Let's Talk Books!
Creating a Culture of Reading
UK Study Links Kids’ Pleasure Reading to Strong School Performance
Favorite genre and something you read on holiday...
- Biography/Memoir
- Children's
- History
- Humor/Entertainment
- Inspirational/Spiritual
- Mysteries/Thrillers
- Literary Fiction/Classics
- Non-Fiction
- Romance
- Sci-Fi/Fantasy
- Self-Development/Fitness/Diet/Cooking
- Young Adult/Teen
- Other
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce
- Based on 2012 Academy-Award winning short film by the same name which was created in Louisiana
- Florida Reading Association Children's Book Award Nominee 2013-14
- "Morris Lessmore was visually modeled after the silent film actor Buster Keaton. The film drew particular inspiration from the storm scene in Keaton's Steamboat Bill Jr. and the tornado from The Wizard of Oz. Also an inspiration was the real-life Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans in 2005."
- Both film and book communicate the power of words, writing, stories, and books!
- Study Guide from Simon & Schuster
Children's Book Lists
New York Public Library Book Lists by Grade Level
Caldecott Winners (2014 Winners will be announced 1/27/14)
Newbery Winners (2014 Winners will be announced 1/27/14)
Scholastic 100 Greatest Books for Kids
What can I do to strengthen the reading culture in my classroom?
- Keep alive your own passion for reading: make time to read for pleasure YOURSELF!
- If you have a treadmill, read while you get your workout! Try an eReader or iPad since they lie flat and have adjustable font size
- Ask your students for book suggestions, and set a personal goal to read one or more student-recommended children's books this semester. Share with students what you are reading!
- Make a "Hot Reads" display in your room using a little easel stand and a children's book you've read
- If you teach 3rd-5th grade, read The Book Whisperer
- Consider joining GoodReads (largest social network designed for readers) and create your own "bookshelf" similar to what the students have on Home Connect (see image below). "Friend" people you know and see what others "have read, are currently reading, or want to read". This might be a fun summer project! Full-disclosure: GoodReads launched in 2007 but was purchased by Amazon last year.
- Follow children's book lovers on Twitter @donalynbooks @JensBookPage
- Read Reading Unbound, by Jeffrey Wilhelm and Michael Smith, This newly published book is about the importance of adolescents having choice in their reading.