Finding the Right Book

There are many factors that play into what kind of book any child might prefer. Essentially, absolutely everything that makes one book different from another book, could play into it. Because there is such a wide variety of books and a wide variety of children, I cannot explain here what kind of book your child is interested in. You, as a parent, will need to look through books with your child and ask questions about why they do or do not want to read certain books. Take notes, even if just mentally, on what interests they have and what kind of books they search for. Spend a morning in the library, taking note of the books your child pulls out to bring home. Request catalogs of books from companies who sell them, and encourage your child to circle the ones that interest him/her.

Remember to just encourage reading. If your child always chooses "how-to" books, or comic books, etc., encourage him/her to try reading a variety of genres. Everyone has a favorite, yet we should all have the skills to read all genres. Getting those skills built up for the future is important. Perhaps your child reads one genre quite often, at home, but you are hearing from his/her teacher that he/she is having difficulty with textbooks at school. This means you need to work on reading informational texts, with your child.

Despite my inability to show you the "right book", I can point you to some tips that, once you have found that book, will help you “sell the book” to him/her… creating interest and a desire to read the book. One suggestion is to begin reading to your child. If you read aloud to your child, with great expression to create interest, up until a book comes to a very critical point, your child will likely want to read on, if you put the book down and stop reading. You can also do a form of this in simple conversation. Think of it as a preview to a movie. Talk about the book, creating a big question, leaving your child curious as to how it plays out in the story.

Lastly, remember that though your child may take interest in a book due to the topic, he/she may find the text to be at a very dependent level. Request the help of your child's teacher in choosing books that are at your child's reading level.