Finding and Sharing Great Kids' Books
By: Reading Rockets (2007)
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Favorite stories get shared many times over. Here's some advice about how to find a good children's book and what to do once you're reading together.
What to look for:
- Look for award-winning books. Each year the American Library Association selects children's books for the Caldecott Medal for illustrations and the Newbery Medal for writing.
- Check the book review section of newspapers and magazines for the recommended new children's books.
- Check the "Books and Authors" sections on Reading Rockets and Colorín Colorado for recommendations and reviews.
Remember: There are many ways to gather books and share a love of reading with a child. Borrowing books from your local public library and swapping favorites with neighbors are two good ways to learn about new books.
What to do:
It's important to read to your child, but it's also important to listen to them read. Your support and encouragement helps them develop their skills.
- Listen carefully as your child reads.
- Take turns. Read a paragraph (or page) and have your child read the next one.
- Tell your child how proud you are of his or her efforts and skills.
If your child has trouble reading a word, you can help in several ways:
- Guide him/her to use what they know about letters and sounds to sound out the word.
- Ask him/her to skip over the word, read the rest of the sentence, and then say a word that would make sense in the story.
- Supply the correct word.
Remember: Your child may be focusing more on how to read each word than on what they mean, so your reading helps to keep the story alive.
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Adapted from: Kame'enui, E. J., & Simmons, D. C. Read*Write*Now! Activities for Reading and Writing Fun.