In a world where so much is competing for a child’s attention, how do you raise a reader?
It’s an accepted fact that reading is crucial for kids. Study after study shows that babies and toddlers thrive intellectually and emotionally when they’re read to, and that books help children of every age expand their language skills and comprehension of the world, boost their critical thinking and imagination, build empathy, and strengthen bonds with caregivers.
At the same time, reading can be a source of stress for parents! Not only can it be a struggle to get a child off of a device, it can be difficult even knowing which books to read to a baby and stressful to get your child, even teenager, to read! Now from the experts of the “New York Times Book Review” – comes the ultimate guide to how to raise a reader.
How do you raise a reader in this ever changing world of technology, devices and other distractions? Screen time may often be more appealing than reading time for a child. But with reading known to be so important, how can a parent encourage kids to make reading a priority?
Reading can be a source of stress for parents: “Which books should I read to my baby, and how early? Is my child reading soon enough, fast enough, in an advanced enough way? How can I teach my child to prioritize books over screens? What’s the best way to use reading to give kids a ‘head start ’in today’s competitive landscape? With everything else going on, how can I help my child carve out the time to dive head long into a book?”
In HOW TO RAISE A READER (Workman Publishing) leading book authorities Pamela Paul (who oversees all book coverage at the New York Times), and Maria Russo (editor of children’s books at the Times), answer all these urgent questions and many more!! It’s an accessible guide, gorgeously illustrated by the renowned artists Dan Yaccarino, Lisk Feng, Vera Brosgol, and Monica Garwood.
The book is divided into 4 stages of childhood—from babies to teens—and filled with practical tips, strategies that work, been-there wisdom, and inspirational advice, including:
· How to raise a reader in a digital age when screens are competing for a child’s attention
· Why audio books and graphic novels as just as good as any other book—they are an excellent way to engage reluctant readers or children with dyslexia or other reading challenges
· How to get beyond the “reading log” mentality
· Why it’s never too late for a child to develop a love of reading
· Tips on how to engage a reluctant reader
· How to organize your home to encourage reading
· What to look for when seeking out books for your children of any age
· Pro tips for reading out loud
· Great ideas for incorporating books into everyday life—for example, make it a policy to give books as birthday gifts and party favors to your child’s friends, and inscribe a book to your own child for their birthday each year
· Strategies to “game-ify” the experience of reading to engage an emerging reader
· Post–Harry Potter picks for the middle grade reader
· The 101 on YA reading—and what to do when teenagers take reading time-outs
· Is there such a thing as a bad book?
About the Authors:
MARIA RUSSO is the children’s books editor of the New York Times Book Review. She has been a writer and editor at the Los Angeles Times, the New York Observer, and Salon, and holds a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband and three children. You can find her on Twitter at @mariarussonyt.
PAMELA PAUL is the editor of the New York Times Book Review and oversees books coverage at the New York Times, which she joined in 2011 as the children’s books editor. She is also the host of the weekly Book Review podcast for the Times. She is the author and editor of five books, most recently, My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues. Her work has appeared in the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the New York Times Magazine, Time, the New York Times EducationLife, the Economist, Vogue, Psychology Today, and other national publications You can find her on Twitter at @PamelaPaulNYT, on Instagram at@pamelapaul2018,onFacebookat@PamelaPaulNYT,and on her websitepamelapaul.com