Summer Reading

We received our last Scholastic book order of the year last week. I love browsing the catalogues and picking out books almost as much as Little Boo does, and I'm already looking forward to our first order in September.

But for now we are well-equipped with some new reading to keep us going this summer. We got a variety of  books to appeal to Little Boo's interests, so that he will enjoy keeping his reading skills fresh during the school break.
That's really the key, I think, to getting and keeping our kids interested in reading. Be open to trying different genres and different types of stories until you find what really grabs your little one. Speaking with his or her teacher can be a big help here - what books are they drawn to in the classroom?

Little Boo is a strong reader, but won't always sit still to read a story book. (He likes stories to be read to him.) He will, however, sit and devour what he calls "fact books." He has a huge collection now of non-fiction books on dinosaurs, sea creatures, and space. With this latest Scholastic batch, we picked out a book on tree identification. He asks about trees and plants a lot, and we can now use this on our walks and trips this summer. He already enjoys reading through my bird identification books, so this was a great find for him.

even our stuffies love to read

If you have a reluctant reader, you may just catch their attention with a chapter book based on one of their favourite cartoons. Spongebob, Ninjago, Spiderman, Beyblades, Scooby-Doo, Pokemon, and more all have books for early and mid-readers.

And don't be too quick to pass over the comic books or graphic novels. They are kind of annoying to read out loud to your kid, but a great way to get a reluctant reader engaged. The graphics can keep a visual child interested, and the shorter bursts of writing are easier to digest.


Also, when Little Boo was learning to read, I liked the I Spy books. These are great for early readers, as they combine a picture with a word, and then the activity of the treasure hunt to find the object in the big image. Again, for my guy, this kept his interest and helped him start the process of identifying words and building literacy basics.

What do your kids like to read? Do you set aside a special time each day for reading? I'd love to hear any tips you have to encourage a love of reading in your family!