Children's Books and Their Importance

by Rita R Philips

The vulnerability of a child is a wonderful feat all on its own. One of the most important things that your child needs to learn is the habit of reading. With the digital age growing out of proportions, a lot of parents have neglected to educate their children with the use of the right reading materials. Most adults would allow their children to endlessly play video games or learn all their school lessons through the internet.

Unknown to a lot of people, there are a lot of things that your child can pick up from reading. Being immersed in various reading materials will help enhance the understanding and knowledge of your child, even at the early stage of pregnancy and childbirth. Parents are encouraged by experts to indulge their children to reading books that will help widen their understanding of different things in the world. Most children books also incorporate moral lessons that aid in the mentality of the child as he/she grows.

Being able to make a child feel comfortable in the habit of reading books will make it easier for them to achieve a lot of things while they are in school and as they go on with their life. Schools also hold book fairs that will increase their participation in several non-curricular activities. This will also give them an advantage over other children who may have not read as many books as they have. While you shop for children books, you might also want to bring your child along with you in the store.

Observe his actions and see which types of books he may be interested in. This will give you a brief knowledge on what books to buy him next. When your child feels at ease with the activity of reading, you will also be able to see a noticeable dedication in his learning for other things. Books tell stories of different kinds of people, and children will be able to compare and assess the diversities in the real world.

Opening up to a world that they barely know about will make it easier for you as a parent to educate your child. If your child is still a toddler, you can focus on board books that will make the idea of reading more interactive as he participates in different identification games. Most board books help in enhancing the child's identification in various shapes, colors and sizes. Colorful pictures also spark the interest of a lot of children. A lot of child experts believe that board books are always the best start to immersing kids to read children books. Constantly visiting the library with your child is also a healthy practice in nurturing their education. Sooner or later, you will be surprised to realize that your child can get into the habit of reading without having to be reminded by you.

Copyright (c) 2009 Rita R Philips

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Books For Boys - Appealing Stories For Active Little Guys

by Karen Gallagher

Experts suggest that children should read at least 10 minutes a day, though striving for a solid 20 minutes is even better. Reading is the single most important cornerstone for learning, so establishing good habits early on will set your child up for success in school and in life.

But it can be challenging sometimes to get little boys to sit still long enough for a single book. They seem to have a limitless supply of energy that works against them during story time. For this reason, it is important to seek out books for boys that are appealing, entertaining, and interesting. When you do find the right books, you will be pleasantly surprised at how engaged they become and how quickly reading time passes.

Here are some book categories to consider when looking for good books for boys:

• Books about Superheroes: Many little boys love superheroes and the awesome powers they possess. They watch movies, collect action figures, and demonstrate their own superhero abilities when playing. Some books for boys about superheroes include: Dex: The Heart of a Hero, Superhero ABC and Traction Man is Here.


• Books about Sports: All of the excitement and action that takes place in the field, court, or rink can be captured in great books about sports. And the lessons learned through these stories are invaluable. A few suggested books for boys about sports include: The Magic Hockey Stick, Roasted Peanuts, and Game Day.


• Books about Pirates: Young boys are drawn to the mystery and intrigue of pirates. The lifestyle of a pirate is fascinating and dangerous, appealing to the active minds of little boys. A few good books for boys about pirates include: How I Became a Pirate, Do Pirates Take Baths?, and The Night Pirates.


• Books about Adventure: A little boy's imagination can take him to far away places without ever leaving his bedroom. Good books for boys about imaginary adventures will have him begging to read more. Some suggested titles include: Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-this-World Moon-Pie Adventure, Zathura, and The Secret Shortcut.

By surrounding boys with books they enjoy, reading will become a fun activity that they choose to do voluntarily. This love for reading should be cultivated at an early age by choosing books for boys that are entertaining and appealing. In doing so, you will cultivate a love for reading, the fundamental building block for learning and growth.

Karen Gallagher has a BA from Bucknell University and an MBA from Rider University. She is the founder and owner of The Lollipop Book Club, a company specializing in the gift of high quality books for children.

http://www.lollipopbookclub.com

Ten Tips For Raising a Book Lover

by Karen Gallagher


Some kids can read quietly for hours while others cannot seem to sit still long enough to get through a short story. And a whole lot of children are somewhere in the middle. Regardless of where our kids fall on the "book-lover" spectrum, most parents agree that there is plenty of opportunity for improvement.

So how do you go about shifting the pendulum away from the TV and toward a good book? Follow these ten tips and you will see even the most resistant children reading more:

(1) Set an example: Take a look at your own habits. When your kids watch you unwinding after a long day, what do they see? Many times adults do not reach for a book until they slip into bed, long after the kids are asleep. Next time, grab a book rather than the remote control at a time when your reading habits are visible to your children.

(2) Read out loud: Even if your child is an independent reader, it is still important to spend time together reading a good book. For early readers or kids who are struggling a bit, let them just relax and listen to you read sometimes. They will learn to enjoy the entertainment value of a good book without the frustration of struggling through it all alone.

(3) Keep books in the car: At home there are a lot of distractions that can be more appealing to a child than reading a book. But when sitting at a doctor's office or on the sideline of a sibling's sports event, a book takes on a whole new light. So keep a stash on hand for the next time your child needs to pass some time.

(4) Visit the library: If you have not stepped foot in a library for some time, you will be pleasantly surprised at what it offers. A well-run branch has ever-changing displays and attractions for kids. In addition to borrowing some video games (yes, they have those too!), your child can select a generous number of books to enjoy for a couple of weeks.

(5) Find new places to read: It is good to have a quiet place at home to read. But sometimes it is even better to break the routine and take your child somewhere new to do some reading. Find a bench at a park, sit on your front porch, spread out a blanket in the backyard...you get the idea. Changing the environment breaks up the monotony and keeps it fun.

(6) Let your child pick the books: There is plenty of required reading in school, and that can feel like a punishment for kids who do not have an affinity for books. So take some time to help your child find books he or she find interesting for leisure reading.

(7) Find books that are below your child's reading level: Yes, you read that correctly. Children need to feel confident about reading, and they will never feel good about it if every book is a challenge. Rather, encourage your child to pick up a book that he/she will master quickly and easily from time to time.

(8) Set reading goals based on chapters, not time: Reading for a half hour vs. reading two chapters. Which is better? It is important that your child have a tangible goal in mind- one that can be measured by accomplishment. Reading for a half hour is not a concrete enough since some of that time might be spent drifting off or daydreaming. On the other hand, reading two chapters is a well-defined goal leading to a sense of achievement.

(9) Read the same books as your children: Once your child is able to read chapter books independently, you can still read them too. Take the time to talk about the books and what you liked about them. You will demonstrate to your child that you have an active interest in reading, and specifically in the books your child has chosen.

(10) Give books as gifts: A book is by far the best present you can give to a child. Long after the toys are forgotten, books will provide entertainment and educational value. Do something to make your gift of books special, such as writing words of encouragement on the inside cover. You may consider giving your child a gift card to a bookstore and letting your child pick the titles. Make it an experience or tradition that your child will always remember. Just remember that the way you approach reading as a parent will influence and shape the way your child perceives it. Follow these tips and your child will learn to love and enjoy reading for a lifetime.

Karen is the owner of The Lollipop Book Club, a company specializing in the gift of books for children. A book arrives each month with a handcrafted lollipop and a personal note. It is the perfect children's gift for birthdays and holidays. http://www.lollipopbookclub.com

Essay: A Bookish Life I Will Always Cherish

By Jamie Quaranta

There is something about my childhood that I think you should know. When I was just two years old, I was diagnosed with a mild form of autism known as Asperger's syndrome. I had trouble talking with others. I had trouble with my handwriting. And, you guessed it, I had trouble reading.

But, you'll be happy to know that I did improve upon my reading skills when I was handed my first children's book in preschool at the tender age of four. I can recall a "pop-up" book collection about a miniature Golden Retriever known as Spot. These "pop-up" books made it much easier for me to read the words as well as navigate each vibrant page, each of which contained a hidden object that led to the clues Spot was so eager to find. There was one "pop-up" pocket-sized book, in particular, in which Spot had to find his bone for dinner. I had to "lift" a "golden toy chest," "open" a "kitchen closet," all until he finally found his bone back in the "toy chest!" The words in these books were by no means powerful, but they were still a critical tool for my all-important cognitive skills in every sense of the developmentally delayed word.

Perhaps no other children's book collection, however, had a more profound impact on my childhood (and in my later years in life) than the Berenstain Bears. They "lived down a sunny dirt road in Bear Country," but the lessons they taught me, as well as every other friend and relative of mine, were of great, if not astronomical, importance to life itself. My all-time favorite in this series is "The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies (1988)." It teaches you how not to be greedy when you're at the grocery store, the retail store, and even at home. I realized that I should never ask for more money and/or more candy and other "addictive" material things because, as I began to realize at the end of the story, asking for more and more on a continual basis can be embarrassing and totally impolite. In other words, I realized it was important for me to be grateful for whatever I have rather than what I don't have, which continues to be my most moral status quo to this day.

Although I did love reading children's books in preschool and elementary school once I got the hang of their colorful words and illustrations, I hate to admit that my middle school reading experiences were less than fulfilling. I had trouble reading slightly more intricate chapter books like Daniel Keyes' "Flowers for Algernon (1966)," S.E. Hinton's "Rumble Fish (1975)" and "The Outsiders (1967)," "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and many other stories tailored for young adults; they simply didn't contain any pictures. I also had to start doing more detailed book reports not just on the stories themselves, but on the broad, sometimes taboo, themes they emphasized as well. What I did find fulfilling about "Algernon," however, was that it was about a man with severe mental retardation; I began to realize that being retarded was a chronic medical condition and not merely another indirect, derogatory synonym for acting stupid. Although "Algernon" was still dated in its depiction of the medical treatment the protagonist received by the time I reached my "tween" years, I no longer treat others with developmental disabilities the same way again, but in an inspiring and uncondescending way, that is.

Summer reading was no fun for me in both junior high and high school. I had to read stories mandated by my teachers or, better yet, my hometown's Board of Education committees. I had to write increasingly intensive essays that didn't pertain to my simplistic, or rather juvenile, style of writing. I had to make sure everything was done right before the first school bell rang on the first day of school. The list went on and on.

But what was deeply ironic about my adolescence was that I did, indeed, become a much better writer. The books I had to read in school may have been insignificant or less than satisfying, but that, by no means, interfered with my collective, self-reflective diaries. I always wrote in my journal about how I was feeling about my education and personal life, as well as how others perceived me in the process. I also began to teach myself about how to write solid non-fiction essays, for that meant something even more self-sustaining altogether.

But who deserves credit for this improvement? Well, I would have to admit that it was my high school English teacher who made me much more enthusiastic about my reading and writing both in and out of the classroom in the end. She truly cared about my potential to rise to the top of my special education class. She knew I literally had a learning disability that was hard to classify or explain, let alone admit to others openly. More importantly, she realized just how difficult it would be for me to succeed beyond high school. The rest is history.

I am now an avid reader and writer. I'm not much of a fiction lover, although I do read some bestsellers like "The Da Vinci Code (2003)" when I have spare time, especially at night. Most of the time, however, I like to read a diverse range of non-fiction treatises and "novels," even if they are for "escapist" pleasure rather than as academic food for thought. But even more important than my current reading habits are the ways in which I write. I'm no longer apprehensive about writing scholarly essays and book reports, so I'm no longer writing in my journal on a daily basis. Although I still struggle with my writing in terms of finding the most appropriate style and syntax, I would have to admit that improvement is no substitute for continuing to explore new avenues and pathways for as long as I remain most literately competent.

But do I still read a favorite book from my childhood that continues to be in my collective self-consciousness? You bet. I happened to (and still happen to) memorize almost every single gem of a line in Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1957)." I'm sure I'm not the only child still at heart who can do I what do at my Grinchy best. So, that said, it's always comforting to know that even the most trivial of all things wordy can live in your heart forever for whatever reason you make it to be.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Jamie Quaranta has a Bachelor of Library and Information Science degree from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut.

As a journalism student at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, CT from 2003-2007, he received numerous accolades from his friends, teachers, colleagues, and relatives alike for his outstanding amateur writings in a diverse range of styles, including creative non-fiction essays. In addition, he worked as a staff writer for the renowned two-year school’s student-run "Horizons" newspaper, where he specialized in arts-and-entertainment reviews, editorials, health news briefs, and other genres.

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