"Hand-selling" children's books = engaged readers

The world is addicted to media and technology. Information whether accurate or not speeds from one corner of the globe to the other in a matter of minutes. Got a question? Google it. Want a book or music? Download it. Want to create a reader? Slow down.

An article about New England booksellers getting back to basics — how to "hand-sell" children's books — reminded me that talking about books to children and the adults in their lives remains vital.

Being in touch with authors is still a thrill to kids and grown-ups alike. I recently saw Rosemary Wells and her Hyperion editor, Stephanie Lurie, speak to a group of teachers and college students. They talked about how they worked together to make the forthcoming Yoko Learns To Read a rich experience for readers of all ages, the process of writing, editing and publishing books, and more.

The teachers and future teachers and librarians who shared the afternoon with them are sure to share the insights they gained with the young children in their lives. They'll hand-sell Wells' books — and look for ways to do the same with other books.

They'll probably share some of the ideas or get more using the various media now available in so many formats — very useful tools. But let's not forget that young readers often start with an adult who shares their passion for books.

"Level-Mania" and the Identity of the Reader

I read something interesting at the Edge of the Forest about leveled book systems in elementary classrooms. A small snip from the thoughtful piece:

In the name of "just right" books, we may be sacrificing real reading experiences that will last a lifetime.

The author seeks to make the point that leveled systems in classrooms which funnel children into baskets of books that match their reading level deny those students authentic ways to develop the 'behaviors of readers' by building 'their own identity as a reader.' Predetermined reading baskets provide fewer opportunities to explore genre, favorite authors or illustrators and provide greater opportunities to read only with the purpose of getting to the next level basket.

Don't get me wrong — by recognizing this piece I'm not arguing against leveled systems. Leveling systems can maximize the instructional value of a lesson by providing a reliable way to match a young reader with a book. They also provide guidance to teachers who are new to the concept of the reader-text match. But I see the author's point about reading ownership.

So, here's the challenge: have kids read on their instructional level (defined here as 90% accuracy) to help develop their skill as readers and, as teachers, engage in all kinds of other behaviors that help children develop their "reading identity". Some tips for doing that, again from the Edge of the Forest :

• Help children find favorite authors.

• Guide them to choose books with characters they might come to love — books where the same character appears in several books

• Ask them about the kinds of books they like, not the level of book they want

• Organize our books in baskets by author, genre, topic and series, rather than by level

• Allow kids to choose books that are too hard or too easy if it fits their purpose

• Talk to kids about my favorite books, authors, and genres

• Introduce children to new books, authors, and genres

• Have conversations with children about new books that I am excited about

• Share ways that I keep up with new books coming out using internet resources

• Share book reviews with children and talk about the kinds of books that sound good to them.

"Not much of an incentive" incentive reading program

Me: So Molly, would you like to add to your reading log for the summer reading program?

Molly: Um, no thanks. I've decided I don't want to do it.

Me: What?!? I mean...why sweetie? This is only the second week of it!

Molly: Because it's sort of silly. All you do is write down the names of some books, and then take it in and get some prize. Plus, they just stamp the sheet and hand it back. It doesn't matter.

Me: Oh, okay.

Molly: But, do you know where my Amber book is? I'm almost finished and I want to start the next one.

Humph. Such was the exchange this morning in our kitchen. I guess Molly's not much of an incentive program kid. She just wants to read. And she is reading, so I'm not complaining.

But now I'm wondering: Is your reader involved with a summer reading program? Are they excited/motivated/interested in it? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

'Tis the season to read and write

Like everyone, we're in for a busy couple of weeks. Our homework and storytime routines sometimes get pushed aside, and at first I was feeling guilty about that. But when I think about how the girls are spending their time, there's plenty of reading, writing, and math going on...it just looks different! Here's how Anna spent her afternoon yesterday on the computer:

Dear Santa,

I have ben a very good girl this yere I wood like moor jump rope and
Samatha and Emily a pegwin that is cold and cuot my onn bitty baby and
My onn jres up close a nothr cabich pach sum moor books that are
Little bear sum moor bitty baby close sum moor crittrs
My onn safty bag that hooks on to my bike
My onn aret araya

While she was doing that, Molly and I were writing our grocery list for chocolate mint wafer cookies. Things got complicated when we decided to double the recipe! A quick tutorial on fractions kept things on track. Between our grocery list and the directions for putting together our Advent calendar (like this one, but I didn't pay that price!) Molly got her share of reading and writing too.

And there's more in our future — reading our Christmas cards and letters, sending out our own (at some point...), writing our letter with Santa's cookies and also thank you notes. So, if your schedule is like ours, it's okay! Step back and see where literacy is really taking place. I'll bet it's there.

'Tis the season, again!

Was it really a year ago that I wrote this post about feeling frenzied and guilty about the lack of quality reading and writing time at our house? Because it's happening again! And once again I realize that my girls ARE engaged in reading and writing. It just looks different this time of year.

Here what we're doing, language arts style, to get ready for the holidays:

Molly used Audacity to record herself reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. And because my Mom will be in SC for Christmas, we'll send her the .WAV file so she can enjoy that traditional retelling as much as we do. If you have a microphone on your computer, it's a pretty easy program to use.

Anna's been hard at work typing her list for Santa. New this year is her interest in learning more word processing features. Her (numbered!) list is complete with alternating fonts and a fancy Word Art title.

Our copy of The Elf on the Shelf gets read and read and read and read. This set is new to us this year, and Anna's very concerned that Santa takes the Elf when he comes (as the illustrations suggest). For anyone else out there who has one….does Santa take the Elf until next year?! Help!

Both girls have spent lots of time making Christmas cards for their friends. After filling our art area with holiday-oriented supplies, both girls happily design snowmen on skateboards (item 4 on Anna's wish list) and beautiful glittery snowflakes. Their handwritten greetings always bring a smile: We hope you have a great Christmas and have you got your tree?

And so it goes. What are your kids doing (language arts style) to get ready for the holidays?