Let's be honest. When school is in session, kids have very littletime for leisure reading. The push to excel in class, their homework,after-school activities, sports and, in some cases, part-time jobs--all of these things can keep your child away from a good book.
'It's not that they don't want to read. They do. They just don'thave the time,' says Bonnie Kunzel, the president of the Young AdultLibrary Services Association (YALSA), a division of the AmericanLibrary Association.
This is why summer is the perfect time to cultivate a love for thewritten word and boost skills that will be useful in the comingacademic year.
'The power of story is absolutely incredible. Reading is one ofthose skills that you get better at by continually doing it,' Kunzelsays.
There are several things parents need to do to encourage theirkids to read during the summer, Kunzel says.
You read, too: Most important is to have both parents set theexample and read themselves. Work reading into your own busy life,and your kids will follow suit.
Be interested: You can also take an active interest in theirinterests. There's probably a novelization of their favorite summermovie, for instance. If you need help identifying a book that meetsyour child's interest, just ask.
'Libraries always have someone on staff who specializes in aparticular age group and knows those books,' Kunzel says.
Be open: Kunzel also says don't get upset if your kids seem toprefer magazines or comic books.
'Frankly, if your kids like to read comics or magazines and theykeep reading them, just be glad they're reading,' Kunzel says.
Take books along: And if you're planning to drive on this year'sfamily vacation, Kunzel suggests taking along some books on tape. Youmay even find them at your local library. In addition to increasingthe family's vocabulary skills, you'll also be giving your listeningskills a workout. What family couldn't benefit from that?
Get started here
The Chicago Public Library has an online list of good reads forchildren and teens, as well as books to prepare your kid for thecoming school year. Their recommendations are available atwww.chipublib.org.
Here are a few of our suggestions to get you and your kidsstarted. All prices given are based on Amazon.com, but they're freeat the public library:
Young readers
Olivia
Olivia Saves the Circus
By Ian Falconer
(Atheneum, $22.40)
Though she is a pig, kids and parents will immediately identifywith Olivia, the energetic, precocious, loud and lovable heroine inFalconer's books. The message in the first book--a parent's love fortheir child is unconditional--is an added plus.
Lisa's Airplane Trip
By Anne Gutman
(9.95, Knopf)
Little Lisa travels from Paris to New York, and the book capturesher experiences. A perfect selection for any child traveling by planethis summer.
The Three Pigs
By David Wiesner
($12.80, Clarion Books)
Think you know the story of the three pigs? Think again. Wiesnerfills the book with enough surprises to keep both parents and kidshappy.
A Child's Calendar
By John Updike
($11.87, Holiday House )
We know what you're thinking. John Updike; what are they, crazy?First published in 1965, Calendar offers children a poem for eachmonth of the year and parents an alternative to Dr. Seuss' rhymingschemes. The 1999 version, with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman,features beautiful drawings that reinforce the message to notice thebeauty around you.
Ages 9-12
Everything on a Waffle
By Polly Horvath
($11.20, Farrar Straus & Giroux)
Critics have likened Horvath to a children's version of GarrisonKeillor. Girls will enjoy this folksy tale about an 11-year-old whospends her summer in and around a diner that serves 'everything on awaffle.' Perfect to be read aloud after dinner, too.
A Long Way from Chicago
By Richard Peck
($9.95, Novel Units)
Two children from Chicago spend summers with their eccentricgrandmother Downstate. Each chapter relates another offbeat and self-contained tale, so the book can be picked up and read as you go. Alsoavailable on tape.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
By Lemony Snicket
($9.95, HarperTrophy)
This eight-book series begins with The Bad Beginning, which prettymuch sets up the tone. Violet, Klaus and Sunny contend with beingorphaned and with having their house burn down, all in one day. It'shard to explain why kids are attracted to this dark and wickedlyfunny series of books. Still, they are.
So You Want to be President?
By Judith St. George
($12.59, Philomel Books)
St. George presents past presidents in a funny way and ultimatelyshows kids that truly anyone can be president. Kids will enjoy thebook and learn facts about former U.S. leaders that will leave themwell-prepared for social studies in the fall.
Teens
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series
By Douglas Adams
($6.99, Ballantine Books)
The five books in Adams' satiric series, about a man who travelsthe galaxy after the Earth was destroyed to make way for aninterstellar freeway, still delight teens after all these years.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
By Ann Brashares
($11.96) Delacorte Press
Friendship and sisterhood triumph over all in Brasheres' debutnovel, concerning four teenage friends going their separate ways forthe summer. To stay close, the girls take turns wearing a pair ofjeans that magically fit each of them despite their different bodytypes.
The Princess Diaries
Princess in the Spotlight
Princess in Love
($5.99, $4.19 and $11.19, respectively)
By Meg Cabot
If your children loved the hit movie, they'll also enjoy the bookseries, which follows Mia's transformation from awkward ninth-graderto beautiful princess and the responsibilities it entails.
The Lord of the Rings
By J.R.R. Tolkien
($31.50, boxed set, Mariner Books)
Bound together or available separately as The Fellowship of theRing, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, Tolkien's exhaustivefantasy might take the whole summer to read, but it's worth it. Thebook contains one of life's most important lessons--we each have thepotential for both good and evil, and it's our decisions that defineus. A lesson well-learned, indeed.
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий