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” sections on Reading Rockets and Colorín Colorado 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.
- Tell your child how proud you are of his or her efforts and skills.
If your child has trouble reading a word, you can help in several ways:
- Guide him/her to use what they know about letters and sounds to sound out the word.
- Ask him/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.
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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Citation
Adapted from: Kame’enui, E. J., & Simmons, D. C. Read*Write*Now! Activities for Reading and Writing Fun.
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