Booktalks and Engaging Readers is a monthly series that is mostly dedicated to children’s books. In addition to sharing quality literature with teachers and families, this series will share resources for what works — and what doesn’t — for encouraging and engaging readers, and building habits for everyone involved (child, teacher, and adult at home). For previous posts, explore the Booktalks and Engaging Readers tag.
Summer is ending, which means last minute library visits and preparing to head back to school. The days are hot and time is spent either reading by a pool (hopefully) or near a fan. To truly capture a young reader’s attention, a book needs to be engaging! Here are a few tips about how we can find children a book that’s best for them and some guiding questions that get readers to make that choice on their own.
Find a book that sparks interest.
This can be a challenging task. There are so many things to consider, like book/reading level, interest in topic, stamina (how long can your child read at a time), and genre.
Think about how you choose a book or movie. What do you think about? What makes you choose which section to look through at a library or book store? What category do you filter on Amazon or Audible? Are you in the mood to learn about something or to get lost in a dramatic story full of fantasy and make-believe characters that make you forget about the long list of things you have to complete?
There is a lot to consider – and your mood and preference are two of the first things we contemplate.
Have a conversation with your child. You may learn that they saw a funny cartoon about alligators and now they want to learn about them. You may discover that they want to read about other boys and girls that play soccer, just like them, so they are looking for stories that include anything about the sport.
Whatever it is, you won’t know until you ask! Allow your reader space for them to explore.
Here are some conversational prompt ideas:
“What’s on your mind?”
“What have you been doing at camp? At Springboard Summer? At Aunt ___’s house? At [wherever they have been spending time without you]?”
“Remember when we ____, do you have interest in reading more about that?”
“Remember when you loved the books about Romana Quimby? What did you like about them? Let’s try to find something similar to that.”
“Do you want to learn about something or read more stories with characters?”
Find a book that matches their reading level.
A lot of children look up to their elders and want to be reading chapter books like they see the big kids do in older grades. You may see them run over to chapter books as soon as they see one – even if they’re in Kindergarten. They may jump to books with covers that look like cool comic books, or one that resembles the infamous Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
What do you do if your child runs for a book that’s clearly too hard for them to read?
Try asking some of the following questions.
Let’s look at the first page. Can you read some of those words to see if we like the story? If it’s too hard, kindly suggest that they look for another book on the same topic that may have fewer words.
What interests you about this book? If they respond with “It’s a chapter book,” say something like the following: “Okay, but what else about the book is interesting to you?” This will help get to the topic and content of the book so that you can help them find something that still excites them (like skateboards), but in an easier book.
Avoid words like “too hard” or “easy.” It’s not about finding an easy book or a chapter book. Instead, drive the conversation toward the book’s topic rather than its level. This will prevent the child from identifying themselves with their reading level, which may make them feel self-conscious about their reading ability.
If you suggest to them that all of the books they are choosing are “too hard” for them and that they need to choose “easier, smaller, shorter books,” they may feel like they are not smart or capable. Ignore their remarks about “baby” books and focus the questions on their interests.
Find books that vary in length and type.
Find both short and long books to match varying moods and attention spans. Sometimes we want a quick read, like something that you can start and finish in one setting. Nonfiction books allow this to happen more frequently.
Tr
y to find books that also can be read over multiple sessions to offer a very different reading experience. For example, if a child wants to learn about basketball, try a biographical text about Dwayne Wade (nonfiction). Then, see if they would also be interested in reading a story like On Guard – a book part of the Team Jake Maddox Sports Series which offers a fictional take on a basketball adventure. These books vary in genre, length, and interest. Then, if they also might be interested in dragons and knights, try to find a make-believe story with characters, problems, and a solution that seems exciting and full of adventure!
It’s okay to allow a child to explore and read about everything basketball – but it i
s also good to encourage a lot of genres, length, and topics so that young readers are exposed to many different things.
What are some questions you’ve asked your child when selecting books? What challenges have you faced when trying to get your child to pick out new books?
