[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Workman Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
This is something of a how-to book for parents, grandparents, teachers and other caregivers eager to help kids connect with books. The book is broken into sections by the age of the child – baby, toddler, emerging and independent readers, middle grade, and teen. The whole book is a celebration of connecting around books, reading and investing in kids.
The authors are down to earth and speak truth about everything from how hard it is to raise a reader if you aren’t a reader to how hard it truly is to learn to read. It’s a skill that can take until a child is 7 to naturally develop. They answer questions like, “Why would I read to a baby who can’t understand the words?” or “Why are there no brown kids in my favorite childhood books?” They also address the anxiety adults face about when their kids might start reading, differences in kids’ readiness in the same family, concerns about middle grade readers reading young adult material, etc.
Each chapter is full of tons of information. The baby chapter, for example, sings the praises of board books. The size and heavy pages are great for small hands. They stand up to older baby and toddler antics like chewing or throwing better than 8×8 paperbacks or larger picture books. Then the authors give some feedback on things to be wary of with babies and books. And finally they have a good-sized list of recommendations.
Other topics include: reading out loud, the joy of libraries, when to get outside help for your reader, when teens take a reading break, reading on devices, graphic novels, the post-Harry Potter slump, etc.
Review
I cannot rave about this book enough! The structure and organization is perfect. Parents can go straight to the stage they are in and get practical advice right away. The tone is conversational. You could easily read this from start to finish and flag your favorite books and underline the principles you love. It won’t feel like reading a bossy parenting book.
The authors are honest about their own experiences raising readers – it wasn’t perfect. They don’t shy away from questions about things like cringe-worthy classics in the 21st century or the range of ages when reading clicks for kids.
There are TONS of recommendations in this, both by age and by other categories in the final chapter. This is a resource parents can use as they plan and execute actions to help their kids embrace reading and books. Older kids might use the recommendation lists to find ideas for things they want to read next. This would work for grandparents and others who love to buy books for kids and need good recommendations. This can also be helpful if you have well-meaning folks in your life who need proof that it’s okay that your 6 year old is still learning to read. This would also be a fantastic resource for teachers, principals and other educational professionals, both as a resource for their work, but also as a resource to share with teachers and families. I highly recommend this one!