those others. Most of the tips that I found in Raising Bookworms weren't new to me (a compulsive reader of books on growing bookworms), but I found it a nice refresher, something to rejuvenate my determination to help my child to grow up to be a reader. 

[Note: later this week I will be sharing some thoughts on the Kindle format of this book and Book Love. I wish that I had purchased the paperback copy of Raising Bookworms instead, so that I could more easily refer back to Hamilton's age-specific tips.]

Publisher: Beech Tree Books
Publication Date: December 1, 2008
Source of Book: Bought it on Kindle, after Darshana mentioned it

© 2012 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you). 

Book Love: Help Your Child Grow from Reluctant to Enthusiastic Reader: Melissa Taylor

Book: Book Love: Help Your Child Grow from Reluctant to Enthusiastic Reader (Kindle edition)
Author: Melissa Taylor
Pages: n/a 
Age Range: Adult nonfiction

On a recent trip, I read two books aimed at helping parents to raise readers. The first was Book Love: Help Your Child Grow from Reluctant to Enthusiastic Reader by my blog/Twitter friend Melissa Taylor from Imagination Soup. Book Love is written from Melissa's perspective as an elementary school teacher and as a book-loving parent who found herself with two children who didn't enjoy reading. While there are certainly nuggets in the book that will apply to any parent of young children, Book Love is directed towards parents who have kids who, for one reason or another, don't enjoy reading. Taylor proposes four general reasons why kids dislike reading, and then explores them each in detail. The reasons are:

1. Too boring (because "either the reading level is too hard, or your child hasn't found the right book or subject that gets him hooked.")
2. Too blurry (because "vision, learning difficulties, and the ability (or inability) to pay attention" get in the way)
3. Too tricky (because reading is a hard thing to learn to do)
4. Too "sitty" (because some kids don't like to sit still and read)

Taylor starts with some brief, down to earth guidelines for "setting your child up for success as you help him learn to love reading". These include "Don't push him. Please", and a quick warning about limiting television.

The tone of Book Love is as if your child's very committed teacher sat down with you for coffee, and gave you one-on-one advice for helping your child with reading. There's a very personal, colloquial feel to the book, with plenty of short, declarative sentences ("Reading is important. Make time for it"). Here's an example:

"Engage in Grown-Up Reading

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, right? Kids copy what we do.

Here's your change to read that book you've been wanting to read. So read a book. Or two. Or ten. Show your child how you choose your books. Talk about the ones you want to read. Demonstrate how you make time for reading, even a little bit, every day."

Book Love is highly approachable, and not at all intimidating. It's a relatively quick read, a plus for busy parents. There are user-friendly lists of questions to ask your child to help diagnose the above-described reasons for not liking reading. There are lists of the child's favorite interests for the parent to fill in (and book lists to support those interests). There are carefully chosen pictures throughout. There are less common tips, like this:

"skip buying a reading lamp. Buy a headlamp--the light is brighter and covers a wider area. Then kids can also read in the car at night (including during longer trips where it's tempting to let them overdose on video games or movies), in a tent or in a cabin at camp, or when staying over with friends of relatives."

There are bulleted lists, and references to the most cutting edge technology (eBook readers, etc.). There are steps listed for assessments that parents can perform to understand their own children's reading issues (and references to where to find help in advocating for the child). There are literacy-themed games and activities. Book Love has a lot of useful information in a contemporary and user-friendly package.

I do think that readers who have already read canons of the literacy field (such as The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease) may find Book Love a bit ... informal. There are relatively few references to other books or to research studies. There are a fair number of links to online material, but these tend to be somewhat casually sourced (e.g a reference to Betsy Bird's list of top 100 children's books that doesn't actually mention Betsy or her blog, A Fuse #8 Production, by name; there's a reference to Daniel Pennac's The Rights of the Reader poster, but one has to click through to see the list itself, etc.).

I think that this informality stems from a) the fact that Book Love is self-published (it's harder for an individual author to go through the hoops of requesting permission to just include things like The Rights of the Reader poster) and b) the fact that Book Love was inspired by a blog. Just linking to something, rather than including it, is common blog practice. And it works well. When people are reading online, it's easy enough to click through to the original source, and is actually courteous on the part of the referring author (since traffic is sent to the original source). However, when one is reading a book (particularly a print book, but even an eBook on a device), having to click through to see something is more disruptive. This may be an artifact of where we are in the evolution of books (20 years from now we may be reading everything online, and so used to cross-linking that one would barely notice). Book Love is clearly on the cutting edge, in the sense of being a book-formed offshoot of content developed on a blog.

But getting back to the book itself (rather than musing on the nature of books), Book Love contains lists and lists of book suggestions, and also suggestions for products to help with literacy learning. I can't speak for the content of the product lists (though I do very much like the idea of helping parents find phonics tools and the like with which to help struggling young readers). But I found the book lists to be quite comprehensive. Taylor is well in the loop and up on both current and classic literature. The lists aren't blurbed (books or products), however, so to find out whether or not a particular book or item might be interesting and relevant to your child's age, one must click through. The lack of blurbs for book lists is common, of course, and would be prohibitive in this case (since Taylor suggests so many book). But I personally find lists that also tell me something about the book to be a bit more useful (like the Cybils shortlists). Still, the range of suggested books (and the many themes for the lists) is quite impressive.

The nicest thing about Book Love, I think, is that it is directly aimed at parents of children who are struggling with reading in one way or another (or disinterested in reading). For such parents, Book Love offers a real (and non-judgmental) lifeline. The tips for what to do are clear, concrete, and contemporary. There are tons of ideas, book suggestions, and product recommendations. Readers who like concise, practical advice, as from magazine articles and blog posts, will appreciate Book Love's format and tone. It's definitely a new era book, though, with a different feel from that of books by Jim Trelease and Mem Fox. Readers who expect a lot of references and research studies, and don't want to be clicking back and forth to the web when they read, may not find Book Love a good fit. But that's ok. As Taylor indicates herself in Book Love, the trick is finding the right book for the right reader at the right time. That goes for books about growing bookworms, too. Later, I'll have a review of a book that takes a more traditional approach.

Publisher: Imagination Soup, LLC (@ImaginationSoup)
Publication Date: November 5, 2012
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2012 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you). 

Some Personal Thoughts on Fiction vs. Nonfiction in eBook Reading

On a recent trip, I read several adult nonfiction titles on my new Kindle Paperwhite, including Book Love by Melissa Taylor and Raising Bookworms by Emma Walton Hamilton (reviews to come). While I adore the Kindle for travel, particularly the backlit Paperwhite version, I have concluded that, as the technology exists today, I don't love using the Kindle to read non-fiction.

First of all, while it's easy to highlight passages, I find it cumbersome to go back and review the highlights. They are in a separate document, and while it's easy enough to skim through all of the highlighted text, it's awkward to go back and see the whole page from which the highlight was pulled. There's no easy way to see at a glance how many highlights there are (as with a "porcupine book" like The Book Whisperer that I have littered with post-it flags). This makes it much harder to review the book (this also holds for me when reviewing fiction).

A bigger part of this highlighting issue, and the one that applies more directly to nonfiction for me, is that I think the digital format will make me less likely in the future to refer back to the book (vs. if I had a printed copy on my shelf, post-its still intact). For fiction this is not such a big deal. I'm much more likely later in life to go back to find, say, a reading tip, than to find a particular passage out of the latest Lee Child novel. It would be easier if the highlights document (called Clippings on the Kindle) could hyperlink back to the original document (or be part of the original document). But even that would be more awkward than just flipping back through post-it flags in a printed book. This may change in the future, of course, as eBook readers improve, and other eBook readers may do a better job of this. But it will still be hard to improve upon the convenience of just taking the book down from the shelf.  

Another issue for me right now is that while narrative fiction tends to do fine on the Kindle, formatting issues make some nonfiction harder to read. In the case of Raising Bookworms, Hamilton sprinkles the book with quotes about the joys of reading. I presume that in the printed book, these are set off from the text in some way. But in the eBook version, they just appear within the text. In italic font, sure. I can tell what's happening. But they interrupt the flow of the text more, somehow. In Book Love, placement of images caused gaps in the text (since the images often needed to appear on a fresh page).

This is not to say that I think either author/publisher should have done a better job with the translation. More that there's an inherent issue with eBooks, the loss of the fixed formatting of the printed books, which I find more distracting when reading (some) nonfiction than when reading fiction. This was less of an issue for me when reading SuperFreakonomics, which is more narrative in form. I know that there are other formats, like PDF, which make this less of a problem - but I love the portability of the Kindle, so I'm a bit stuck. 

In light of these issues, I believe that, at least for now, when I am reading nonfiction, particularly nonfiction that I expect to review and/or refer back to, I will be more likely to go ahead and purchase the print copy, rather than take the slightly easier (immediate download, no books to pack up), lighter, and (usually) cheaper solution of buying a Kindle book. For fiction, particularly fiction that I wouldn't expect to re-read or review (such as mysteries published for adults), Kindle will continue to be the winner for me for travel (I wish my library had more books available for Kindle, but that's a topic for another day).

This post © 2012 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Return of the Library Dragon: Carmen Agra Deedy and Michael P. White

Book: Return of the Library Dragon
Author: Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrator: Michael P. White
Pages: 32
Age Range: 4-8 

Return of the Library Dragon is the sequel to Carmen Agra Deedy and Michael P. White's The Library Dragon. I somehow missed the first book, but I enjoyed this second one. The premise is that Miss Lotty, long-time librarian of Sunrise Elementary, is part dragon. Most of the time she looks pretty normal (except for a green tail that sticks out the back of her dress). But when she gets riled up ... watch out! Return of the Library Dragon begins as Miss Lotty has decided to retire. But when the school immediately makes plans to replace all of the books in the library with technology, the fire-breathing dragon returns.

Return of the Library Dragon is an homage to librarians from start to finish. The book opens with an article from School Library Times about the retiring Miss Lotty. Here's a snippet:

"Students had hoped that she would shelve plans for retirement, but Miss Lotty says her departure is long overdue... When asked to recall her fondest memory as a librarian, she replied, Dewey-eyed..."

When the story itself begins, we find Miss Lotty in bed, "counting children's books instead of sheep." Miss Lotty's nemesis in the book, the man who takes all of the books out of the library as soon as her back is turned, is named Mike Krochip. C'mon, you want to laugh. I know you do.

Return of the Library Dragon is a staunch and unabashed defense of books. Real, printed books. When Mike Krochip suggests than an all-digital library with 10,000 books would be better than their library of books that "stain and tear and take up room", the children offer up a variety of reasons why they prefer real books. But when the children's heads are turned by the coolness of Krochip's technology, the Library Dragon takes a stand.

I love the end pages of this book, which are papered with quotes about books, reading, and librarians. Like "To me, nothing can be more important than giving children books" -- Fran Lebowitz. I almost didn't want to turn past the end pages to even read the book. But I'm glad that I did.

Return of the Library Dragon is a picture book for early school age kids, with plenty of text on each page, and a fairly advanced vocabulary ("stampeding", "wisp", "gloat"). The text is mainly dialog, with short, declarative sentences, and an endless array of puns. 

White's illustrations are airbrush on cotton watercolor paper. They aren't strictly realistic (there being a dragon and all). The characters have oddly elongated faces and wavy, wrinkled outlines. But something in White's use of color and shadow makes the characters step, three-dimensional, from the page. The humor continues in the titles of the books shown throughout the text, from "Where the Wild Pigs Are" to "Furious George".

While Return of the Library Dragon certainly has a message to convey, Deedy's story transcends the message, and offers a fun-filled romp for young readers. White's lively illustrations add to the entertainment, and make Return of the Library Dragon a keeper (and a must for school library purchase). This would probably also make a good read-aloud for a first or second grade classroom. (Has anyone tried it?) Recommended.

Publisher: Peachtree (@PeachtreePub)
Publication Date: September 1, 2012
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

© 2012 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Outdoor Reading: A Booklights Reissue

This is a post that I originally published at Booklights on Memorial Day in 2009. Since then, I've had many changes in my life (had a baby, bought a new house, stopped writing for Booklights). But I've never wavered in my affection for reading out of doors in beautiful locations. In fact, I recently took a two-day reading retreat for myself. I stayed at a hotel in Half Moon Bay, and spent pretty much all of my daylight hours sitting on the balcony reading, looking up at the ocean from time to time (photo to the left).

So I'd like to launch Memorial Day Weekend 2011 with a reissue of the original post.

Outdoor Reading

Happy Memorial Day! In honor of the holiday that marks (in the US, anyway) the start of summer, I'd like to talk about outdoor reading. I was inspired in this by a recent post at Australian blog The Book Chook. Blogger/reading advocate Susan Stephenson (one of the organizers of the Share a Story - Shape a Future literacy blog tour from earlier this year) shared several of her favorite childhood reading spots (including "halfway up our huge jacaranda tree"). She closed by asked her readers "Where do you read?".

Part of my response (in the comments) was: "when I was a kid I read in the car (for even the shortest of drives), up in a tree in my yard, on the roof of our house (love those dormer windows), and on a raft in the lake (you have to swim with one arm holding the book up, it's a bit awkward, but worth it)." I SO wish I had photos, especially of the skinny little kid swimming out to a raft, holding a book up in the air.

What the most memorable of my childhood reading spots have in common, I realize now, is that they are all out of doors. It's been quite a while since I climbed up into a tree to read. But reading out of doors, particularly in some scenic location, remains one of my greatest joys. I'll go a step further, and say that it's how I recharge, how I heal myself, how I do what I love while remaining connected to the world. (Image credit: photo by taliesin, made available for use at MorgueFile.)

One of the best days that I have ever spent was during a vacation to Bar Harbor, Maine not long after college. We stayed at a tiny hotel with individual cabins, right on the ocean. After several days of hiking together, I sent my boyfriend off on his own one day to tackle another mountain. I spent the entire day on a chaise lounge on a little peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by water and trees, reading. Even now, when things are stressful, I travel back in my head to that oasis of a day. It continues to make me happy. And it's perhaps not a coincidence that on the day, quite a few years later, that the same boyfriend asked me to marry him, he left me sitting on a deck facing the Pacific Ocean, reading, while he was off making preparations.

Something about the outdoor reading actually sharpens my memories of my surroundings. I can still remember what beverages I drank that day in Bar Harbor, and what books I was reading. I can feel the wooden raft on Echo Lake, in New Hampshire, and picture the gray water. I can sketch the way the branches came together on the tree in my side yard. I can smell the tar on the roof. And I'm not a person who is generally blessed with a good memory. Reading and spending time out of doors are far from incompatible. And in fact, they can enhance one another.

Summer is here, and that means that it's time to start talking about summer reading programs for kids. You can find resources about summer reading here at PBS, at Reading Rockets, and all over the Kidlitosphere (I'll follow up with more links in a future post). But to me, summer reading for kids is about much more than lists of recommended books. It's about more than having time to read books outside of school (although that is a wonderful thing). To me, summer reading is about reading out of doors, on a beach, on a raft, on a sun-warmed rock, in a weathered rowboat, or up in a tree. Summer reading is about the smell of sunscreen and salt and chlorine. It's about feeling the sun on your shoulders, and having to angle the book to reduce the glare. It's about shaking the sand out of your book, and having the lower part of the pages get warped from resting on your wet bathing suit. (Image credit: photo by Carool, made available for use at MorgueFile)

One of the marvelous things about books (as Susan mentioned in her post) is how portable and sturdy they are. You can take them anywhere. You can read them in bright sunlight. If you're careful, you can even read them in the middle of the lake. Might I suggest, then, as you plan your family's outdoor events for the summer, that you think about bringing along a book or two. Or ten. Wouldn't it be nice, thirty years from now, for your kids to be able to share their memories of the fabulous places that they read books as children? (Image credit: photo by Wallyir, made available at MorgueFile.)

What does summer reading mean to you? Did you ever read outdoors when you were a child? Did you have a favorite spot? Does your child? I would love to hear your feedback! Happy Memorial Day!

This post was originally published at Booklights on May 25, 2009. Since Booklights has ended, I am republishing selected posts here, at Jen Robinson's Book Page, with permission from PBS Parents. Booklights was funded by the PBS Kids Raising Readers initiative. All rights reserved.

Tips for Growing Bookworms: #2 Read the Books Your Children Read: A Booklights Reissue

This post was originally published at Booklights on November 16, 2009.

Tips for Growing Bookworms: #2 Read the Books Your Children Read

This is Part 2 of a continuing series on encouraging young readers. These ideas were originally captured in a post that I did on my blog in 2007, 10 Tips for Growing Bookworms. Here at Booklights I'll be expanding upon and updating each idea, and adding links for more information where I have them. You can find Tip #1: Read Aloud here.

Tip #2: Read the books that your children read, even after you are no longer reading aloud with them (or along with books you're reading together). Talk to them about these books. Let them recommend books to you. By reading the books your children read, you show them that you value them, and the books, and you open up untold avenues for important discussions. I personally think that if more parents and other adults did this, there would be less of a drop-off in reading for pleasure as kids get older (though I have no formal data to back this up). I wrote about this in more detail in a very early post on my blog. But here are three good reasons to read the books your children read:

A. Reading the books that your kids are reading will give you a much better idea of what they like, and what their reading level is. This will make it easier to help them pick out other books, to buy books for them as gifts, etc. Some parents take this approach a step further, and read certain books before their children do, so that they can help decide when the child is ready for the book. The more you know first-hand what your kids are reading, the more you can help.

B. If you and your child are reading the same books, you'll open up all sorts of doors for discussion. This is especially true for parents of teens and tweens. Today's YA titles cover a wide range of issues, and sometimes it's easier to talk in hypotheticals than in actuals. As in "hmmm, I wonder what you would do in that situation." It's a thought, anyway. I do know parents who have found this to work well.

C. Reading the books that your children are reading sends a strong message to your kids that reading in general, and specifically what they are reading, is important to you. This tells them a) that they are important to you, and b) that you value books and reading. And I can't emphasize enough how important this last point is. There are all sorts of reasons why many kids' interest in reading for pleasure drops off as they get older. All of the distractions of television and computers. All of their activities at school. A perception that reading isn't "cool" in some cases. And so on. But if you are as excited as they are about the release of the new Rick Riordan series featuring Egyptian mythology - surely that has to help.

I'll also add a side benefit of reading the books that your kids are reading - it's a tremendous amount of fun. I know lots of people who got back into reading children's and young adult literature because of their children, and then simply never stopped, because the books were so good.

One thing I'm not sure of with this whole "read the books your children read" idea is what you do when you are flat out not interested in the type of books that your child is reading. The most common example is mothers who enjoy fiction, confronted with sons who want to read about planes, trains, and war. Any parents out there have suggestions for handling this one? All I can say is that even a little bit of effort probably goes a long way here.

Of course I'm not suggesting that you try to read everything that your kids are reading in any case. If your child is a real bookworm, this will be impossible. And some teens might resist the idea that their parents want to read all of the books that they're reading. But I'll say this: if your son or daughter (or niece or nephew or grandchild) has a favorite series, it's worth checking out an installment or two. If "everybody" in your child's class is reading Twilight, then perhaps you should, too. I think that you'll find the experience rewarding. You may help keep your older child interested in reading. And perhaps you'll find yourself hooked on children's literature, too.

This post was originally published at Booklights on November 16, 2009. Since Booklights has ended, I am republishing selected posts here, at Jen Robinson's Book Page, with permission from PBS Parents. Booklights was funded by the PBS Kids Raising Readers initiative. All rights reserved.

Tips for Growing Bookworms: #1 Read Aloud: A Booklights Reissue

This post was originally published at Booklights on November 2, 2009. It was the first of a 10-post series on Tips for Growing Bookworms. Each of the Booklights posts was actually an extended discussion of a tip originally proposed here, at Jen Robinson's Book Page. Thus I am especially happy to be bringing these detailed tips home by republishing them here.

Tips for Growing Bookworms: #1 Read Aloud

Back in 2007 I wrote a post on my own blog called 10 Tips for Growing Bookworms. This has remained a popular post, and people have suggested several other tips in the comments there. I've decided to expand upon each of these tips, and create a new Tips for Growing Bookworms series here at Booklights. Of course other Booklights contributors talk about tips for encouraging young readers here, too, as in Terry's Bedtime from Afar post from last week. But I say, we can't focus on this important topic too much. So, without further ado:

Tip #1: Read aloud to your children from (or even before) birth, as often as possible, and keep reading aloud to them even after they can read on their own. Reading aloud has been shown to have a huge impact in raising readers, and is the number one thing that parents and other concerned adults can do to help grow bookworms. By reading to kids in a comfortable, safe environment, you help them to think of reading as a pleasurable activity. You also increase their vocabularies and attention spans, and show them that you think that books are important. And with all of the many wonderful books out there, reading together should be enjoyable for you and the kids.

It's especially helpful when Dads or other male caregivers can participate in at least some of the read aloud activity. This shows boys that reading isn't just something that girls do, but rather something that's fun for everyone. A recent survey by UK charity Booktrust found that "some 67% of mothers of four to five-year-olds claim to be the principal reader, compared with 17% of fathers, although many more fathers were said to be reading than in last year's survey." The Booktrust study (as reported by BBC News) found that 96% of children surveyed reported enjoying reading, but also reported that only one in three families read with their children every day. I would personally love to see that last statistic increase.

It is, of course, tempting to think that once your child can read on his or her own, you can stop reading aloud. However, if you can find the time and the motivation to continue reading aloud with your older children, your whole family will reap rewards. You'll be able to read books that they aren't ready to read on their own, and share the experience of discovery. You'll be able to introduce your kids first-hand to the books that you loved as a child, and talk about why you loved them. You'll be able to discuss all sorts of topics that are raised in books, allowing you and your kids to learn from and about each other. Andrea Ross from Just One More Book! wrote a wonderful article for Canwest Newspapers last month about the benefits to parents of reading aloud with their children.

Of course sometimes it's hard to find the time for read-aloud. But I promise that if you do, you and your children will find the time well-spent. For parents who aren't comfortable reading aloud, you can listen to audiobooks together (libraries have audiobooks you can check out), or turn the pages of a picture book and make up your own stories. Children, young children especially, are a forgiving audience. They'll find the attention and the closeness and your time much more important than your particular pronunciation of a word, or the fact that you aren't skilled at giving the different characters distinct voices. The more you try, the easier it will get, too. See also Susan Kusel's post at Booklights about the ups and downs of reading aloud.

Reading aloud together. It's enjoyable time for parents and kids. It helps kids to do better in school, and builds family closeness. And it's free (all you need is a library card). It is well worth a try. Do any of you have success stories or tips that you'd like to share about reading aloud with your kids?

This post was originally published at Booklights on November 2, 2009. Since Booklights has ended, I am republishing selected posts here, at Jen Robinson's Book Page, with permission from PBS Parents. Booklights was funded by the PBS Kids Raising Readers initiative. All rights reserved.

Five Favorite Fictional Houses from Children's Literature: A Booklights Reissue

This post was originally published at Booklights on October 19, 2009.

Five Favorite Fictional Houses from Children's Literature

Lots of people responded positively to my recent post about favorite fictional towns from children's literature [here I'm referring to people who responded to the original Booklights post]. A number of people commented and Twittered to share their favorites. Carol Rasco (from RIF) mentioned Misselthwaite Manor from The Secret Garden. And I thought "great suggestion, that's one of my favorite houses from children's literature." And that, naturally enough, led me to thinking about my other favorite fictional houses. In the interest of fairness (or at least of not being overly repetitive), I've excluded any authors who I previous mentioned in my favorite fictional towns or favorite fictional rooms posts. And yes, that excludes Hogwarts, because I've already mentioned Hogsmeade, and Green Gables, because I've already mentioned Avonlea, and the many great houses created by Elizabeth Enright and Zilpha Keatley Snyder. There are still lots of wonderful houses to choose from. In each case, I've decided to let the author describe the house in question. After all, they can do this far better than I could.

1. Misselthwaite Manor from The Secret Garden (with thanks to Carol Rasco) by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

"Not but that it's a grand big place in a gloomy way, and Mr. Craven's proud of it in his way--and that gloomy enough, too. The house is six hundred years old and it's on the edge of the moor, and there's near a hundred rooms in it, though most of them's shut up and locked. And there's pictures and fine old furniture and things that's been there for ages, and there's a big park round it and gardens and tree with branches trailing to the ground--some of them." (Chapter 2, Mistress Mary Quite Contrary, description by Mrs. Medlock)

2. The Hall family's house in Concord, MA from Jane Langton's The Diamond in the Window (reviewed here).

"All of the other houses on the street were neat square white buildings with dark shutters and simple pitched roofs. Out from among them mushroomed the Halls' house like an exotic tropical plant in a field of New England daisies. It was a great wooden Gothic Byzantine structure, truly in need of painting. Big as it was, it looked airy and light, as though the wind might pick it up and carry it away. Screened porches ballooned and billowed out of it all around, and domes and towers puffer up at the top as though they were filled with air." (Chapter Two, The Hidden Chamber)

3. Bag End, Bilbo's house (later Frodo's house) from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

"It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats -- the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill -- The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it -- and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another." (Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party, The Hobbit)

4. The Professor's house from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis.

"It was the sort of house that you never seem to come to the end of, and it was full of unexpected places. The first few doors they tried led only into spare bedrooms, as everyone had expected that they would; but soon they came to a very long room full of pictures and there they found a suit of armor; and after that was a room all hung with green, with a harp in one corner; and then came three steps down and five steps up, and then a kind of little upstairs hall and a door that led out onto a balcony, and then a whole series of rooms that led into each other and were lined with books--most of them very old books and some bigger than a Bible in a church." (Chapter One, Lucy Looks Into a Wardrobe)

5. Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods. (This house is technically not fictional, but since the series is generally shelved as fiction, I'm going to allow it.)

"Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs.

The great, dark trees of the Big Woods stood all around the house, and beyond them were other trees and beyond them were more trees. As far as a man could go to the north in a day, or a week, or a whole month, there was nothing but woods. There were no houses. There were no roads. There were no people. There were only trees and the wild animals who had their homes among them." (Page 1-2)

I think it's telling that all five of the passages quoted above are from the first chapter or two. These houses play a central part in the books in question. In thinking about these houses (and the ones from my other posts), it's clear that my favorite fictional houses fall into two basic categories: big houses with lots of corridors and cupolas and hidden surprises, and homes that evoke a cozy, safe feeling. How about you? What do you look for in a favorite fictional house? Do you crave turrets and long passageways to explore? Or do you care more about finding a cozy nest?

This post was originally published at Booklights on October 19, 2009. Since Booklights has ended, I am republishing selected posts here, at Jen Robinson's Book Page, with permission from PBS Parents. Booklights was funded by the PBS Kids Raising Readers initiative. All rights reserved.

Five Favorite Fictional Towns from Children's Literature: A Booklights Reissue

This post was originally published at Booklights on September 28, 2009.

Five Favorite Fictional Towns from Children's Literature

Last fall, inspired by a post at Charlotte's Library, I wrote about my Five Favorite Fictional Rooms from Children's Literature. That post remains one of my favorites, because it makes me happy just thinking about these favorite fictional rooms (like the chocolate room from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

This weekend, I got to thinking about some of favorite fictional towns from children's literature. These are towns described so perfectly on the page that they feel real. Town that stand out in my memory, and that my childhood self would have loved to visit. Some of my favorites are realistic towns. The only magic that you'll find there is the magic of community. Others are clearly fantastic, from a town for wizards to an underground city to a city in the clouds. But they're all special, in one way or another. Here are my personal top five fictional towns from children's literature, with a couple of honorable mentions at the end.

#1: Avonlea, Price Edward Island, Canada. Avonlea is home, of course, of Anne Shirley of Green Gables. Avonlea is a fictional community, albeit one closely based on the towns of L. M. Montgomery's childhood (or so Wikipedia says). Avonlea features Green Gables, Mrs. Rachel Lynde's farm, the school where Anne was first pupil then teacher, and Marilla's church. Avonlea really shines in Anne of Avonlea, as you might expect. Remember the village improvement society, and their mishap with the wrong color paint? I think that my fondness for Avonlea is a side effect of my general fondness for Anne, Marilla, Matthew, Diana, and, of course, Gilbert. When I started thinking about favorite towns from literature, Avonlea was the first to come to mind.

#2: Gone-Away from Elizabeth Enright's Gone-Away Lake books. I wrote about the second Gone-Away book, Return to Gone-Away, recently at Booklights, and also reviewed it here. Gone-Away is a former summer community, located on the shores of a lake degenerated into a swamp, populated by two elderly residents. Here is the reader's first glimpse of Gone-Away: "They both climbed up on the little hulk and looked out over the tops of the reeds, a sea of reeds, beyond which, and around, grew the dark woods. But that was not all. Portia and Julian drew in a breath of surprise at exactly the same instant, because at the northeast end of the swamp, between the reeds and the woods, and quite near to them, they saw a row of wrecked old houses. There were perhaps a dozen of them; all large and shabby, though once they must have been quite elaborate, adorned as they were with balconies, turrets, widows' walks, and lacy wooden trimming. But now the balconies were sagging and the turrets tipsy; the shutters were crooked or gone, and large sections of wooden trimming had broken off. There was a tree sticking out of one of the windows, not into it but out of it. And everything was as still as death." (Chapter 2, Gone-Away Lake). Of course the children learn that Gone-Away is far less forbidding than it first appears. Gone-Away epitomizes summer for me. It will always have a special place in my heart.

#3: Hogsmeade from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. Hogsmeade is a magic-filled town, located adjacent to Hogwarts. It includes the Three Broomsticks pub, Honeydukes sweetshop, Madam Puddifoot's tearoom, and, of course, the Shrieking Shack. Hogswarts students aren't allowed to visit Hogwarts until their third year, and even then they need permission from a parent or guardian (a sore spot indeed for a boy with toxic guardians). Millions of children around the world would go to the same lengths Harry does, if it meant that they could drink some butterbeer, or pick up magic tricks at Zonko's joke shop. Happily, they'll have a chance to visit a theme park version of Hogsmeade at Universal Studios next spring. I'm sure that's going to be a huge hit. Though me, I always picture Hogsmeade in the snow.

#4: Ember from Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember (with an honorable mention for Sparks, location of the second book in the series). Ember is an underground city, built as a last-ditch effort to protect humanity from a nuclear holocaust. The people living in Ember don't know that there ever was an outside world, and are completely dependent on light bulbs. Here's the opening description of Ember: "In the city of Ember, the sky was always dark. The only light came from great flood lamps mounted on the buildings and at the top of poles in the middle of the larger squares. When the lights were on, they cast a yellowish glow over the streets; people walking by threw long shadows that shortened and then stretched out again. When the lights were off, as they were between nine at night and six in the morning, the city was so dark that people might as well have been wearing blindfolds." (Chapter 1, The City of Ember) Who could read that, and not want to know more about Ember?

#5: Green Sky from the Green Sky Trilogy by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Green Sky is a city build high up in the branches of an enormous forest. The people there wear "shubas", which are garments with wide, wing-like panels. The shubas allow them to glide gently downward in Green Sky's heavy atmosphere (they use ladders and stairways to climb back up). Here's a hint of what Green Sky is like: "He stood on the narrow grundbranch, looking down hundreds of feet, through vast open spaces softly lit by filtering rays of greenish light, bordered and intersected by enormous branches, festooned with curtains of graceful Wissenvine. Shaking out the wing panels of his shuba, the long silken robe worn by all except the youngest infants, he launched himself downward into space." (Chapter 1, Below the Root) I've never forgotten Green Sky, first encountered when I was probably 10 years old. I reviewed the Green Sky Trilogy here.

And finally, here are a few honorable mentions: L. Frank Baum's Emerald City, Astrid Lindgren's Noisy Village, and Laini Taylor's Dreamdark. My fondness for these fictional towns is a testament to the power of literature.

How about you? What are your favorite fictional towns from children's literature? (See the comments on the original post for some great responses.)

This post was originally published at Booklights on September 28, 2009. Since Booklights has ended, I am republishing selected posts here, at Jen Robinson's Book Page, with permission from PBS Parents. Booklights was funded by the PBS Kids Raising Readers initiative. All rights reserved.

A Must-Read Post on How Reading Aloud Made Read Aloud Dad a Better Father

Every once in a while a post comes along that reminds me of why I'm doing this whole blogging thing in the first place. Today, I found such a post at Read Aloud Dad. Read Aloud Dad, father to young twins, shares the story of how reading aloud made him a better father.

He explains that he wasn't comfortable talking with his kids when they were too young to communicate back. He talks about how he left the talking part to his (already overworked) wife. And he talks about how everything changed for his family once he took over the nightly reading sessions. Once he became "Read Aloud Dad."

He explains: "Children's books almost magically opened up the channels of communication. They broke down all the walls." He reviews other benefits that have come from his commitment to reading aloud, and closes with advice for other dads who would like to see this magic happen in their own homes.

I wish that I had a way to share this post with every dad or mom who feels uncomfortable talking with their pre-verbal children. To share it with all the people who think "oh, well, my child isn't old enough to read to yet." By opening up, by sharing his own limitations and struggles, Read Aloud Dad makes a powerful, completely non-judgmental, case for reading aloud to kids. That is what blogging can do.

Go read it! I hope that this post brightens your day, as it did mine.

Revisiting Old Friends: A Booklights Reissue

This post was originally published at Booklights on August 17, 2009. It is one of my very favorite posts from Booklights, about the joys of revisiting books that have become, through repeat reads, old friends.

Revisiting Old Friends

Last week Susan wrote about the gift of reading a wonderful book for the first time. She asked readers: "What book would you love to be able to read again for the first time?". This post inspired a host of thoughtful and (sometimes) nostalgic responses. The next day, Pam wrote about three of her favorite summer books and asked readers to share their favorites. These posts, in part (along with a post by Charlotte from Charlotte's Library), inspired me to re-read one of my own favorite books, one that is for me the very essence of summer: Return to Gone-Away by Elizabeth Enright. I previously listed Return to Gone-Away as one of my favorite children's books, and just reviewed it here. Re-reading Return to Gone-Away last week made me think about something that is, in a way, a mirror image Susan's post. It made me think about the joy that comes from re-reading an old favorite, one in which each character and scene are already familiar.

I was only a few pages in to my re-read of Return to Gone-Away when it literally brought tears to my eyes. It wasn't the content of the book that made me weepy-eyed. It's that I was so happy to be back reading this particular book that my emotions just bubbled over. I can only think of a few books that evoke tears from me, just from being themselves. Return to Gone-Away is one of them. Two others are The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key and Listening Valley by D. E. Stevenson (my all-time favorite book, published for adults). (You can read about some of my other favorite re-reads here.)

I love everything about these cherished books. I love the language, especially when I read particular sentences that I remember verbatim. I love the characters, and the way that they remind me anew of the things that make them special. I love re-visiting my younger self, remembering earlier reads of the same book. I literally give these books a little pat on the cover when I see them on my bedside table - I'm unable to rein in my affection. And why should I? These are the books that made me who I am.

When I read new books, I generally require a considerable amount of plot. The more complex and suspenseful, the better. But I'm reminded by Return to Gone-Away that the books I already love, the books that I read over and over again, don't need suspense at all. The re-reading experience, for me, is all about revisiting beloved characters and settings. It's about visiting old friends. It's about a personal connection between me and the particular book. I don't want the opportunity to read these particular books again as if it was the first time (as Susan discussed). Part of what makes these particular books special for me is the incremental appreciation I've built up over dozens of readings.

I like smiling when Mrs. Blake says, on page 1 of Return to Gone-Away "We'll have to think of a new name for that house right away", because I already know the outcome. I like already knowing whether or not Julian will find the missing safe, and whether or not the rope in the old dumbwaiter will break. I like shaking my head on page 9, because Foster's behavior is just so typically Foster.

This affection for particular books is more than just taking comfort in familiarity (though that's part of it). I don't think that you can just pick any old random book off the shelf, and re-read it once a year for 20 years, and have the book become meaningful to you (though that would be an interesting experiment). I think that there has to be something already in the book that makes you want to re-read it every year. Something that connects you to the book. For those books, the ones that you love enough to revisit throughout your lifetime, the connection just gets stronger every year.

This isn't to say that I disagree with Susan about the wonders of reading a great book for the first time. I envy every single person who hasn't read The Hunger Games yet, because they still have it ahead of them. And I know that sometimes childhood favorites don't hold up at all. But I also think (and I'll bet that Susan will agree) that there's something very special about re-reading a favorite book, one that is loved, in part, because it's so familiar.

I'd like to believe that everyone has books like these, books that they can turn to for comfort reading on bleak days. Books that remind them of where they came from, and what mattered to them when they were younger. Parents, what books will bring tears to your children's eyes when they're 40, because they're so happy to be back reading the books again? Will it be Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? The Penderwicks? The Lord of the Rings? Clementine? Will the teens who have read Twilight seven times already re-read it as they get older? Will reading Twilight when they are 60 help them to recapture that feeling of falling in love with a book at 12? I hope so. Because me, I feel blessed to have my favorite books as part of my life. What do all of you say?

This post was originally published at Booklights on August 17, 2009. Since Booklights has ended, I am republishing selected posts here, at Jen Robinson's Book Page, with permission from PBS Parents. Booklights was funded by the PBS Kids Raising Readers initiative. All rights reserved.

Why Adults Should Read Children's Books

Today at Getting Kids Reading Joyce Grant has an article that summarizes and expands upon ideas from one of my very earliest blog topics: Why You Should Read Children's Books as an Adult (Joyce's post, my original post). I hope that you'll take a few minutes to check out the new post and admire Joyce's snazzy new look for her blog. Here's a snippet from her post:

"When kids see adults reading they’re more likely to read, themselves. It isn’t just a theory, there’s been research done on this. When a kid sees an adult reading a children’s book, he’s even more likely to read."

I think it's true (not to mention all of the other excellent reasons to read children's books). What say all of you? Have you found that by reading children's books, you've helped to encourage your students and/or your children to read themselves?

For more on ways to encourage kids to read, check out part 1 of the January Children's Literacy and Reading News Roundup at The Reading Tub. Among other interesting news tidbits, Terry links to a podcast interview between Franki Sibberson and Donalyn Miller at Choice Literacy on Modeling Literate Lives. Two of my favorite literacy champions, talking about how to let kids know that reading is worthwhile. Don't miss it!

I'll be back tomorrow with Part 2 of the January Literacy Roundup. Thanks for reading!

The Power of Social Reading: A Booklights Reissue

This post was originally published at Booklights in June of 2009. It discusses the concept of Social Reading (kids recommending books to one another), something I first saw discussed at The Reading Zone. The original post sparked quite a few comments, and I'll be interested to see if this idea still captures people's imaginations. See also this follow-on post at Booklights (which I won't be republishing here) with links to a variety of other posts about social reading and reading and grade levels. I also shared some links to other people's posts in defense of escapist summer reading here.

The Power of Social Reading

A post that I read recently at The Reading Zone inspired me to write about "social reading" for kids. Blogger Sarah Mulhern is "a 6th grade Language Arts teacher who strives to instill a love of reading and writing in her students". Recently, Sarah wrote about a book club that she observed in her classroom between two best friends. The two girls decided, on their own initiative, to read the same book (Gone by Michael Grant). Sarah observed:

"They talk about the book with each other and with me, coming to me to share their responses and exclamations. I LOVE IT! ... It's amazing the power that social reading has. Why don't we harness this in more classrooms and use it? Students reading, recommending, and talking about books is more powerful than any literacy kit, basal reader, or literature set."

I certainly agree with that. I don't remember much about what I was reading in the classroom in 5th or 6th grade, beyond a vague memory of workbooks and reading comprehension questions. But I DO remember talking about books with my friend Holly. We especially enjoyed a book about Gnomes, Fairies, and Elves, and we were thrilled to discover a hidden path to an island of sticks in the swamp behind my house. Surely there was magic there! Holly moved out of the country after fifth grade, and for quite a while we took turns writing a shared story, sending chapters back and forth by airmail. I think that our shared experience with books worked a dual magic - it strengthened my friendship with Holly, while at the same time reinforcing my love of books. And I've been fortunate to have that dynamic with friends in my adult life, too. We benefit from the recommendations that we share with each other, and our friendships grow while we discuss the books.

In The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child, Donalyn Miller talks about the importance of her own shared reading experiences with her husband, her children, and her best friend. Talking about her classroom, she says:

"By setting the expectation that reading is what we do, always, everywhere, it becomes the heart of a class' culture. Even the most resistant readers can't fight if all of their friends comply." (Chapter 3)

I know parents who have had good success with parent-child bookgroups (see MotherDaughterBookClub.com, for example, or read Heather Vogel Frederick's book The Mother-Daughter Book Club). I think that bookclubs are a great idea. There's no doubt that by talking about books with their kids, parents can have a tremendous influence. Last summer, our own MotherReader hosted a wonderful summer book club for her rising seventh-grader's Girl Scout Troop. (You can find all of the posts here.)

I also think that when kids talk about books on their own, and make recommendations to one another, great things can happen. I'm not sure what can be done to encourage this social reading, exactly. I'm sure that the best response comes from the spontaneous bubbling over of genuine enthusiasm, and you can't orchestrate that. But I would be willing to bet that kids whose close friends are avid readers are more likely to be readers themselves (and vice versa).

Surely social reading has been a big part of the Twilight phenomenon, with girls reading the books because their friends rave about them. It was clear when I attended the signing for The Last Olympian this spring that part of the reason that kids were so excited about the Percy Jackson books was because OTHER kids were so excited about them. And that's great. J. K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, and Rick Riordan deserve every iota of success, as far as I'm concerned, because their books have turned kids into readers. But what I'd also love to see more of is kids recommending books back and forth that aren't necessarily huge bestsellers. A kid recommending The Magic Thief or Alabama Moon to his best friend because he loves it, and he wants his friend to read it so that they can compare notes, and discuss it. I'd like to peek into Sarah's classroom, just for a moment, to see those two girls, heads bent together over their matching books. I think that social reading is a beautiful thing, something worth cultivating.

What do you all think? Have you observed social reading between your kids and their friends? In their classrooms? Teachers, is this something that you've been able to harness? Do you have any suggestions for how to do it? I would love to hear your feedback.

This post was originally published at Booklights on June 22, 2009. Since Booklights has ended, I am republishing selected posts here, at Jen Robinson's Book Page, with permission from PBS Parents. Booklights was funded by the PBS Kids Raising Readers initiative. All rights reserved.

Reading and Grade Levels: Keeping it FUN: A Booklights Reissue

This post was originally published at Booklights in June of 2009, a result of posts that I'd seen, and discussion on my own blog and at Booklights. Since I wrote this post, I've become a parent myself. And although I have hopefully nicknamed my daughter Baby Bookworm, I certainly don't intend to ever pressure her to read books at any particular grade level. I do very much hope that she will love books, and I believe that the best way for that to happen is for her to read the books that she loves. Don't you?

Reading and Grade Levels: Keeping it FUN

I posted on my blog on Friday [in June of 2009] about the question of whether or not it's a good idea to encourage kids to read above their grade level. I was inspired by an excellent post on this subject by Dashka Slater at Babble. I discovered very quickly that quite a few people have opinions on this, as you can see in the extensive comments of both of the previous two posts, and the cropping up of other posts like this one at A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy, this one at Here in the Bonny Glen, and this one at Best Book I Have Not Read. I decided, based on this response, that it was a worthwhile topic to bring up here at Booklights. This is also, I think, a logical follow-up to Pam's post from last week about encouraging summer reading. Pam talked about the importance of bringing home a variety of books from the library. She said: "Don't overrule a book your child picks as being too young for him, but also reserve the right make some selections yourself." Like Pam, I'm not a reading specialist, but I do have something to say about this topic.

As all of the above discussions make clear, there is, in some circles, a bit of competitive pressure going on regarding kids' reading levels. I've heard about the five year old who likes the unabridged version of the Iliad, and the six-year-old reading at a sixth grade level. Melissa Wiley writes about a woman who discouraged her four-year-old from reading picture books, in favor of "something more challenging". An elementary school librarian commented on my earlier post: "I have some students who are "weightlifting" in second grade, carrying Eragon and Inkspell around rather than reading it." The Babble article says: "I hear parents dropping the names of children's books as if they were designer labels. "Junie B. Jones?" one might say witheringly. "My daughter loved that in preschool, but now she's reading the sixth Harry Potter." [Image credit: photo by ToymanRon, shared at MorgueFile. And no, I don't know exactly what this girl is actually reading.]

I can see how it would be easy to caught up in all of this. The parent who reads aloud to her child from the womb, provides lots of books, and is a role model for the importance of reading might be understandably thrilled when said child becomes an advanced reader. Particularly if teachers are encouraging the child to read ever more "challenging" books, and other parents are all talking about what tremendously advanced material their children are reading. A recent Sydney Morning Herald article says (in the context of homework, but I think there's a clear parallel), "Parents who cannot remember homework when they were in kindergarten now help their five-year-olds with up to 45 minutes a day of sheets filled with literacy and numeracy problems. Even those who doubt the wisdom of homework at such an early age reluctantly go along with it, driven by fear of their child falling behind." I know that the "fear of their child falling behind", in our competitive society, is significant.

BUT, there are problems with the relentless progression towards ever-more-advanced reading material for kids. The short-term problem is that children can miss books that they would enjoy reading. Books about kids their own age, having relatable experiences. Fun books. Books with pictures! Instead, they can end up reading books before they are ready for them, which often leads to not appreciating the books, and never going back. The long-term problem is that if you turn reading into a competition, you run the risk of turning it into a chore. You run the risk of having that bright-eyed five-year-old advanced reader grow, in the blink of an eye, into a fourth-grader who won't read anything beyond what's strictly necessary for homework. And that is a tragedy.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't ever let your kids read books that are above their grade level. If they want to do that, and if you deem that books aren't too mature for them thematically, then by all means let them read ahead. Kids usually have a pretty good notion of what they can manage. If they find a book too difficult, they are likely to get bored with that book, and move on to something else. (As Stacy Dillon commented on my post, "I'm bored" is often code for "I don't understand"). So, I'm not saying that the occasional first grader reading the first Harry Potter book is a problem.

What I am saying is that it's not a good idea to pressure kids to read above their age level. Reading, especially in the summer, should be fun. It isn't meant to be a race. It's a pastime, a journey, a way to teach kids to love books. You don't instill a life-long love of reading by belittling the eight-year-old who wants to flip through picture books on a rainy afternoon. You don't encourage reading by turning down your nose at Goosebumps or comic books or (for teens) the Twilight books. Just because your seven year old CAN read at a sixth grade level, you don't have to deny her the joy of reading about Clementine, Ramona, Pippi Longstocking or Ivy and Bean. Just as we adults sometimes want to read recreationally, it's ok for kids, too. More than OK, in fact, it's something that can help them to maintain the joy of reading. That's what I think, anyway. And it's what many of the authors of and commenters on the posts above think, too, though I've only been able to capture a small amount of that discussion here. [Image credit: photo by Gracey, shared at MorgueFile]

What do you all think? Have you felt pressure, from teachers or other parents, to keep your children reading above grade level? How do you handle this? Or have you found it to be more of a problem the other way, with your library not letting kids read above grade level?

This post was originally published at Booklights on June 15, 2009. Since Booklights has ended, I am republishing selected posts here, at Jen Robinson's Book Page, with permission from PBS Parents. Booklights was funded by the PBS Kids Raising Readers initiative. All rights reserved.

A Most Impressive Reading Streak - 3218 Nights in a Row

Cheryl Rainfield linked to a New York Times article today that I absolutely love. Michael Winerip profiles a father and daughter who read aloud together every night for 3218 nights in a row. 3218 nights!! 

Jim Brozina, a single father and elementary school librarian, proposed "The Streak" to his daughter Kristen when she was in fourth grade. He didn't want them to stop reading together, and he thought that The Streak might help. The original goal was to see if they could read together for 100 nights in a row. Well, 100 nights stretched to 1000, and then The Streak ended up continuing right up until Kristen's first day of college. How awesome is that?

Some compromise was required, of course. They had to do a few of the readings over the phone, or out at Kristen's play practices. They had to interrupt their respective social lives sometimes. But they did it anyway. What a testimonial to the power of reading. And, perhaps, a future tip for growing bookworms... Seems to me that families with two parents at home could have a bit more flexibility in scheduling, and perhaps produce an even more impressive streak. But it would take real determination.

Jim and Kristen, you are an inspiration! Thanks to you (and to Michael Winerip and Cheryl Rainfield) for brightening my weekend.

The Read-Aloud Handbook: Jim Trelease

Book: The Read-Aloud Handbook: Sixth Edition
Author: Jim Trelease
Pages: 432
Age Range: Adult nonfiction 

I've recommended Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook many times, but I've never actually reviewed it. I recently re-read the book (inspired in part by Dawn Morris' comments after her first reading of the book), and thought that I would share a few thoughts. This is more a reaction than a formal review.

First of all, I agree with Dawn that this is a book that everyone should read. Or at least every parent and teacher, aunt, uncle, or grandparent should read it, along with anyone else who has an interest in the well-being and future success of children. I also agree with Teacherninja Jim, who commented on a recent Booklights post of mine that a copy of this book should be sent home from the hospital with every new parent.

The Read-Aloud Handbook is about why it's important for children to grow up as readers, and how parents and teachers can help to accomplish this goal. My earlier reading of The Read-Aloud Handbook helped inspire me to start this blog in the first place. The Read-Aloud Handbook blends the author's personal experiences as a parent, lecturer, and advocate of reading with extensive research.

The primary arguments of The Read-Aloud Handbook are (and I'm paraphrasing for simplicity):

• Kids spend 900 hours a year inside of school, and 7800 hours a year outside of school. It's short-sighted to put all of the responsibility of encouraging kids as readers on the schools. Parents can play a huge role by reading to their kids, making sure that they have access to books in the home, and modeling reading behavior. (Introduction)
• The only way to really drive change is to launch a huge national awareness campaign (like the one against smoking), telling parents what they should and must do in the home, if they want to prepare their children for success in today's world. This is unlikely to happen, however, because politicians are reluctant to hold the huge voting block of parents accountable. (Introduction)
• The National Reading Panel found that "the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for success in reading is reading aloud to children." (Page 3) This applies at home and in schools.
• Among the many reasons to read aloud to kids, one of the most important is that it helps them to associate reading with pleasure. Human beings are by nature pleasure-centered -- we will voluntarily do things repeatedly if we get pleasure from them. And because reading is an accrued skill, spending repeated time reading is what enables us to get good at it.

Here are a couple of quotes that particularly stood out for me on this reading (out of many that I could have chosen):

"Reading is the ultimate weapon, destroying ignorance, poverty, and despair before they can destroy us. A nation that doesn't read much doesn't know much. And a nation that doesn't know much is more likely to make poor choices in the home, the marketplace, the jury box, and the voting booth. And those decisions ultimately affect an entire nation--the literate and the illiterate." (Page xxvi)

"The last thirty years of reading research confirms this simple formula--regardless of sex, race, nationality, or socioeconomic background. Students who read the most also read the best, achieve the most, and stay in school the longest. Conversely, those who don't read much cannot get better at it.

Why don't students read more? Because of Reading Fact No. 1 (Human beings are pleasure centered). The large number of "unpleasure messages they received throughout their school years, coupled with the lack of pleasure messages in the home, nullify any attraction books might have." (Page 5)

After framing the arguments for raising kids who like to read, and using reading aloud as a tool to facilitate this, Trelease goes on to talk about when to begin (and end) reading aloud, the developmental stages of reading aloud, and some nuts-and-bolts dos and don'ts of reading aloud. These early chapters (especially Chapter 4, which consists of nothing but bulleted lists of dos and don'ts) are the ones that I would most encourage parents to read. If you have time for nothing else, read the Introduction, Chapter 1, and Chapter 4. This could help you to change your child's life for the better.

The later chapters get a bit more into specifics like sustained silent reading programs in schools; the effect of Oprah, Harry Potter, and the Internet; and limiting television. All of this is useful, just not quite as essential for parents as the first few chapters. I especially enjoyed the fact that Trelease intersperses his research findings with personal anecdotes, some from his own family (reading aloud to his kids while they did the dishes), and others from people he met along the way. For me, these stories often resonated more than the fact-based research.

The book ends with a "giant treasury of great read-alouds", classified by genre. The treasury takes up about 40% of the book, and is more of a reference than something that you need to read page by page. It's a great starting point, though the author also talks in the text about other ways to find books to read. [He doesn't mention the Kidlitosphere, but I'll bet that he would if there was a new edition in the future.]

The edition that I read this week was the sixth (and most recent) edition of The Read-Aloud Handbook, published in 2006. Because Trelease references so many studies on reading and literacy, it's perhaps inevitable that at four years old, the book does occasionally feel dated. At least, it does to me, someone who is constantly reading news stories about the latest and greatest reading studies. Ironically, if the book was less extensively researched and referenced, this wouldn't stand out so much (e.g. if he was just talking about his own experience, rather than tying things to concrete studies).

I do think that Trelease did a good job with this edition overall (I've also read the fourth edition), keeping many of the anecdotes that give the book its heart, but also updating to include web references, discussions about the impact of the Internet, etc. Jim is retired now, and I'm not sure whether or not there will ever be a later edition of the book. But in the meantime, I'm happy to report that the Sixth Edition of The Read-Aloud Handbook holds up well. I have every expectation of continuing to give it as a gift to new parents in the future. I hope that some of you will consider reading it, and giving it to others, too. The Read-Aloud Handbook has my highest recommendation.

Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: July 25, 2006
Source of Book: Bought it
Other Blog Reviews: Moms Inspire Learning, ABC and 123, The Homeschool Den. See also my notes from a talk that Jim Trelease gave in Santa Clara, CA. See also a personal story of the impact of this book at Original Content.

© 2010 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).

Third Shelf Space Post Available: A Culture of Reading (and a short break)

My third guest post is now available at ForeWord Magazine's Shelf Space blog. It's about creating a culture of reading. Here's an excerpt:

"Creating a culture of reading is about more than just setting an example for children (though that’s clearly something that I think is important). Creating a culture of reading is about deciding what kind of a world we want to be part of. Do we want to live in a society that values books and reading, or not? The alternative, living in a society in which libraries fall into disuse and reading is a marginalized activity, is unthinkable."

Click through to read the full article.

Speaking of reading, I'm taking a bit of a hiatus from computer work for a few days, in an attempt to clear up some neck/shoulder problems that I've been having (nothing else is working, but a completely computer-free day yesterday seemed to help a bit). So, after I finish this post, I'll be back on the couch with the heating pad. No reading blogs, no FaceBook, no reviews ... it's a little weird, but I will be able to get some reading done, and I'll be checking email on my cell phone. Thanks for your patience!

Five Favorite Fictional Rooms from Children's Literature

Over at Charlotte's Library, Charlotte has been writing about her favorite fictional rooms. This, naturally enough, inspired me to think about my favorite fiction rooms. Here are my top five favorite fictional rooms. All of them (no surprise to people who read this blog) are from favorite children's books of my childhood.

#1: The Velvet Room of the title in Zilpha Keatley Snyder's book (which I wrote about more extensively here and here). The description is a bit too detailed for me to share it all here, but here is the reaction of the main character (Robin) when she first sees the room:

"Expecting only another bedroom, Robin opened the door and stepped into the most wonderful surprise of her life.

From that first glimpse, from the first minute, it was more than a room -- more even than the most beautiful room Robin had ever seen. Her hands shook on the doorknob, and the shaking didn't come from fear or cold. Her trembling hands were only an echo of something deeper that had been strangely shaken by that first sight of the Velvet Room.

Part of it might have been surprise, surprise that this room wasn't empty like all the others. But another part of it was a strange feeling, almost like recognition. It was as if she had been there before, or at least had known it was there. As if she had always know that there would be a place exactly like this."

#2: The shop in Maida's Little Shop, by Inez Haynes Irwin. And oh my gosh! There's a new paperback reissue of this 1909 title, published earlier this year by Tutis Digital Publishing Pvt. Ltd. There's even a Kindle edition. I currently possess three different old editions of this title, but don't think that's going to stop me from buying this new one. The Maida books, well, they helped make me into a reader. My Grandmother had the first two books in the series (which started with this one), and I have collected them myself for as long as I can remember. Maida's Little Shop is the story of a little rich girl who is lame, and has been sick for all of her life. Her doctor recommends a project, and her father buys her a little shop (toys and candy, etc.) in a working class neighborhood. Working in the shop and becoming friends with the neighborhood children give Maida a new lease on life. It's sappy, but I love it. Here's Maida's first glimpse of the finished shop, and her first, personally arranged shop window.

"Indeed, you would never have known the place yourself. The ceiling had been whitened. The faded drab woodwork had been painted white. The walls had been colored a beautiful soft yellow. Back of the counter a series of shelves, glassed in by sliding doors, ran the whole length of the wall and nearly to the ceiling. Behind the show case stood a comfortable, cushioned swivel-chair...

The window certainly struck the key-note of the season. Tops in all sizes and colors were arranged in pretty patterns in the middle. Marbles of all kinds from the ten-for-a-cent "peeweezers" up to the most beautiful, colored "agates" were displayed at the sides. Jump-ropes of variegated colors with handles, brilliantly painted, were festooned at the back. One of the window shelves had been furnished like a tiny room. A whole family of dolls sat about on the tiny sofas and chairs. On the other shelf lay neat piles of blank-books and paper-blocks, with files of pens, pencils, and rubbers arranged in a decorative pattern surrounding them all."

I may have especially bonded with Maida's shop because my father owned a hardware store, and I always wished it had been a stationery store instead (no, I didn't wish for a toystore, I wished for a stationery store with lots of pens and blank notebooks).

#3: The Chocolate Room from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (introduced in Chapter 15).

"Mr. Wonka opened the door. Five children and nine grownups pushed their way in -- and oh, what an amazing sight it was that now met their eyes!

They were looking down upon a lovely valley. There were green meadows on either side of the valley, and along the bottom of it there flowed a great brown river.

What is more, there was a tremendous waterfall halfway along the river -- a steep cliff over which the water curled and rolled in a solid sheet, and then went crashing down into a boiling churning whirlpool of froth and spray."

There's lots more (and of course the waterfall is chocolate, not water), but you'll have to re-read the book to experience it.

#4: The cupola in the Four-Story Mistake, from the book by Elizabeth Enright (reviewed here, and with thanks to Square Fish for re-issuing this series).

"... Randy was the first of the children to see the cupola. She followed her father up the steep, narrow steps. Almost as good as a ladder, she thought to herself. At the top Father opened the door and there they were, standing in a tiny room that seemed to be nothing but windows. The tower of the enchanted princess, Randy thought. All around is nothing but sea. Once a day a slave in a rowboat comes bringing a basket of food. The princess pulls it up on a long silken cord. She also catches fish from the window."

#5: The Boxcar from the first Boxcar Children book by Gertrude Chandler Warner. I don't have a copy, so I can't give you a quote, but it sticks in my head despite being probably 30 years since I read the book, so that should count for something.

It's not that there haven't been interesting rooms in more recent novels (the Hogwarts common room comes to mind, for example), but these are the ones that have been with me the longest, and qualify as my favorites. What about you? What are your favorite fictional rooms?

Many thanks to Charlotte for inspiring this trip down memory lane.

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Buy Books for the Holidays

Amy from My Friend Amy (Founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week) has started a new initiative: Books for the Holidays. The idea is for book bloggers to put our money where our mouth is this holiday season, and support the publishing industry by buying books as gifts (where possible).

Personally, I'm happy to have an excuse to buy books as gifts for people (especially for kids). But if you need additional reasons, here are a few from the Books for the Holidays blog:

"Books are a good value for the amount they cost. They provide information, entertainment, encouragement, and escape. They challenge our thinking, make us laugh, and inspire our dreams. They look lovely sitting on our shelves or coffee tables.

Books are diverse. I recognize that not everyone in your life might like to read. But thankfully, there's a book for just about every interest. There are even books that are just pictures or recipes...cool, huh???

Giving books makes you look intelligent and cool. Enough said."

You can sign up here if you want to participate. You can also subscribe to the Buy Books for the Holidays collaborative blog to get ideas and motivation. Also, Amy mentioned on her own blog that she "could use a few more bloggers to help out with the blog...specifically if you have a strong niche....mystery, romance, kidlit, non-fiction etc. or live in a country other than the United States and Canada." I am personally spread too thin right now to take her up on this, but I raise it as an opportunity for other KidLit bloggers to help reach the broader audience of book bloggers. If you're interested, you can contact Amy via this post.

Think about giving books for this year's holiday season. I'm in.

Guest Post at Shelf Space

This month I'll be guest blogging at ForeWord Magazine's ShelfSpace blog. My first post is about giving children the gift of reading. It starts:

"Halloween is over, and the holiday lights will be up any day now. People are starting to think about what gifts to give to their children this year (a more difficult question than usual, in the presence of the struggling economy). I ask you to consider a gift for children that will benefit them for a lifetime: the gift of reading.

Click through to read the rest.

A Missed Opportunity?

I'd like to share a little story with you. Yesterday I was on a plane. Two elementary school age boys - maybe 8 and 10 - were in the row across from me, a little bit away from their parents. They were well-behaved, but restless, playing with the tray table, shifting around, etc. One of them was reading the flight safety card, and tried reading the in-flight magazine, but gave them both up pretty quickly. Mostly they ended up just sitting there.

I'm generally a live and let live kind of person, but I have to admit that this bothered me. Because all I could think was "Why didn't their parents bring books for them? Magazines? Something." I was seriously tempted to give them Tennyson by Leslie M. M. Blume, which I had just finished reading. The main reason I didn't was because I intend to review it (it is wonderful), and I had a bunch of passages highlighted. OK, and because it seemed a little presumptuous to give things to other people's children like that. But I was still saddened to see bored kids, when someone could have given them books. What do you all think? Am I over-reacting?

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Guest Post at My Friend Amy: Blogging About Children's Books

I have a guest post up today at My Friend Amy as part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week. I wrote about the three primary reasons why I blog about children's and young adult literature. Nothing that will be particularly surprising to people who already read my blog, but I enjoyed the opportunity to sit down and put my reasons into words. Of course there are other, smaller reasons why I blog, not listed in the article, and other perks that I get from blogging, but those are my big three. What about you all? For the Kidlitosphere readers out there, why do you blog about children's books?

Updated to add: See also this post by Elizabeth Willse, partially inspired by my post, about the gift of reading.

Summer Reading Rant at The Reading Zone

Sarah over at The Reading Zone has just posted a rant on the subject of musty summer reading lists that I wish every school administrator, teacher, media specialist, and parent of school-aged children would read. Inspired by the summer reading lists that her family and friends have put in front of her, Sarah discusses the reasons why classics often don't make good summer reading ("Most of the classics require a good deal of scaffolding- the vocabulary is difficult, the situations are usually unfamiliar, and the context of the stories has not always been explained."). She laments the short, often boring lists that kids are confronted with, and in particular the fact that the lists are frequently dated, and don't highlight newer titles that are more relevant to the kids' experiences. She offers concrete suggestions for the updating of summer reading lists.

Sarah closes with a passionate defense of the joy of summer reading, and a warning. She says, "I firmly believe that miserable summer reading experiences are just one of the reasons we are raising a generation of bookhaters instead of booklovers." I agree with the whole post, but especially with this last sentence. Why do schools put practices in place that actually kill the joy of reading? Why are we not, as a population, doing everything we can to make sure that kids LOVE to read? Why are kids being asked to read books that they don't like, when they could be reading The Battle of the Labyrinth, or Audrey Wait!, or Cicada Summer, or any of dozens and dozens of other wonderful and engaging titles? This makes me crazy.

Sarah is not the first to decry musty summer reading lists (the Book Whisperer also has a must-read post on this topic, for instance), and she surely won't be the last. But I think that her post covers the subject well, with the right combination of passion and reason. I wish that I could put it into the hands of everyone who has influence over the development of summer reading lists. Of course it's already too late to change the formal lists for this year. But maybe we could start a campaign to take back the joy of summer reading for next year. And in the meantime, perhaps Sarah's words will inspire a few parents to take their kids to the bookstore in search of fun, inspiring, can't-put-them-down titles. Those books are out there. It's up to adults to make sure that kids have a chance to read them. Thanks for listening. Now go read Sarah's post at The Reading Zone.

My 6 P's of Book Appreciation

I've been thinking this morning about the underlying attributes of the books that I most enjoy. Some of these I've mentioned in passing within book reviews, but I've never taken the time to give this topic it's own post. There are four criteria that I have long used in assessing books. I realized this morning, however, that a fifth is the one that draws me to the book in the first place, and belongs first in my discussion, and that a sixth is essential for certain types of books:

Premise: This is the hook that gets me to open the book in the first place - the thing that makes me pick this book out of the hundreds of others on my shelves. The premise is especially important when I'm reading adult fiction, in which each title requires a relatively substantial time commitment. As anyone knows who reads my "reviews that made me want the book" feature, I'm a sucker for dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories - almost any premise in that sphere will draw me in. Other premises leave me cold. I read many adult mysteries, for example, but I'm completely uninterested in caper novels and in "hapless guy, through no fault of his own, finds himself in ever-worsening situation." This doesn't mean that I'll never read one - if an author of whom I'm a particular fan writes one, I might try it. But in those cases, the premise is something that must be overcome, rather than something that draws me in. I'll also bypass the premise requirement if a book is strongly recommended by someone who I feel understands or mirrors my reading tastes. But even then, books that I agree that I "should" read often sit for many months on my shelf before I get to them, while others I'm compelled to read right away. (Most recent example: a recommendation to me and a review from Becky's Book Reviews of The Sky Inside, by Clare B. Dunkle.)

When I'm reading children's books I'm reading partly for my own enjoyment, but also to find the books that are going to engage kids. Which means that I have to keep an eye out for premises that might not be relevant to me, but that I think will pull in kids, especially reluctant readers. So I'm still premise-driven in my book selection, but I do try to expand what I'm looking for beyond my personal preferences.

Plot: Here I'm talking not about premise, but about how the book is put together, story-wise. Does it compel me to keep turning the pages? Does it make sense? Do I puzzle over what's going to happen next as I fall asleep? I personally prefer strong plots, where most things that happen point to the conclusion (though I'm ok with moving around in time, and the use of flashbacks). This is why I like mysteries. I read to figure out what happened. I don't tend to get as invested in episodic or slower-paced stories. Again, that doesn't mean that I never enjoy such books, but the other elements have to be that much stronger to compensate. And I will, in certain moods, read and enjoy books that are entirely plot-driven, even when the characters are somewhat lacking in dimension (some of Michael Crichton's books come to mind).

People: For me, the characters are nearly as important as the plot. Usually, a book has to have characters that I care about, in order to keep me reading. This is especially true of series books - the characters had better be quite compelling, to keep me coming back again and again. Truly great characters will keep me reading even when the plot is more episodic (e.g. The Four-Story Mistake, by Elizabeth Enright, and the Clementine books by Sara Pennypacker). And, of course, it's the characters that truly stand the test of time. When we think back on favorite books from our childhood, often we think in terms of the characters (Anne, Pippi, Jo, etc.), rather than the books themselves.

In fact, truly great characters sometimes have more of an impact on the world than their real-world counterparts. I love this quote, by Shelby Foote, said to Robert Hicks, and quoted in an interview of Hicks by Randy Rudder for The Writer, February 2007:

""Always remember, Mr. Hicks, the most important figures to come out of the campaigns in Atlanta will forever be Rhett and Scarlett. And at last account, neither of them ever lived." Then he said "But that's how we remember history. It is through the characters.""

Prose: Here I'm talking about not how the book is put together, but how it's written. Does the dialog feel natural, or is it clunky? Are there turns of phrase that make me stop to read them again? Am I compelled to read the book aloud (as I was with Bonny Becker's A Visitor for Bear)? Do I sometimes smile, sometimes laugh out loud? Do I end up with dozens of pages flagged with little sticky notes? Is there a strong, authentic sense of voice? There are authors who make my jaw drop, with the sheer poetry of their prose (e.g. Marcus Zuzak with The Book Thief). And those are authors whose future books I'll pick up, even when I'm skeptical about the premise.

Sometimes the quality of prose is more obvious when it's not present. There are authors who I simply cannot read, because their dialog is so grating. A trite description, a run-on sentence, too many brand name references ... those can pull me right out of the story, possibly never to return. (But I should add that I rarely see much of this in finished children's books - the ones I receive are extremely well-edited. And I would never hold a copy-editing issue against an ARC).

Place: For me, a strong sense of place in a book isn't 100% required. But it can add a lot to a book - taking it to different level - when done well. Of course the sense of place is especially important in fantasy and science fiction novels that are set in alternate worlds (Blackbringer, by Laini Taylor, comes to mind). But there are also books for which the location is almost a character in the story. Two recent examples for me are A Room on Lorelei Street, by Mary Pearson, and Story of a Girl, by Sara Zarr. And actually, although I know the series is controversial for many people, I think that Stephanie Meyer did a beautiful job of this with the town of Forks in the Twilight books.

[Interesting: I say that place isn't as important to me as some of the other aspects of books, but the books with a strong sense of place are the ones I remember, and feel compelled to mention by name. Take that as you will.]

Pictures: Not every books is illustrated, of course. But for certain books, especially picture books and books for early readers, quality pictures are essential. I've always personally been more of a word person than a picture person. And yet, my appreciation of Clementine stems partly from Marla Frazee's joyous drawings. And Where the Wild Things Are would hardly be the same without Sendak's monsters. There's a clear trend in place by which illustrations are becoming ever more important, even in books for older readers. I think this mirrors a tendency in our society towards increased integration of graphics and text (on our computers and television sets and cell phones).

Of course there are other aspects of books that are important, too. I've lumped some of them in under "prose", but for other readers they would likely rate their own categories. Humor, like place, is not 100% required, but can add a lot to a book, especially to books for kids. A convincing narrative voice can draw me in, even when a book doesn't have any of the other elements that I normally look for. And one thing that will keep me from enjoying even a book that has all of the six P's described above is a heavy-handed "message". Usually those books don't get past my premise filter, anyway.

Everyone's tastes are different, of course, and there's no particular reason why anyone should care what I think. Nevertheless, these are the aspects that I look for in books that I choose to read and books that I choose to review: premise, plot, people, prose, place, and (sometimes) pictures. What do look for in the books that you love?

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Reading is Fun Week: May 12 - 18

How could I resist a press release about something called Reading is Fun Week? Impossible. Here it is:

Kick-Start Summer Reading with Booklist, Tips, and Activities During Reading Is Fun Week, May 12–18

Washington, May 8, 2008—Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation’s oldest and largest children and families’ literacy nonprofit organization, encourages parents to celebrate Reading Is Fun Week with their children May 12–18.

Reading Is Fun Week, started in 1979, is a time to recognize the pleasures found in books and to mark the start of summer reading. With an Olympic summer just around the corner, RIF has put together The World’s Most Athletic Booklist for children of all ages. The list contains books representing Olympic sports, and is available for free at RIF.org.

“Experts agree that children who read during the summer gain reading skills, while those who do not often experience learning losses,” said Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. “Reading Is Fun Week is the perfect time for parents and educators to encourage children to read for fun during their summer vacation.”

The website RIF.org provides free resources to encourage summer reading and help families celebrate Reading Is Fun Week, including a day-by-day children’s activity calendar for each day of the week. Visitors to the website can also send a children’s art e-card to spread the joy of reading, and explore RIF’s literacy activities, like Reading Is Fun bingo. RIF also provides parents with reading tips, including how to:

• Help children start a reading journal
• Find a fun book series for children to read
• Relate what you are reading to outdoor activities
• Be a reading role-model and talk about books

About RIF
Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provides 4.6 million children with 16 million new, free books and literacy resources each year. For more information, and to access reading resources, visit RIF’s website at RIF.org.

My thanks to Layla Wright-Contreras from RIF, for sending me the release. And if you haven't acted yet to help save RIF's funding, click here.

Why DON'T Our Children Read?

Just a very quick post to send you over to The Reading Zone. Please go check out Sarah's post about the state of reading education in the U.S. She references two of the recent news articles that I've already mentioned (Jordan Sonnenblick's article in School Library Journal, and the Washington Post article about the Renaissance study of kids' reading habits). But she also issues a call to arms, saying:

"Reading Jordan Sonnenblick’s editorial, coupled with the Washington Post’s recent survey, has lit a fire under me. I hope it does the same for you. Find a child or teen today. Share a book with them."

And she has more to say on what to do - please do check out Sarah's full post. And then take her advice. Do SOMETHING to counteract the negative forces of NCLB and endless test-taking. Do SOMETHING to pair a child with the right book. You could make a life-long difference. Thanks!

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

The Lost Books

Today I am in mourning for some lost books. Here is the story. In 1991 when I left Boston for graduate school in Texas, I packed up all of my beloved books into boxes. I carefully made a list of exactly which books were in which box, and took that with me. I would have liked to take the books with me, but it just didn't make sense - I was moving cross-country in my car, and I barely fit everything in as it was.

Over the next 15 years or so I moved several times - back to Massachusetts, back to Texas, and finally to California. I was always moving from apartment to apartment, and it just never made sense to take on those boxes of books (though of course I was accumulating other books over time). My parents also moved several times during those years, and they and my poor siblings were stuck with the task of moving "Jen's books" from place to place.

Early last year my parents moved out of state, and they re-packaged my books into smaller boxes and shipped them to me. For which effort I was very grateful. However, they told me that a few had been badly water damaged, through inadvertently being left in an unfinished basement, and I said that they should throw those away. No point in paying shipping costs to send books that are too damaged to read. But I didn't ask exactly which books were involved - I didn't want to face it. Boxes of books arrived in California, and I left most of them unopened because I didn't have any space to shelve them, and because I was so busy.

Finally, here I am in a bigger house (still not that "permanent" house I would have though I'd be in by now, but that's another story). I have my lovely new bookshelves, and last night I finally unpacked all of those boxes from Massachusetts, along with my own more recent acquisitions. I sorted through everything, purged a few duplicates, and alphabetized by author. As I got to the end of this process, I had to admit a sad truth. More of my childhood books were missing than I had expected. Much loved, sometimes irreplaceable books.

My lovely old copy of Emily of New Moon? Gone. My Little House books, most of my Madeleine L'Engles and Elizabeth Enrights? Gone. The gorgeous old editions of the Louisa May Alcott books, with gilt text on the covers? Those are gone, too. The copy of Little Women that my dad gave me for some early birthday, inscribed? Nope. The Bobbsey Twins books that were mine, and the ones that were my mother's when she was young, some dozen in total? Only two survived. Also missing: Tuck Everlasting, The House at Pooh Corner, Look Through my Window by Jean Little, Ginnie and the Mystery Doll by Catherine Wolley, my first copy of The Wizard of Oz, eight YA books by Phyllis Whitney, Paddington, Katie John, Miss Osborne the Mop, The Children of the New Forest, and various others, some classic, some obscure, but all loved.

Many important books did make it through. My precious Maida books. The two books that my elementary school librarian, Mrs. Tuttle, gave to me, with lovely notes inside, after I volunteered every morning at the library before school in sixth grade. My Lois Duncans. The Children of Morrow, a book that I loved, and have never been able to find elsewhere. A few of the Noel Streatfeilds made it through, as did most of my Enid Blyton "Five" books and Zilpha Keatley Snyders. My Trixie Beldens seem to all be here ... I don't think I ever had a complete set. There are a handful of books that belonged to my mother, father, or grandmother when they were children. And I did find some miscellaneous favorites like The Trolley Car Family, Nantucket Summer, The Snow Ghosts, a couple of Willy Folk St. John mysteries, and two by Ruth M. Arthur. And, thankfully, all of my yearbooks are here. Perhaps some others will magically turn up - in a mis-labeled box somewhere. But I don't think so.

The fact is I'm a bit of a glass half empty kind of person. I'm having a hard time looking at the books that I do have without mourning the loss of the ones that aren't there. I blame myself, no one else. I should have taken the books back years earlier than I did, even with having to move them around the country. I'm sure that my parents and siblings made a heroic effort to care for the books through various moves. This is on me. I had other things like grad school and starting a company on my mind, and I didn't take the responsibility for my books. I didn't cherish them enough, and now there's a hole inside of me where they used to be.

Even though I hadn't had them with me for 15 years. Even though I have hundreds of other books. Even though many of them can be replaced, probably by copies in better condition (and some I already have purchased newer copies of). I'm still sad today. I always had this knowledge in the back of my mind that they were there. That I didn't need to buy another set of Little House books with the Garth Williams illustrations, because I had one in storage. That those Alcott books would look lovely on the shelves one day. And now, I have to accept that they are truly gone.

The new bookshelves look even more beautiful with books on them, but my feelings about them right now are bittersweet. I am trying to maintain perspective on this. I know that I'm being self-indulgent. I know that there are much bigger problems in the world than the loss of a few books. The important thing is to have the people that I love still available to me. But still... I am mourning my lost books today.

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever lost or had to throw or give away beloved books from your childhood? I know that Brenda Ferber recently had her diaries stolen, and of course that's worse, because those can't be replaced.

I had to write about this here because I knew that you, my blog readers, would understand. The moral of the story: keep the books that you love close - don't leave them in boxes or basements for longer than you absolutely must. Because if you do, they might not be there when you're ready for them. And their loss will break your heart.

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Sometimes It Just Takes the Right Book

A friend sent me the following story about his son, and gave me permission to share:

"Matthew is a good reader but hadn’t caught the bug for reading for fun despite his mom's and my best efforts. He would do his homework and whatever else we made him do but he wouldn’t seek it out on his own. We read to him but pleasure reading wasn’t his thing.

The worm turned last week when he went to the school book fair. He used his own money and bought two books (The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, both by Jeff Kinney) at the fair.   

When I picked him up at his after school program, he wasn’t running around and playing as normal. Instead, he was over in a corner reading his book.

On the drive home, he was strangely quiet. I looked around in the back seat and he was reading his book.

If Matthew has been good, we let him watch Survivor on Thursday nights -- during the commercials, he would pull his book out and read.

On Friday morning, my wife said he took his hand crank flashlight with him so that he could read while they waited for the bus.

He is close to finishing the second book. 

We are working on finding some similar follow-on books to keep the momentum going."

Is that a great story, or what? Here we have parents who have wanted their son to enjoy books, and have kept reading to him, but they had to wait until, on his own, he found the right books, in order for that spark to light.

So, does anyone have suggestions for follow-on books that Matthew might like, after enjoying the Wimpy Kid books? I suggested the Owly books by Andy Runton. Of course Matthew will want to pick for himself - after he had such good luck with his recent purchases - but we could perhaps offer some ideas. Thoughts?

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Children's Book Council Launches Second National Initiative this Year to Promote Reading Among Children

I received this announcement earlier in the week. Although it's probably old news for most of you at this point, I thought that it was still worth sharing:

Children’s Book Council Launches Second National Initiative this Year to Promote Reading among Children, Announces Finalists for the First Annual Children’s Choice Book Awards

NEW YORK, NY March 24, 2008 – The Children’s Book Council (CBC) in association with the CBC Foundation, launches the Children’s Choice Book Awards program with the announcement of 25 finalists in five categories. The Children’s Choice Book Awards program was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to read. Children will be able to cast their vote for their favorite books, author, and illustrator at bookstores, school libraries, and at www.BookWeekOnline.com until Sunday, May 4, 2008.

The Children’s Choice Book Award winners will be announced live at the Children’s Choice Book Award gala on May 13 in New York City as part of Children’s Book Week (May 12-18, 2008), the oldest national literacy event in the United States. This initiative is a new component of Children’s Book Week and follows on the heels of the appointment of the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a national program initiated by the Library of Congress and Children’s Book Council.

“The program will allow children from across the country to discover what other children like to read,” said Robin Adelson, Executive Director at Children’s Book Council. “We believe that by empowering children to express their opinions, it will positively impact their perspective and interest in books and bring a renewed excitement to reading.”

The Children’s Choice Book Award finalists are as follows:

Favorite Book for Grades K-2:

• Dino Dinners, by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom (Holiday House)
• Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping by Eileen Christelow (Clarion)
• Frankie Stein written by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Kevan Atteberry (Marshall Cavendish Corporation)
• Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark written by Ken Geist, illustrated by Julia Gorton (Cartwheel Books/Scholastic)
• Tucker’s Spooky Halloween by Leslie McGuirk (Candlewick Press)

Favorite Book for Grades 3-4:

• Babymouse: Camp Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House Books for Young Readers)
• Big Cats by Elaine Landau (Enslow Publishers)
• Monday With a Mad Genius written by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Sal Murdocca (Random House Books for Young Readers)
• The Richest Poor Kid written by Carl Sommer, illustrated by Jorge Martinez (Advance Publishing, Inc.)
• Wolves by Duncan Searl (Bearport Publishing)

Favorite Book for Grades 5-6:

• Beowulf: Monster Slayer written by Paul D. Storrie, illustrated by Ron Randall (Lerner Publishing Group)
• Encyclopedia Horrifica by Joshua Gee (Scholastic Paperbacks)
• Ghosts by Stephen Krensky (Lerner Publishing Group)
• The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley by Amy Lissiat and Colin Thompson (Kane/Miller Book Publishers)
• When the Shadbush Blooms written by Carla Messinger with Susan Katz, illustrated by David Kanietakeron Fadden (Tricycle Press)

2007 Author of the Year

• Anthony Horowitz, Snakehead (Alex Rider Adventure) (Philomel/Penguin)
• Erin Hunter, Warriors, Powers of Three: The Sight (HarperCollins)
• Jeff Kinney, Diary of Wimpy Kid (Abrams)
• Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse (Disney Book Group)
• J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Scholastic)

2007 Illustrator of the Year

• Jan Brett, Three Snow Bears (Putnam/Penguin)
• Ian Falconer, Olivia Helps with Christmas (Simon & Schuster)
• Robin Preiss Glasser, Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy (HarperCollins)
• Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic)
• Mo Willems, Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity (Disney Book Group)

The finalists were determined from the IRA-CBC Children’s Choices program, a joint project of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the CBC since 1975. Publishers submit hundreds of titles to be evaluated and voted on by 10,000 children. The Author and Illustrator of the Year finalists were selected from a review of bestseller lists by the CBC and CBC Foundation.

Can I cast my vote for Rick Riordan? Surely J. K. Rowling got sufficient kudos in 2007...

Justina's Fab Five Ways to Support Your Local Bookstore

In response to the closing of her local independent bookstore, Readergirl Justina Chen Headley felt compelled to take action. So she came up with some concrete recommendations by which people can support their local bookstores. She is encouraging people to share and repost the suggestions, so here they are:

Justina's Fab Five Ways to Support Your Local Bookstore:

"1. Attend an in-store author event. Actually, don't just attend one event.  Attend a bunch of them. The sad thing is that so many author events aren't attended by many people. Oh gosh, at readergirlz, Ann Brashares (she of Sisterhood book, movie, and fame) told us about a recent signing where NO ONE showed up. SAD for the author, but GOOD for you. This just means that you might have a super intimate conversation with one of your favorite authors of all time.

2. Bring your friends. Make a pact to bring a group of friends with you to these author events:  the more, the merrier. It could be a standing date with all your favorite readergirlz buddies: author comes to town; you all head out to hang out with the writer.

3. Buy first edition books…from your local indie bookseller. Soooo…about 7 years ago, my hubby trotted home with an auction catalog from Sotheby's where they were selling off a book from the very first UK printing of Harry Potter 1. He said, "We should go for it!" I said, "What? That's the dumbest investment idea I've ever heard of. We should invest in…HomeGrocer.com."  (I know, I know.)  Well…guess what that first edition copy is worth now.  And it's not just Jo's books that become valuable. But forget collectability…go to 4!

4. Give books as gifts. (And books autographed to your BFF are even better…)  Over at readergirlz, we created our gift giving guide for the holidays: Best Books for Your BFF. Those bookmarks, filled with fun and fabulous book lists from our beloved postergirlz advisory committee (the smartest and kindest and most expert children's lit bloggers on the planet), are actually perfect year-round. Books are a gift from the heart. Your heart.

5. Negotiate a Package Deal with Your Bookseller. I thought this was such a good idea from University Bookstore here in Seattle. They're offering a bundle of autographed books from visiting authors for a set (read: discounted) price.  Why not pitch this idea to your local bookseller? Eoin Colfer, Jon Scieska (new Children's Lit ambassador for the U.S.), Libba Bray, Shannon Hale and so many other fantastic authors are TOURING the country right now. As in:  RIGHT NOW.  If they're heading your way, talk to your bookseller. That way, even if you can't attend the booksigning, you can still get a book personalized for yourself and / or your BFF."

I think that these are all amazing suggestions. And fun to do, every one of them. I think that I'm going to go to a signing at Hicklebee's this week, and buy some first editions. Definitely next week: Hicklebee's is featuring Jon Scieszka on January 25th. What about you? Do you have any other ideas for supporting local bookstores?

1000th Post: Some Further Discussions on Raising Readers

I think it's appropriate that my one thousandth post should be about discussions related to raising readers. As regular readers know, a few days ago I published an article (with much input from the Kidlitosphere), inspired by my stint as guest blogger at PBS Parents: Expert Q&A about Helping Kids Learn to Enjoy Reading. This article has received such a positive response that I even created a PDF version, so that parents and teachers could print it out more easily. Many thanks to everyone who commented, or read, or linked to my article. I really appreciate your support, and your interest in raising readers.

Clearly, inspiring young readers is a topic near and dear to the hearts of many members of the Kidlitosphere, because the discussion that led to my article has continued and proliferated. Here are some related posts that are worth checking out:

• Over at The Well-Read Child, Jill T. recaps an article from the UK's Daily Telegraph which "reminds us that parents aren't the only ones who can make an impact." Jill summarizes the article's suggestions for parents, authors, schools, and government for increasing both literacy rates and joy in reading. In the comments of that post, Jill and I are discussing the need for a national public information campaign on the importance of raising kids who enjoy reading. The appointment of our new National Ambassador for Children's Literature is a great first step, of course, but there's a lot more that could be done.
• At Lessons from the Tortoise, Libby has two related posts. The first is about reading levels: Too Young? Too Old? Just Right? In response to suggestions that it's a bad thing to push kids to read above the level that they're ready for, Libby suggests that "reading above one's level is actually a fine thing--if one is the kind of kid who stretches rather than shrinks when confronted with new things." She's not arguing for kids to be pushed to do this, but she does argue for the rights of kids who like the challenge of a big thick book, even one that they're not quite ready for, to try it out. This, of course, begs the question of where to draw the line. But I do take her point. I took pleasure in knowing, as a seventh grader, that I was reading Dickens. Did I enjoy it, precisely? I couldn't say. Would I have gotten more out of David Copperfield as an older reader? Sure. But I'm still glad that no one tried to stop me.
• In her second post, Libby asks Is all reading good? Specifically, she takes exception to the phrase (used in my article and other discussions) "let them read what they like." This post is basically a mini research treatise, complete with several footnotes, and ranging from Playboy to misogyny to censorship to whether or not we think that ideas have power. This academic approach is not surprising, since Libby teaches classes like Introduction to Children's Literature at the University of Richmond, but it does make for interesting reading. The issue of "stereotypical ideas about women, men, the disabled, the poor, etc., etc." in children's literature is one for which I don't have a good answer. And there are surely books that I wouldn't go out of my way to buy for my nieces. But there are other books that have admittedly dated ideas about gender and race roles, but which I, like Libby, would rather read and discuss than miss out on. 
• On a lighter note, Susan T. at Chicken Spaghetti writes about the importance of matching book with reader, giving as an example her son's fondness for Calvin and Hobbes, and graphic novels like the Babymouse books.
• There have also been some comments in response to the "helping kids learn to enjoy reading" post over at PBS, including a detailed comment by Sallie Wolf about the importance of reading aloud, and making reading fun. And there are some great comments on the article here, too.

That's all that I can recall now, out of the blizzard of posts and comments and emails from the past few days. But if you're taken on this topic at your blog, and I somehow missed it, please let me know. Thanks!

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

7 Thing About Me As A Reader

I've seen the Seven Things about Me meme going around, and been kind of crossing my fingers that no one would tag me, because I'm not much of a meme person. But today Mary Lee and Franki from A Year of Reading altered the meme, to make it Seven Things About Me as a Reader. And then Megan Germano from Read, Read, Read did this "as a reader" version and tagged me. After reading both Megan's and Mary Lee and Franki's responses, I couldn't resist participating. So here we go:

1. Like Mary Lee, I consider listening to an audiobook to be reading. I can't listen to audiobooks while sitting around, but I love to listen to them while walking, driving, or cleaning.
2. Also like Mary Lee, I must read series books in order. Someone recently sent me a review copy of a book that is fourth in a series. I said "hah!" and stuck it in the pile.
3. Like Megan, I feel like I will never catch up on my reading, my "to read pile" is far too high as is my list of books that I want to read. I find this comforting in some ways, and stressful in others. Every single day I find myself wishing that I had more time to read.
4. Like Franki, "Some of my favorite books are middle grade and young adult novels." No, not all of them, but many of them for sure.
5. When I'm very busy, I find library books stressful, because they have a time limit (though I adore libraries). That's one of the reasons I often buy books, especially used books. Whenever I go to Texas, I visit Half-Price Books, a regional chain. Of course, then I look wistfully at my stack of used books, and wish I had more time to read them. But at least I won't get a fine if I don't read them.
6. I worked in my elementary school library before school (in sixth grade), shelving books. I also helped my grandmother, who managed her church library. I have fond memories of both experiences. And yet for some reason I never seriously considered becoming a librarian. Weird.
7. What I like to read and what I like to watch on television don't always overlap. I have a weaknesses for "beautiful people" teen soaps on TV (like Gossip Girl), but no interest at all in reading them. Conversely, I enjoy reading relatively graphic mysteries and forensic investigation titles (more adult than kid's books here), but I have no interest at all in CSI and related shows. In general, I'm all about story, whether it's on TV or in books, but I have different preferences in the two media. This may be related to the fact that I have no interest at all in short stories. I prefer to get deeply invested in a book, and a short story tends not to be long enough to give me that. I think that's why I don't like TV shows where everything is wrapped up in one episode (like CSI), but prefer your LOST and Desperate Housewives sorts of televisions shows, with longer arcs of plot. This meme has helped me to see that connection!

I'm not tagging anyone else, since I'm a bit of a reluctant meme-doer myself. But I did enjoy this one. Thanks, Megan!

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Ten Tips for Growing Bookworms

MotherReader asked for posts containing tips for her post-Thanksgiving Carnival of Children's Literature. I decided that the thing I would most like to write about (this will not surprise anyone who has been paying attention), is tips for growing bookworms. Here are ten tips that I have gathered from a variety of sources over the past few years. I don't have references for each item, because most are mentioned in many places, but I have included a short bibliography of books about raising readers at the end. I don't promise that this list is comprehensive, but these are certainly good places to start. I welcome your suggestions.

1. Read aloud to your children from (or even before) birth, and keep reading aloud to them even after they can read on their own. This has been shown to have a huge impact in raising readers, and is the number one thing that parents and other concerned adults should do to help grow bookworms. By reading to kids in a comforting environment, you help them to think of reading as a pleasurable activity. You also increase their vocabularies and attention spans, and show them that books are important. And with all of the many wonderful books out there, this should be enjoyable for you and the kids.
2. Read the books that your children read, even after you are no longer reading aloud with them (or along with books you're reading together). Talk to them about these books. Let them recommend books to you. By reading the books your children read, you show them that you value them, and the books, and you open up untold avenues for important discussions. I personally think that if more parents and other adults did this, there would be less of a drop-off in reading for pleasure as kids get older (though I have no formal data to back this up). I wrote about this in more detail here.
3. Choose books that your children enjoy. Find books that satisfy their interests, and let them choose books that please them. This is especially important for women selecting books for boys, who may prefer reading in formats other than traditional fiction. Yes, it can be frustrating to have your child read nothing but comic books. But reading comic books IS reading. I'm not saying don't try to suggest other books for them, too. But keep in mind that the central goal is for kids to find reading a pleasurable activity, one that they wish to continue. Everything else follows from that (all the way to better test scores and dream colleges).
4. Make sure that your children (and nieces and nephews and grandchildren) have books of their own. You don't have to buy every book, of course, but it's important for kids to have at least a few books that are theirs that they can read and re-read and fall in love with.
5. Visit libraries and bookstores. Libraries allow you to choose a variety of books, and to try books out before you buy the ones that your child really loves. Libraries have events and read-alouds. Librarians are great at recommending books based on a child's interest. Don't let this free resource go untapped. Bookstores show kids an environment and a culture filled with other people who also love books, and also often have fun events.
6. Read yourself, and model an appreciation for books. This especially important for male role models, because boys often think of reading as an activity that's primarily for women. It's all very well to SAY that books are important. But what kids notice is what you DO. If you turn on the TV during every free moment, your kids are less likely to turn to books themselves. In general, have lots of printed material in your home, especially books, because this also shows that you think that books are valued.
7. For younger children, point out when you're learning useful information by reading (including non-traditional reading, like when you read maps). The idea is to gradually (and in non-didactic fashion) show young children the many doors that reading opens.
8. Limit television watching, especially for children under three. For children under two, television watching can actually impair their brain development. For older children, time spent watching TV is time NOT spent reading books. When they watch stories on TV, everything is spelled out for them. When they read stories in books, they use their imaginations more. Books are also generally better in terms of expanding vocabularies and dealing with thoughtful and complex issues. There are some educational shows that focus on vocabulary and making reading fun, and these have do have value. Needless to say, steering your children towards these shows instead of violent cartoons is something that will help.
9. Create cozy reading places within your house, and keep books handy in different rooms (including the kitchen and the bathroom). The idea here is to a) make it convenient to read, so that kids will choose books as an option, and b) continue to make reading a pleasurable activity, one that kids will want to repeat often.
10. At least once in a while, let them stay up late reading under the covers. Pretending you don't know is probably ok in this case, though I'm not generally a big advocate of deception. As kids get older, one of the tricky things is that reading isn't perceived as "cool." If your child wants to read enough to sneak a flashlight into bed - you should consider yourself very lucky. (See Tricia's post about this at The Miss Rumphius Effect).

There are no guarantees, but I think that if you're doing all of these things, you're quite likely to end up growing some healthy bookworms.

A Short Bibliography:

• The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
• How to Get Your Child to Love Reading: For Ravenous and Reluctant Readers Alike by Esmé Raji Codell
• Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox
• Raising a Reader: Make Your Child a Reader for Life by Paul Kropp
• The Gift of Reading by David Bouchard

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Children's Literacy Round-Up: NEA Study, Math Skills, and Pirates

Here are some recent children's literacy and reading-related news stories from the press:

• There are articles everywhere about a study just released by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) on the reading habits of Americans. According to the Hartfort Courant (and other sources), the study says that we are reading less, and reading less well, and that poor reading skills are limiting people's work and life opportunities. For instance, "Americans, especially teenagers and young adults but also college graduates, do little recreational reading. Nearly half of those ages 18 to 24 who were surveyed read no books for pleasure at all. Those ages 15 to 24 who read voluntarily did so for only seven to 10 minutes a day. And among college graduates, reading literature, such as fiction, poetry and plays, dropped by 18 percent from 1982 to 2002." Liz B. has some more detailed thoughts on the report at A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy. I think I'm going to have to follow her example, and read the entire report. It's available for download here. But for now, I refer you to the AP press release.
• On a lighter note, according to a recent press release, "Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) and TD Bank Financial Group (TDBFG) are celebrating the 30th anniversary of TD Canadian Children's Book Week from November 17-24 with a host of activities planned at schools, libraries and community centres across Canada. As part of TD Canadian Children's Book Week, nearly half a million copies of The Zlooksh by renowned children's author Dominique Demers and illustrated by well-known Quebec illustrator Fanny will soon be in the hands of grade one students courtesy of TD." Thanks to Cheryl Rainfield for the links to this item and the next.
• The Ocala Star-Banner has a feature article by Lisa C. Gant about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program (which I have written about in the past). The article says: "Managed nationally by the Dollywood Foundation, the program mails one free book per month to every child under age 5 in households across the country. Although the Imagination Library was first launched in 1996, United Way's Success By 6 did not become its Marion County (Florida) affiliate until this year, after receiving a grant from the organization's Women of Worth initiative."
• According to a Times Online article, the Conservative government in the UK is proposing nationwide reading tests for all children when they reach six years of age. "The announcement has been criticised by teachers’ leaders for being too demanding. The National Primary Headteachers’ Association criticised the move towards a reading test at the end of Year One. Chris Davis, a spokesman for the group, said: “It flies in the face of international evidence that suggests children do better if they start formal education later on.”" See also the Guardian article about the same proposal.
• According to a press release, the "Orlando Sentinel recently announced George Selden's The Cricket in Times Square as the 2008 book selection for its seventh annual market-wide reading program One Book One Community(TM)... The six-week program will run April and May 2008 as part of the company's Reading by Nine literacy initiative. One Book One Community encourages Central Florida children - and the adults in their lives - to read the same book. Other events such as read-alouds and a writing contest also will be part of this annual program."
• Science Daily reports that "Children entering kindergarten with elementary math and reading skills are the most likely to do well in school later, even if they have various social and emotional problems", according to date from six studies of nearly 36,000 preschoolers. The results held for children from affluent and less affluent families, and for boys and girls. The study also found that "the mastery of early math concepts on school entry was the very strongest predictor of future academic success."
• Teaching Expertise (UK) is starting a series of lesson plans for challenging gifted and talented students within a whole class environment. The first article is called "Pirates ahoy! A literacy lesson plan." The idea is to challenge the G&T kids without making them do twice as much work as the other kids, and while ensuring that they also receive their share of teacher attention (instead of being left alone, while teachers spend more time with the kids who are struggling).
• The Telegraph (UK) has an article about how children's books in the UK are being purged of risky activities by publishers, because of fears regarding health and safety. Author Lindsey Gardiner "claims publishers banned youngsters from walking alone in one novel and removed sharp objects from another." Another author talks of being pressed to remove a scene involving a Ouija board. The article concludes: "The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators warned against censoring young people's fiction. A spokesman said: "Honest literature opens communication and gives young people the opportunity to test their values and make positive choices for their lives."" This has been a high-profile topic in the UK this week, with articles in various publications about it. I think it has applicability to raising readers, in part because if children's books are to be purged of "dangerous activities", will they become more dull? Will fewer kids want to read them? This, I think, would be a dangerous consequence.

That's all for this week. Not too many articles, but some meaty topics for your perusal. I welcome your feedback. 

Reading Children's Books Got Me into My Dream College

I mentioned this to one of my blog friends in an offline discussion today, and Cheryl suggested that I share it with people who read my blog. Specifically, she thought that parents would be interested. So here it is. I went to Duke University for my undergrad degree. It was a great experience (I was there right when the basketball team started to excel), and I feel very fortunate to have spent four years there. I was also fortunate to get support in my goals from my parents, and to receive generous finanical support from Duke. I was very, very lucky.

But here's the thing. I honestly don't think that I would have gotten into Duke if I hadn't loved to read. I wasn't much of a joiner in high school (I'm still not). I have no athletic, dramatic, or musical ability. I was the kid who sat around reading books all day (I know that many of you who are reading this can relate).

This sitting around reading does not directly look good on college applications. (What are you going to include? Pictures of yourself sitting in a tree reading a book?) However, I received a pretty high score on my SATs, especially the verbal section. This was before the days of SAT prep classes and re-takes of the exam (at least for me). I went in, took the test, went home, got my score, sent it off to colleges, end of story.

And I simply have to think that my verbal SAT score, and even my math SAT score, owe themselves to the hundreds upon hundreds of books that I had read up to that point. I remember reading Dickens in junior high school (David Copperfield). I remember reading Joseph Conrad and Shakespeare in high school. Not to mention Madeleine L'Engle and L. M. Montgomery and Alexandre Dumas, and ever so many other authors. And every one of those books was there with me, in one way or another, when I sat down to take that test.

I'm not writing this post to brag (though I'm aware that it might sound that way). And really, I don't sit around every day basking in SAT scores from 20+ years ago, or even thinking much about where I went to college - I have certainly moved on. But my point is that I am my own test case, and I personally believe that reading books helped drive the scores that got me into the college that I was dying to attend. I know that there are studies to support the link between reading and academic performance (try The Read-Aloud Handbook for examples), but here I'm giving a personal, specific example.

Of course getting into college is different today than it was in 1985 - you can't rely on just SAT scores, you need to be well-rounded and all of that. I also know that there are issues with the fairness of SAT scores, and that some schools are moving away from them. I'm sure that this is a good thing - we should be rewarding the many different ways that kids are remarkable. But still, a lot of attention gets paid to those scores...

That's why I'm telling you what reading children's books accomplished for me. I didn't read those books because, as a six year old or a fifteen year old, I thought that they were "good for me". I read those books because I LOVED them, couldn't possibly be without them, would have found a fifteen minute car ride an eternity if I didn't have a book for company. I believe that those books rewarded my affection by helping me get into into my dream college. No, of course that's not everyone's goal. And yes, there are plenty of other benefits that people gain from reading books. I just thought that a few parents out there might find this tiny little case study of interest. If you do, consider it one of the many reasons to be fostering a love of books in your children. We'll certainly be discussing others in future posts. Thanks for listening.

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

George Mechem was Right

I'd like to take a moment to congratulate George Mechem on his retirement from Lexington High School, and to wish him well. Mr. Mechem was my high school English teacher during (I think...) junior year. (He was such a presence during my high school experience that it's hard to remember when the class was. Maybe it was sophomore year). At any rate, Mr. Mechem was a passionate advocate of literature, writing and words, not to mention of his students. I still remember snippets of poetry that I memorized for his class. I remember classroom discussions about books like The Heart of Darkness. I remember that I, and others, used to visit him to chat before school sometimes.

But what strikes me most, in looking back, is how the students in the class were all individuals to him. He knew our quirks, and didn't hesitate to call us on them. He cared what happened to us, even if he teased us, and gave us a hard time sometimes. He was the tennis coach, and eventually become Associate Principal, but through it all, what he did was care about and engage with kids.

I owe Mr. Mechem an apology, too. When I was applying to colleges, he told me that I should major in English, because I loved books and enjoyed writing. But, in my youthful arrogance, I dismissed these frivolous reasons for choosing a career, and instead went into Engineering. I thought that it would be more practical (and it was, I suppose). But what I say now, more than 20 years later, as I work on my children's book blog, is: "You were right, George. I should have listened. My life would have been very different, but I think that I would have been happier."

When given the chance to give input on careers to high school and college kids now, I always tell them to think about what they love, and see if they can find a way to use that. And I do that because I learned, a bit later than I should have, that Mr. Mechem was right.

You can read more about Mr. Mechem and his retirement in this Lexington Minuteman article, kindly forwarded to me by my friend Sara. Thanks, Sara! This is the end of an era, and LHS will never be quite the same.

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

More Children Being Read To

According to a recent study by the National Center for Health statistics, "More youngsters are getting reading time. Sixty percent of children ages 3-5 (and not in kindergarten) were read to daily by a family member in 2005, up from 53 percent in 1993." I wish it was closer to 100%, but at least the number is increasing rather than decreasing.

Now This Is a Job that I Would Like

Via Fuse #8 (and others):

Librarian of Congress to Name National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

The Library of Congress announced today that, through its Center for the Book, it will create the post of National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Appointed for a two-year term by the Librarian of Congress, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature will speak to the importance of fiction and non-fiction books in children's lives. Selected for extraordinary contributions to the world of books for young people, the National Ambassador will encourage the appreciation of young people's literature throughout the United States through both personal and media appearances.

“The Ambassador will be an award-winning author or illustrator whose position will acknowledge­at the national level­the importance of exceptional authors and illustrators in creating the readers of tomorrow,” said James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress. The National Ambassador program is a joint initiative of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council (CBC). The appointment of the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature will be announced in January 2008.

“We are thrilled. The National Ambassador for Young People's Literature will honor and promote the essential role young people's literature plays in every aspect of our society,” said Simon Boughton, Chair of the CBC Board of Directors and Executive Vice President & Publisher of Roaring Brook Press.

The National Ambassador for Young People's Literature will travel and speak extensively during the two-year term, participating in book and reading promotion events throughout the United States. While each term will bring new events in different areas of the country, the National Ambassador will speak in Washington, DC each fall at the National Book Festival and in New York City each spring during Children's Book Week.

The National Ambassador will choose a platform on which the two-year term will focus. This platform will emphasize literacy, education, and related issues concerning books and young people. In addition to regular speaking engagements, the National Ambassador will work with national media outlets to promote this platform to an even wider audience.

The National Ambassador for Young People's Literature position is patterned after the Children's Laureate in the United Kingdom. The Center for the Book and the Children's Book Council will administer the project jointly, including naming the Selection Committee, overseeing the selection process, and organizing the National Ambassador's travel schedule.

The Selection Committee will consider all nationally-prominent creators of fiction and non-fiction books for children and young adults in the United States. Selection criteria will include, but will not be limited to, level of national prominence and popularity with young people, as well as the candidate's known enthusiasm for specific issues in children's and/or young adult literature.

Financial support for the National Ambassador program is provided by Cheerios(r) cereal, which has been getting books into children's hands and encouraging families to read together through its Spoonfuls of Stories(r) program. Over the past 5 years, Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories has distributed more than 25 million books free inside boxes of Cheerios cereal, and donated more than $2 million to First Book(r), an international children's literacy organization. Additional financial support for this program is provided by HarperCollins Children's Books, Penguin Young Readers Group, Random House Children's Books, Holiday House, Inc., National Geographic Children's Books, Houghton Mifflin Company, Harcourt Children's Books and Candlewick Press. The CBC, through its associated 501(c)(3) entity, the CBC Foundation, is seeking additional financial support for the National Ambassador program from the private sector and encourages those interested in supporting this exciting program to contact CBC and CBC Foundation Executive Director, Robin Adelson at 212-966-1990 or Robin.Adelson@cbcbbooks.org .

I'll tell you, if it wasn't for that annoying thing about needing to be a nationally prominent author and all, this would be a great job. Going around and telling people about the importance of children's books and literacy all day. I could do that. Well, maybe someday, far into the future. I still think it's cool that such a position will exist at all. Now all they have to do is find a prominent author who is willing to take the time away from writing to do this.

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Memorable Reading Spots

I was inspired by the great responses to my earlier post (inspired by a meme from A Patchwork of Books) about where people do most of their reading to start a list of my personal most memorable reading spots. I've broken into two categories: places I have enjoyed reading, and places that reading has made bearable.

Places Where I Have Enjoyed Reading

• In a tree in my front yard growing up in Lexington, MA.
• On the roof of my childhood home (it was actually a bit tarry, but it was interesting).
• On a dock in a lake in New Hampshire, during a childhood vacation. I had to swim with one arm out of the water, holding up my book, to get out to the dock with the book dry.
• On a bridge in the wooded portion of Duke Gardens during college.
• By the pool in my apartment complex in Austin, Texas, during graduate school.
• In a comfy lounge chair on a spit of land sticking out into the ocean in Bar Harbor, Maine (while drinking wine cooler—that should date this incident).
• By the pool at the Dixie Landings resort (now renamed) on one long Disney World vacation, while Mheir went golfing every other day.
• On a private balcony at the Whale Watch Inn in Mendocino, California, while Mheir was out making preparations for a very special picnic.
• On the lanai of a rental property called Hale Nani on the south shore of Kauai, looking across the road at the ocean, where I had one of the best vacations ever.
• In the "sitting pool" of a rental property called Kinamwei in Turks and Caicos, looking out over the garden to the ocean, with friends nearby.
• On the back porch of a cabin in incline Village, Lake Tahoe, generously loaned to us by friends from Palo Alto.
• And, wherever I've lived, in my bed and on my couch.

Places That Reading Has Made Bearable

• In the car as a child—no trip was too short, or too long, for a book. I read a lot when we drove from Boston to Disney World in fourth grade. Sadly, I now have motion sickness, and can't read in the car at all.
• On board airplanes and trains on countless business trips.
• In and around hospital rooms and waiting rooms (I had some health problems as a child).

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Children's Literacy Round-Up: March 13

Here's the children's literacy news that caught my eye this week. There was a lot to choose from, with World Book Day and all.

• Via Kids Lit, the 2006 James Patterson PageTurner Awards were announced. Thirty-nine winners will receive cash prizes totaling $500,000. From the press release: "From the Washington Center for the Book in Seattle, who started the breakthrough – and now widespread – "One Book" program, to the nonprofit organization 826 National, which works tirelessly to encourage creativity in children of all ages by providing enthralling reading and writing experiences, this year's winners come from 34 cities in 23 states, and their amazing efforts reach as far as troops stationed in the Middle East and underprivileged children in Botswana, Africa."
• As has already been widely reported, March 2nd was Dr. Seuss's birthday, and the day declared Read Across America Day. Here is one article about celebrations in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Here's a quote about the celebrations: "The intended message of the day was that reading is fun and kids who read, and who are read to, do better in school." Sounds good to me! And here's another article about celebrations the Montgomery County Public School system.
• And here's an article at Halifax Today (UK) about how local students celebrated World Book Day. At Riverside School, Hebden Bridge, children are dressing up as characters from books and comic books, and there's a book fair. "Head teacher Janet Widdas said the children and staff have enjoyed the special week. It has been fantastic and it is great to see the children so enthusiastic about reading.""
• The Zaneville (Ohio) Time-Recorder published a nice article recently about how kids benefit when their parents introduce them to books. According to the article, "Reading Is Fundamental uses U.S. Census Bureau research that reveals about 50 percent of children ages 1 to 5 were read to seven or more times in the previous week. For children in families living below the poverty line, that number drops to 41 percent." The author, Meghane E. Moravcik of the Arizona Republic urges parents to try for more reading aloud.
• There's an article in the Press Enterprise, with pictures, about a 17-year-old from Corona High School in Riverside, CA who reads books to kids at a local homeless shelter. "Anna (Dewey)'s weekly visits are part of Building a Bridge to a Better World Through Books, a literacy program she created at the shelter about a year ago."
• For another literacy program, see this article from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, about the Pittsburgh area For the Love of Books program. "For the Love of Books is a program through the Mon Valley Education Consortium that allows classrooms from low-income school districts to participate in a field trip to a local Borders store. During their visit, students meet a local children's author or illustrator who reads their book and talks about what it means to be a writer. Students are also given a tour of the book store and are assisted with picking out their own book to take home with them as part of the field trip."
• The Chronicle-Herald of Halifax, Nova Scotia has an article about how growing up with poverty and low literacy skills puts people at higher risk of health problems as adults. Dr. John Frank, scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research population and public health branch, is extensively quoted.
• The Jefferson County Public Library (in Colorado) just announced a new children's literacy program, named after a long-time county librarian Bill Knott. "Colorado's children are scoring way below basic reading levels, particularly those with limited resources. Knott's Kids is designed to create excitement for reading and learning," said Knott (in the article). "From my experience, it is this excitement that will push children to want to find out more."
• A press release in the Logan, Utah Herald-Journal announced that "Utah State University early childhood education professor Ray Reutzel has received the school’s 2007 D. Wynne Thorne Research Award for his work on children’s literacy.... Reutzel’s research focuses on evidence-based reading and writing instruction and teacher knowledge assessment. To date, he has generated $2 million in external grant support for literacy assessment and instruction research. In addition, he recently developed and implemented approaches to improve reading instruction, particularly in rural and under-served schools in Utah."

And there you have it. A range of stories centered on literacy and encouraging kids to love books. Happy reading to all!

I'm Famous!

I've written before about Kim & Jason, and their Escape Adulthood mission. Jason Kotecki is a cartoonist, with a cartoon series focused around retaining one's childlike spirit and joy. He and his wife Kim started a whole company around their philosophy. From their website: "At it's core, Kim & Jason is all about helping grown-ups of all ages to Escape Adulthood, whether it's through a stress-reducing chuckle or a nostalgic reflection at a treasured childhood memory. But just as importantly, we are extremely passionate about making a difference in the lives of children as well."

As someone who goes around advocating that adults read more children's book, the Kim and Jason story naturally appealed to me. (We were actually introduced by Ian Ybarra of Ferrazzi Greenlight and the Never Eat Alone blog, who saw commonalities in what we were trying to do). Jason and Kim's strong passion for their mission is truly inspirational. And they are a lot of fun, too.

Therefore, I was pleased to be interviewed by Kim and Jason for their most recent podcast: Balancing Adulthood Responsibility and Childlike Fun. I'm a bit afraid to actually listen to it, because it will make me self-conscious (I'm not at all accustomed to listening to my own voice). But I did want to bring it to your attention. The three of us had a great chat about balancing a childlike passion with having a real day to day job. We could have talked for hour, I think. They also put me on the spot for some favorite books, a selection which I would probably change on any given other day, but I did mention some new and long-time favorites. Anyway, if you're into the podcast thing, or you want to know what I sound like in voice, not just in text, I hope that you'll check it out.

Oh, and I almost forgot the best part. They're having a contest, by which some lucky winner will receive a $20 gift certificate to the ever so fun Kim and Jason Lemonade Stand by telling them about your favorite children's book. Surely that's worth a try!   

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

A Request for your ARCs

Colleen Mondor has a request over at Chasing Ray. She's encouraging people to donate their ARCs and review copies to a New Orleans group that gives books to prisoners at juvenile detention centers in the area. She includes background about the program and spells out her reasons for thinking that this is something important to do:

"First a little background on why I think you need to donate your ARCs and review copies to kids in jail. First, keep in mind that juveniles are held at detention centers before they are tried - so many of these kids are just waiting for something to happen in their cases. More importantly though, crime in New Orleans is out of control - everybody knows it, we are all talking about it and shaking our heads and precious little is being done to change it."

Concluding with:

"So, this is the part where I tell you that books matter (but you already know that) and ask you please to do something with the many free books you have that might just make the world a better place. I'm not naive - I know that a book can not cure poverty, or broken homes or a crappy education or gang violence. But I'm also not a fool and I do know that without some movement towards positive change, nothing will happen at all. It's easy to shake your head and turn off the news and go back to your middle class lifestyle with all of its clean countertops, minivans and trips to the Gap. This is the harder part, and believe me, I'm no easier to motivate than anyone else, but I feel like with the world going to hell in a handbasket, I have to do something - we all have to do something."

I know that some of you have other worthy causes that you support through your ARCs and review copies. I usually donate books to my local library, or to local community programs that give books to underprivileged kids (like the Mercury News Gift of Reading program). But I'll join Colleen today in asking you to consider donating books to the Books2Prisoners program. Read Colleen's entire post here.

One final thought: if this program really resonates with you, you might consider getting your kids involved in collecting up the books and mailing them off. I've seen several news stories in recent months about kids doing things like this, and I think that there's a dual benefit. Kids have more natural enthusiasm and energy, and if they get excited about helping others, things happen. And encouraging them to want to help others, while they're young, can only help move the world in a positive direction. That's my two cents, as inspired by Colleen. Of course, I don't even have kids, and I could be totallly off base. Consider it a tiny idea for your consideration.

Children's Literacy Round-Up: February 6

Here are some children's literacy-related stories from around the wires.

• There's a series of nice articles being posted at the First Book Blog describing how First Book Recipient Groups are choosing and distributing books. For example, the Connecticut Children's Museum went to Borders and picked books for "young children being cared for in family childcare homes here in New Haven and who visit the Connecticut Children’s Museum each week for an educational program". And here's a profile of Bess the Book Bus, "focused on spreading enthusiasm for reading within our community (Tampa, FL), schools and families." 
• This next article made me think of Liz Burns. A local reading council in Elmira, NY " held its annual tea at Elmira College on Sunday to raise awareness of the importance of literacy, and to raise money to help promote local literacy programs." What I like about this literacy council is that they aren't focused on teaching people to read (because other programs do that). Instead, they focus on "programs and speakers designed to spark an early interest in reading and to continue fanning those flames through adulthood." Read more about it here. I would join, if I lived in the Chemung area. They're about the love of reading, and they host teas.
• Did you know that frequent ear infections may be linked to poor language and literacy skills? That's what it says in this article, anyway. A study conducted in Australia found that "There was a general tendency for children with a history of OM (middle ear infections) to achieve lower scores on phonological awareness skills of alliteration, rhyme and non-word reading, semantic skills of expressive vocabulary and word definitions and reading compared to non-OM children." Something to look out for, anyway.
• According to this editorial, Uganda now has their "highest number of young people in schools ever in the history of Uganda", as well as rising literacy rates. The article also discusses the many children who still do drop out of school there, and the reasons for this, and emphasizes that "Parents should be made aware that schooling pays off. Children can easily be exploited when they start full-time work prematurely. Better educated people also get better-paid jobs and will more likely get promotions."

And that's all I have for you this week! Happy Reading! And thanks to everyone out there working on getting books into the hands of kids.

Jim Trelease Talk: My Notes

As I mentioned on Wednesday, Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook, spoke Tuesday night at the Santa Clara City Library. I had the opportunity to help host the event (on behalf of the Foundation and Friends of the Library, with thanks to National Semiconductor for their sponsorship), and to talk with the speaker before the presentation.

Here are my detailed notes from the presentation. You can doubtless find most of this in The Read-Aloud Handbook, but it was nice to hear it as a talk, and learn what the author thinks are the most important highlights (at least for a suburban parent and teacher audience). Of course these notes are further filtered by what I thought was important, and what I wrote down, and what I write here cannot be taken as Jim's official opinions.

• Literacy score charts by family income level show that kids from lower income families start out at a disadvantage. However, the low income kids who read a lot are able to do some catching up with the more privileged kids over time. The kids who end up doing best in school, in both math and English, are the kids who read the most. This is because of Trelease Fact #1: Reading is an accrued skill, and the more you do, the better you get at it. This is why, as a parent, you want your kids to be readers.
• Trelease Fact #2: People will only do things over and over again that they enjoy. Jim talked of "building pleasure bridges" between your child and reading, and showed a quote from a 1985 study by literacy experts that concluded that reading aloud is the "single most important activity" that parents can undertake. He also said that if a child has never seen anyone read for fun, the chance of that child reading for fun is "slim to none." By reading aloud to your kids, you give them the pleasure of your attention, and you model for them every day that you think reading is enjoyable and important.
• Jim talked quite a bit about a study called Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children, by Betty Hart and Todd Risley. There is a 300 page report that was published in 1995, but you can also find a nice (free) synopsis here, written by the authors, published in American Educator. The authors (quotes are from the article) spent "2 1/2 years of observing 42 families for an hour each month to learn about what typically went on in homes with 1- and 2-year-old children learning to talk." They extrapolated from the resulting data, and estimated that "in four years ... an average child in a professional family would have accumulated experience with almost 45 million words, an average child in a working-class family would have accumulated experience with 26 million words, and an average child in a welfare family would have accumulated experience with 13 million words." The challenge that the school systems have is in catching up the lower income children on this vast 30 million word deficit.
• Jim expressed his opinion that it's a much bigger problem than the school systems can or should have to handle, especially given the size of the deficit in words once the kids start school. He also discussed globalization, and the fact that American kids are going to have to compete not just with other American kids but with kids from all over the world. He suggested that we need some sort of national campaign to inform people all over the country of the importance of exposing their kids to more words every day, and encouraging them to enjoy reading. He gave an analogy to the campaign that was used to successfully cut the incidence of smoking in this country by 50% over 40 years, a combination of informing people, scaring people, and insulting people, and thinks that we need to try something similar in American homes re: reading.
• He acknowledged the fact that it's hard for parents who themselves don't have those words to pass them along to their kids, especially if they can't afford books, or can't read. He made a big plug for visiting your local library, and also suggested books on tape for parents who have trouble reading themselves. But he's not letting these parents off the hook. He stressed that books are a value system, and that you tell kids that reading is important by doing it, no matter who you are. He was very blunt about the fact that we can't spare parents' feelings in this area, because what we really should be worrying about is the success of the children, not the feelings of the parents.
• He emphasized giving kids books purely for pleasure, especially as kids get older and have more homework. Because kids have to study a lot of books, it's very important to give them "fun stuff" to balance that out.
• Jim also strongly emphasized the need to keep reading aloud to kids, even after they are already able to read on their own. This continues to tell kids that you think that reading, and the kids themselves, are important. More important to you than watching your favorite TV shows, for example. He recommended reading aloud to pre-teens and teens while they do chores, like the dishes, because it can be difficult to find other read-aloud time with them. He had a picture of himself doing this with his son many years ago, to prove that he speaks from experience.
• In reading aloud to six and seven year olds, he cautioned parents not to insult their children by reading aloud from simple picture books that the kids could read themselves. Kids have a much higher listening vocabulary than listening vocabulary, and so parents should read them more advanced books. You might have to work up to the more advanced books gradually, as the child's attention level increases, but he thought that four and five year olds could handle, in small doses, chapter books like Stuart Little, The Cricket in Times Square, and Mr. Popper's Penguins. He said that by reading good books aloud to your kids you can "stretch their attention spans without danger of stress fractures."
• While he strongly supports libraries, Jim recommended buying books for kids, too. He pointed out that books are inexpensive when compared to the cable bill, dinner out, etc. He also pointed out that used books, funnily enough, have the same words in them that the new books do. He said that if you can only afford to buy one book for your child, you should get Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends. (I would agree with this, based on my niece's reaction to this book.)
• He advocated getting kids the three B's: books, book baskets, and a bed lamp. Book baskets are collections of books that you put in places where the child spends time, like the bathroom, near the kitchen table, and in the car. Bed lamps are so that the child can read in bed comfortably, thus again associating books with comfort and pleasure.
• Jim's final point was about television. He attributes much of the relative decline of boys' school performance since the 1970s on the prevalence of televised sports (ESPN, etc.). While he acknowledged that there are some positive shows on television, overall he thinks that TV "eats time voraciously." If you want your kids to read, you have to control the amount of television that they watch. He showed results from a study that found that kids who don't have TVs in their bedrooms have higher reading and math scores than kids who do. And in a final, interesting suggestion, he said that if you are going to let your kids watch TV, you should turn on the closed captioning. Finnish television for kids is mostly closed captioned (because the shows are imported), and despite not learning to read until the age of seven, Finnish kids have very high reading scores. By turning on the closed captioning, you end up with the equivalent of with much more printed material in the home.
• Jim concluded with a few book recommendations: Nina Crews' Mother Goose books, which feature children of different races; Pio Peeps, nursery rhymes in Spanish; The Day the Babies Crawled Away, about naughty children; Uncle John's Bathroom Reader for Kids Only, to entertain any 12-year-old boy; My Father's Dragon; the Junie B. Jones books (in spite of people's complaints about her grammar); James and the Giant Peach; and Emily Rodda's Deltora Quest series (perfect for kids who like fantasy, and aren't quite ready for Harry Potter).

I hope that you find some of this to be food for thought. But really, these are just the highlights. If you're interested in this information (and you must be, if you've read this far), I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy of The Read-Aloud Handbook. The sixth edition was just published in July of 2006. And if you ever have a chance to see Jim Trelease in person, seize it. 2007 will be his last year of lecturing full-time before scaling back for retirement. As I said on Wednesday, he is a great speaker: dynamic, passionate about his topic, and witty. And I believe that what he has to say is truly important.

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Jim Trelease Talk: Quick Highlights

Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook, spoke last night at the Santa Clara City Library. I was privileged to help host the event (on behalf of the Foundation and Friends of the Library, and with thanks to National Semiconductor for sponsoring the event), and to talk with the speaker before the presentation. I'm simply drowning in work right now, but I'll be back with a more in-depth review of the talk in a couple of days. I took notes!

For now I just want to say: Wow! Jim is an excellent speaker. He's funny, uses local reference points to engage the audience, and is clearly passionate about his subject: kids and reading. His primary goal, as stated on his website, is to help kids "make books into friends, not enemies." And he has clear evidence that the best way to do this, and the way to in general improve academic performance in our school system, is for parents to spend more time reading aloud with their kids. I'll be back with more details at the end of the week. Stay tuned! 

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Sunday Afternoon Visits: January 14

This weekend I read three of the Cybils shortlist titles in Middle Grade fiction (Heat, Framed, and Weedflower). I still have plenty of other books on my to read stack, starting with a re-read of Kiki Strike, which I read several months ago. I haven't spent a lot of time visiting the other blogs this weekend, because I've been wrapped up in reading. But here are a few things worth noting:

• In case you missed it, last week was National Delurker Week. I posted about it, and have so far had comments from 13 people. A few are old friends who couldn't resist an invitation to comment (and who can blame them?), and some are newer friends. I was also pleased to hear from several previously unknown lurkers. Blogs that I wasn't previously acquainted with include: Left Coast Mama, The Sixth Essential (which would be books, of course), and Whoopittydoooo. And of course, the first thing I did was check out everyone's blog, and/or email them as appropriate. And just so you know, this is what nearly everyone does who has a blog. So, if you have a new blog, and you want people to notice it, the best thing to do is comment on other people's blogs. Stepping off of soapbox now. Thanks to all of you who visited!
• And speaking of commenting, Monica Edinger has an interesting post over at Educating Alice about how the commenting that she's seeing on her students' blogs reflects already existing social dynamics. That is, the number of comments that people receive is an indicator of already existing popularity levels. There is, naturally, some discussion in the comments of this post about how we handle this, and feel about this, as adults.
• TadMack has some additional Cybils Young Adult fiction followup thoughts over at Finding Wonderland, with musings about several of the books that did, and did not, make the shortlist.
• I learned from LibrariAnne that there's going to be a new book to follow Scott Westerfeld's Uglies trilogy. It will be called, appropriately enough, Extras, and it won't feature Tally Youngblood as the main character. Also via LibrariAnne, the family reading chair (you'll have to click through for pictures). She finds the coolest stuff!
• Anne-Marie Nichols has a post asking people how they create their personal libraries, over at A Readable Feast. No responses/suggestions so far, so if you have any thoughts about how you build your library, head on over and share them. And really if you don't have thoughts on how to build your personal library, you should head over anyway, because Anne-Marie has some great suggestions.
• The Kidlitosphere's own Liz Burns, from A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy is one of eight candidates for four slots on the 2009 Printz Award Committee. Send her your happy thoughts, and/or votes, as you feel are appropriate!
• A Fuse #8 Production is happy to break the news about the awarding of the 2007 Sydney Taylor Book Awards, while Roger Sutton announces the Scott O'Dell award winner. Yellow Star, which I loved, was an honor winner for the Sydney Taylor award for older readers. And finally, Michele over at Scholar's Blog brings us some local (to her) news, and announces that Philip Pullman has been awarded The Freedom of Oxford.
• Speaking of awards, Franki over at A Year of Reading has a great post about her selection criteria for her list of Newbery predictions. If you haven't seen Mary Lee and Franki's list of Newbery predictions, they are well worth checking out. A big part of why they started their blog was because they hoped that they would have read the eventual Newbery winner by the time the award comes out. Aren't you curious to see if they succeed?
• For the record, even if Pippi Longstocking tells you to, you shouldn't eat mushrooms that you find in the wild. True-life story from author Jennifer J. Stewart via A Fuse #8 Production. There's a current non-fiction-related story from San Jose here.
• Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has an idea to start the new year. They are interviewing bloggers from around the kidlitosphere, starting with each other. Their questions and responses are a riot, and we all look forward to seeing who they'll feature next. You can also find a series of interviews of Cybils judges taking place over on the Cybils site, starting with Kelly's interview of Gregory K. 
• I couldn't say exactly why I dropped out of Poetry Friday (too many balls in the air, I guess), but it continues to grow in popularity every week. Kelly has a round-up of this week's contributions over at Big A little a.
• Sherry from Semicolon links to a wonderful post over at Coffee, Tea, Books, and Me, about the joys of re-reading books. Brenda says, in defense of her large personal library: "For one thing, my books are my old friends as well as new friends whose acquaintance I have yet to make. My old friends give me warmth and stability in a very chaotic world. The books I haven't read entice me with anticipation." The rest is great too, for those of us who love our books.

Has anyone else noticed that I start these posts saying that I have a few items of interest, and then I go on and on? Sorry about that. It's just that there's so much interesting stuff out there, it's hard to leave things out. Happy reading! And Happy Martin Luther King Day tomorrow! And finally, GO PATRIOTS!!

Hypothetical Question

So, you get home after being out for the afternoon, and you have a trunk full of groceries (including perishables). Before you bring them in from the car, you notice that your wonderful postman has left not one but two boxes from Amazon at your doorstep. Do you:

A) Put away the groceries first, so that they don't spoil;

B) Dig through the bags to find the perishable items, put those away, and then leave the rest so that you can open the boxes of books; or

C) Leave all of the groceries until you've checked out the books?

In my case, the answer is C. It's all a matter of having priorities. What would you do?

Between my library visit this afternoon, my two Amazon boxes, and a package today from Chronicle Books, I'm simply drowning in books. Today's new titles include:

• Little Lord Fauntleroy (inspired by a combination of a post at A Fuse #8 Production and several references in A Drowned Maiden's Hair).
• Promise Me, an adult mystery by Harlan Coben, one of my favorite authors.
• The Smell of the Night by Andrea Camilleri, another adult mystery, set in Italy.
• King of Shadows by Susan Cooper, for the Scholar's Blog book group.
• Heat by Mike Lupica, a Cybils MG shortlist title.
• Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce, another Cybils MG title.
• Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, a Cybils YA shortlist title. I had to pick this one up because I have such faith in the nominating committee to have picked wonderful books.
• The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin. Ditto.
• 1-800-Where-R-You #5 by Meg Cabot. I must here admit to a weakness for this series, as well as Meg's Mediator series, both drawing to a close.
• From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books by Kathleen T. Horning and Stacy Innerst, which I had to pick up to help me with the Cybils, on Mindy's recommendation.
• Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall from Chronicle Books.

As I'm already in the middle of Grist by Heather Waldorf (a review copy received previously from Red Deer Press), and enjoying it, all of the above titles will have to wait. Fortunately, I have a reading weekend coming up. For 2007, I wish you all plenty of books.

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Program with Jim Trelease

I volunteer for the Foundation and Friends of the Santa Clara City Library here in the California Bay Area. It's a wonderful library, and I'm happy to do my small part to help out. For those of you in the area, I wanted to bring to your attention an upcoming program that the Foundation and Friends is hosting.

Jim Trelease, author of the well-known Read-Aloud Handbook, will be speaking next Tuesday, January 16th, at 7:00 pm. The program is for adults only, and should be of high interest to parents and others who work with, and read with, kids of all ages. Jim will be speaking on the subjects of children, literature and television, with an emphasis on the positive benefits of reading aloud to and with your children. You can register for the program at the Library's Youth Services desk, or call (408) 615-2916.

I will certainly be there! I hope to get my copy of The Read-Aloud Handbook signed. It's a new edition, by the way, for you fans of the previous (fifth) edition. I'm a huge fan of this book, and have given it as a gift to many people. I highly recommend both the book and your participation in this program. This may be Jim's last speaking trip to Northern California, and it's not to be missed.

Saturday Afternoon Visits: January 6

Happy Armenian Christmas / Three Kings Day! As I catch back up on the kidlitosphere after the holidays, I've found a plethora of things to share with you. It's hard to even know where to begin - my tireless colleagues have so much going on. But here's a start:

• Susan has updated her compilation of "best of 2006" lists over at Chicken Spaghetti. A valuable resource for anyone looking for reading suggestions.
• Kelly over at Big A little a reminds people that she's hosting the 10th Carnival of Children's Literature. Get your nominations in by January 15th - your best post from December and early January.
• There is an interesting discussion taking place about age ranges, and the appropriateness of 12 as the cut-off for calling a book "young adult." It starts with Justine Larbalestier, continues at Chicken Spaghetti, and continues again on Mitali's Fire Escape and A Fuse #8 Production. Little Willow weighs in with her comments on why she doesn't use the term middle grade at all, and proposes separate age designations for elementary school, middle school, and high school.
• And speaking of A Fuse #8 Production, Betsy's Golden Fuse Awards are not to be missed. She offers up awards for 2006 publications in all sorts of categories, including "most misleading cover" and "best villain of the year".
• Also not to be missed is Franki and Mary Lee's one-year anniversary post "What a Great Year to be a Blogger" over at A Year of Reading. They have a month-by-month listing of the highlights of the kidlitosphere, from the Hot Men of Children's Literature inauguration to the 48 Hour Book Challenge to my own Cool Girls and Cool Boys lists. It's such a nice stroll down memory lane, this post! On a related note, congratulations to Mary Lee and Franki for reaching their personal goal of having 100 Cool Teachers on their list! Nice timing, that it came right at their one-year anniversary.
• Another recent trend in blog posts is blog resolutions, started, I believe, by Sherry at Semicolon, with an impressive list of 10. Liz B. at A Chair, A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy also weighs in with her seven blog goals, and MotherReader touches on the issue in her Happy New Year post. Meanwhile, a.fortis offers up her writing resolutions at Finding Wonderland., and the Longstockings tackle writing goals, too. Like MotherReader, I find the idea of resolving to comment more on other people's blogs most appealing. I also would like to increase the number of book reviews that I write, while simultaneously writing better reviews, though the inherent time conflict might make doing both impossible. Maybe I could give up doing laundry or something...
• Also available at Semicolon, a compilation of bloggers' 2006 reading lists and 2007 reading goals. It's an impressive collection of links to more than 50 lists. There is a wide range in terms of number of books read, as well as in preferences, but I would think most people will be able to identify with at least a few of the lists.
• Another trend in 2007 reading goals is the alphabet-based list, where you name a book that you would like to read starting with each letter of the alphabet. I learned about this at Booktopia, where Stacy shares her alphabet list. 
• And, while we're on the subject of 2007 reading goals, Michele from Scholar's Blog is starting an online book discussion group. She was inspired in part by her enjoyable discussions with the Cybils fantasy and science fiction nominating committee, and she has already generated a groundswell of interest. The first book to be discussed will be Susan Cooper's King of Shadows. It's shaping up to be another great year!
• It should be a great year for librarians, too. Librarian is one of the 25 "get-ahead careers of 2007", per U. S. News and World Report. Thanks to A Fuse #8 Production for the link. Fuse also reminded me about the Nancy Pearl librarian action figure, which I was slightly baffled (though highly entertained) to receive as a Christmas gift this year from my friend Mark. Thanks Mark!

And that's quite enough for now. My eyes are glazed over. But it's great to feel more caught up with all of you!

One Year Old!

I started this blog a year ago today, on the urging of two different friends, who each said something along the lines of "Stop complaining about wanting to do something related to books and start a blog." So one weekend, when I had a little time, I just sat down and started. And I'm so glad that I did! I've read tons of great books in the past year (195 in 2006 to date), many of which I would never have found on my own. I've made friends from around the world, all of whom share this passion of mine for children's and young adult literature. I've been fortunate to develop relationships with publishers and publicists, and have received a bounty of review copies. And I've strengthened ties with some of my friends and family members, who read my Feedblitz updates every day, and talk with me about the books that they and their children are reading.

Despite a sad neglect of my blog these past couple of weeks (due to an insane amount of travel and work), over the year I've published 474 posts, or about 1.3 per day on average. I try to post something every day (though it hasn't worked out that way lately). I've published 121 reviews, mostly of middle grade and young adult books. I've participated, at times, in Poetry Friday and The Edge of the Forest (thanks Kelly!), and was a winner for most time spent reading in Mother Reader's 48-Hour Book Challenge (thanks Pam!). Most recently, I've been the administrator for the Young Adult Fiction category for the new Cybils awards (thanks Anne!).

While I've read and reviewed many books, and participated in the doings of the Kidlitosphere (named by Melissa), I've also tried to keep an eye on a subject near and dear to my heart, children's literacy. I try to draw attention to people and programs that help kids to grow up loving books (like First Book and Reach Out and Read, to name two of my favorites). I also try to provide a sense of community for adult readers of children's books.

The biggest success that I've had on this blog, in terms of responses received, has been my lists of Cool Girls and Cool Boys of children's literature. I hope to have time to do more with those lists (including updating them) in the New Year. And I'm happy that those lists have been joined by others lists, of Cool Teachers (at A Year of Reading), Wicked Women (at Scholar's Blog Spoiler Zone), and Librarians of Children's Literature (at TheBookDragon). Such fun, we fanatical children's literature fans have!

All in all, it's been a great year! My biggest regret, in terms of the blog, is that I don't have more time to work on it. More time to read and review books. More time to visit, and keep up with, the other blogs in the kidlitosphere. More time to perhaps start a newsletter for adult readers of children's books, something I've been wanting to do since the beginning. And if I really had time, I'd like to volunteer somewhere so that I can read with kids. But for now, I'll settle for finding time to check in with you occasionally through the rest of the holiday season, and expect to be back to full strength early next year.

Thanks so much for reading my blog! I wish you all a festive and book-filled holiday season -- Jen

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.