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“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” – Maya Angelou
Any book?
Are you seriously questioning Ms. Angelou?
Yes! ANY book.
Which means . . .
. . . your child gets to pick the book.
. . . you might think the book is stupid. (My Little Pony comes to mind.) Do not say your opinion if you can help it. (Sometimes I really just can’t help it.)
. . . your child might want to read the whole series. (Do we need another Rainbow Fairy book in the world or in my house?! And did I need to buy the newest series from the U.K. just because my daughter was finally reading, thank you Book Depository!?)
. . . the book your child picks will most likely be his or her newest favorite.
All I can say is — get use to it. Choice is control and this is one area in which giving it away is a really good thing.
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To help your book selection along, Universe Publishing, a division of Rizzoli 
International Publications is offering an Imagination Soup reader a HUGE, hardbound edition of Julia Eccleshare’s 1001 Children’s Books to Read Before You Die. No, you need to plan your bucket list, just think of it as a handy wish list o’ books. (Teacher’s you’re going to love this!) Pour over this book with your kid(s) and look for some new reading ideas — that he or she chooses of course.
The books are categorized by age with all the pertinent information you’d want — publication date, author, illustrator, front cover picture, nationality, publisher, theme, other books by the author and a brief plot summary.
Want to win? Would you please share something about giving your child or student a choice?
Contest ends June 30, 2010.
update: Congratulations to Lori C.!
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Melissa Taylor is a mom and educator from Denver who is passionate about playful learning. Thanks for visiting the site!
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The sillier the better I say! I have a book of silly songs, Take Me Out of the Bathtub, that is hysterical. The boys in my class (that don’t care to read) race to get that book out of the basket to read with a friend. I would never remind them that they are actually reading above their level, but the enjoyment they receive is precious. They beg for more!
Choice is a powerful motivator and much research supports it, especially with struggling or reluctant readers. I remember my children going through their Captain Underpants stage but at least they were reading!
Check out the Rights of the Reader by Daniel Pennac.
My classroom includes a huge variety of genres and book levels. I read and teach with picture books AND portions of chapter books, so students of all levels feel comfortable reading a picture book (they are not baby books) because they know I love them and we use them all the time! The lower level readers DO read and don’t feel embarrassed or just pretend to read chapter books. We also know some chapter books are easier to read and understand than some picture books!
I wouldn’t want to eat PB&J every day, and I wouldn’t want my kids to either. I like to allow them time at the library or book store to see what else is available and sometimes I’m surprised at their choices. My son recently came home with a book about electricity complete with a little science kit…something I would have never thought my little lover of everything Star Wars would have liked.
What you say about choices I think might apply to a lot with our children. I know it does to feeding. We parents are to provide healthy choices and then let our kids decide what to eat (and sometimes even if they eat). When we start forcing…we get nowhere. Sound familiar?
Thanks, everyone for sharing your opinions and Mary, thanks for the book suggestion!
Melissa
I’ve noticed when we go to the library we seem to come home with the same books at least once every month. Her choice not mine.
When it comes to allowing children to choose, I think it’s fine to steer the kids in various directions to see what catches their interest. They don’t know what all the options are, and there’s SO MUCH out there that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I suppose that could be construed to “limit” choice sometimes because I do NOT want my kids to get the same books from the library over and over. Since they’re still small (4 and 2), I give them options that they can choose from instead of total free rein. We’ll get closer to that in a couple of years. In the meantime, in the past year, we’ve read about 700 different books – I’ve kept track. We’re not stuck in just one genre or subject.
I love to let my kids wander around the library and read books! They love to read after they pick the books.
I always let my daughter pick at least one book out herself from the Scholastic book club forms…even if it is a Barbie or Disney princess book.
My 6-yr-old son LOVES the Mr. Men books – he heads straight for that shelf at the library and checks out 5-8 books on each visit. We’ve read Mr. Tickle about 8000 times! My 11-yr-old son is into horror. Not much that intriques him, so I bent a bit and let him delve into the Darren Shan series (Cirque du Freak) despite the gore. He’s finished the entire 13 book series and now is onto the Demonata series, same author. Because he’s mature and a writer himself (as am I) I’m OK with him reading books others may censor from their children. Giving our children the freedom to choose responsibly is important for their love of reading and their growth as a person.
My youngest is four. Whenever we go to the bookstore I, of course, have ideas about what I want to get for her. While I do usually get something that I know is going to entertain and educate her in the long run, I do also let her pick the silly books with stickers, noise makers, etc. In the end, if it draws her eye and her attention, any book is a good book.
My daughters, four and two years old, love going to library and book store and picking out their books. Their choices continue to amaze me every day. About a month ago, my daughter decided she wanted to purchase another copy of Beauty and the Beast. I asked her if she was sure about her decision and reminded her that she had 2 copies at home. She said, “Yes, mom this book has different pictures than my other books at home and I think it will be different.” Her choice provided a great learning opportunity to compare and contrast all 3 different versions of the book. Thanks for the chance to win!!
Kelly,
That’s a great idea for your daughter to compare the different versions of Beauty and the Beast — thanks for sharing that!
Melissa
Random.org selected #5 — congratulations, Lori and thank you everyone for your thoughtful comments.
Melissa
[...] Choices, Choices, Choices Get Them Hooked [...]