What does it mean to be a reader? How can we get children motivated and excited about reading? Many children's authors recognize the importance of explaining the answers to these questions in books that children can easily understand and relate to. Talking to Children about the Importance of Reading is an annotated bibliography of books that you can use in your classroom to help spur great conversation about reading and model for students beloved characters reading and embracing books.| ; | Bloom, Becky. Wolf. New York: Orchard, 1999. Print. The farm animals in this book take their reading seriously. Not only that, they are all about reading for meaning, not just for the sake of saying words on the page. A wonderful book for helping students think about the question, “Why do people read?” |
Bertram, Debbie and Susan Bloom. The Best Book to Read. New York: Random House, 2008. Print. In order to make the book to reader match, children need to know what’s out there! This book takes children on a quick tour of a variety of genres and will help to open up the doors to discussing how to select a good fit book. | |
Bertram, Debbie and Susan Bloom. The Best Place to Read. New York: Random House, 2003. Print. Finding a comfortable place to read is an important part of ensuring that readers do the amount of reading required to help them become proficient. In The Best Place to Read, Bertram and Bloom’s character searches the house for that just-right spot. This is the perfect book for talking to children about classroom book nooks as well as finding a quiet spot at home to practice their reading. | |
Cuyler, Margery, and Arthur Howard. Hooray for Reading Day! New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2008. Print. Do you have children who struggle? Are you looking for a book to help them know they are not alone? Hooray for Reading Day is just the book you are looking for. Jessica is a worrier and her biggest worry is reading aloud. She discovers that by practicing reading aloud A LOT, reading becomes easier. A great book to bless the virtue of rereading as a way of becoming more fluent. | |
Deedy, Carmen Agra. The Library Dragon. Atlanta: Peachtree, 1994. Print. This book speaks to why we read as well as the importance of loving and caring for books. | |
Donaldson, Julia, and Axel Scheffler. Charlie Cook's Favorite Book. New York: Dial for Young Readers, 2006. Print. Julia Donaldson strings together the characters and events from several popular stories in this clever book about people who read. | |
Garland, Michael. Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook. New York: Scholastic Inc. 2003. Print. How many times have you heard yourself say to children, “Books are wonderful because they bring stories to life.” In Michael Garland’s Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook, the story really does come to life when Miss Smith begins to read but when Principal Rittenrotten begins reading from Miss Smith’s magical book, things go haywire. Instead of telling students how stories come to life, this book shows readers what we mean when we say this! | |
Haseley, Dennis, and Jim LaMarche. A Story for Bear. San Diego: Silver Whistle/Harcourt, 2002. Print. Fascinated by a piece of paper with words, Bear becomes intrigued with a little girl who reads and spends his summer visiting her each day and rejoicing in the beautiful sound of story. | |
Hest, Amy. Mr. George Baker Harry and Mr. George Baker are unlikely friends because Harry is a young boy and Mr. George Baker is almost 100 years old. What do they share in common that brings them together? Theyare both going to school to learn how to read! | |
Hood, Susan. Look! I Can Read! New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 2000. Print. This book is geared toward primary readers just beginning to explore the excitement of being able to recognize letters and read words on their own. Great for nursery and kindergarten classrooms. | |
| Hopkins, Jackie, and John Manders. Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians. Fort Atkinson, WI: Upstart, 2007. Print. Matching readers to books is an important piece of sustaining productive periods of independent reading. This book introducing children to the concept of the “just right” book. Another way to support great conversation about accountability in book choice. | |
Jeffers, Oliver. The Incredible Book Eating Boy. New York: Philomel, 2006. Print. Henry loves books so much that he devours them. He gets smarter and smarter and smarter till one day he’s so gorged on books that he can’t digest another word. His world begins to change when he decides to read books instead of eat books. Wonderful story for discussing the importance of reading volume and helping children understand why people read. | |
Pawagi, Manjusha. The Girl Who Hated Books. Meena is surrounded by books but she just doesn’t love reading. Everybody tries to get her to change her mind about reading but it takes her cat and a small accident to turn Meena into a reader! | |
Polacco, Patricia. Thank You, Mr. Falker. New York: Philomel, 1998. Print. A timeless story of one little girl’s struggle with learning to read and the teacher that turned it all around for her. | |
| Sierra, Judy, and Marc Tolon Brown. Wild about Books. New York: Knopf, 2004. Print. Touches upon all of the different interests and topics that good reading serves, A great book for generating enthusiasm for reading. | |
| Willems, Mo. Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! New York: Balzer + Bray, 2011. Print. This book is a book of very short stories appropriate for primary readers is told from the perspective of a stuffed alligator who loves Amanda, his little girl owner. The short story A Surprising Solution makes reference to the transformative power of reading and throughout many of the stories, Amanda can be seen reading. | |
Williams, Suzanne. Library Lil. Lil loves books and is disturbed to discover that the people in her town do not share her passion. She sets out to change their habit of watching the “devil’s intention” by bringing the bookmobile to town. Her plan works…until Bust-em up Bill rolls into town with his biker gang. Can she make this motley crew into readers, too? |
