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Finding and Sharing Great Kids' Books

By: Reading Rockets (2007)

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 section of www.ReadingRockets.org 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.
  • If your child has trouble reading a word, you can help in several ways:
    • Guide him to use what he knows about letters and sounds to sound out the word.
    • Ask 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.
  • Tell your child how proud you are of his or her efforts and skills.

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.

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