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How Book Help Improve Reading

August 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Try to create a habit of reading on a regular basis. Read many English books, newspaper articles and magazines as you can. Reading is one of the best skills that can help you in achieving success in schools, but, many people in today’s world do not enjoy reading. Let’s see how to make reading more enjoyable. Here are some tips for helping you develop a love for reading.
Try making reading fun. Make sure that the books you choose are not too difficult for the child. If the book that you are reading is a task, try finding something easier. There are many such books available in the market which that show lots of pictures and have very simple description in them about the subject. You can go to 411.ca, as this will serve as a guide to help you find the books for your preference.

Discover an author you like and read their books. By doing these you will understand the style of the author and the distinctive vocabulary and grammar they apply. As you read a lot of his/her books you will find it lighter and lighter.
Check if you have a nearby library and see if they have translation of Vernacular books. These vernacular books would’ve already been read by you. So it will be easier for you to understand the subject even though it is written in English.
Have the practice of reading again what you have read. Preferably after a few weeks/months later. Now you will see that the understanding of the subject has increased .This will make book reading more interesting for you.

Discuss with other people the books that you have read. There are lots of online forums which cater to this crowd. Join any of them and share your thoughts on the book that you’ve read. Save the classics for later, start with short stories and small articles. You can also try your hands on to some comics. They are also interesting and to go a long way in improving your reading skills.

Filed Under: General, Reading Tagged With: , ,

The Contributions of Children’s Authors to Reading

July 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Cover of  

Cover of Jumanji

There have been many authors who have made a mark on children’s literature. Their writing has inspired thousands of children and instilled a love of reading in them.

E.B. White is a noted author who is well-known for works such as Trumpet of the Swan, Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. His books are full of engaging characters, unique twists and perspectives that draw children to them today. He has made a real impression with Charlotte’s Web, a book filled with the truth of life, friendship and loss. His writing has helped many children to understand some of life’s most struggling trials.

J.K. Rowling is one of the most recent authors in the last two decades to redefine children’s books. Her Harry Potter series has drawn millions of fans around the world and inspired films and other items. One of her greatest contributions is getting reluctant young readers to pick up a book and learn to love reading. Her books have been translated into different languages and are full of unforgettable characters, villains and twists in plot.

Chris van Allsburg has inspired many with his engaging picture books including Jumangi and The Polar Express. His stories are imaginative, but when combined with his breathtaking illustrations they jump off of the page. Readers have enjoyed pouring over his stories and taking in the fantastic color and detail in his artwork. His illustrations bring children’s book art to a whole new level.

These authors and many others have positively inspired millions of children to pick up a book and find a new story.

Filed Under: Books, Reading, Writing Tagged With: , ,

The Best Books That Fit You

July 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

What kind of reader are you? If you have an interest, there’s a book about it. Books open possibilities to those who venture in. Whether you think so or not, you can be a reader.

The Eternal Knowledge Seeker

This person lives with his head in a National Geographic, so he enjoys non-fiction that will teach him something. If this fits you, try these titles.

  • The Human Difference: Animals, Computers, and the Necessity of Social Science by Alan Wolfe
  • Anything by Stephen E. Ambrose. He’s one of the great authors of American history.
  • The End of Empire: Attila the Hun and the Fall of Rome by Christopher Kelly

The Hopeless Romantic

This is probably your mom. She has a pile of romance novels by her bedside. To bring her into the 21st century, try these titles. Canada 411 will guide you to a bookstore full of romance.

  • Hidden Star by Nora Roberts. This is part of a collection of books.
  • Chasin’ Eight by Lorelei James. This series will give Mom that manly man love affair of the Harlequins.
  • Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin. It’s a little more hip, and moms need that.

I Only Read Literature

You know this guy. He’s read the classics three times, and he has collections of poetry and drama on his coffee table. His contemporary collection includes:

  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • Everything Michael Chabon ever wrote
  • Secret Lives of Great Authors by Robert Schnakenberg is hidden under his pillow to protect his cred.

The point is to have fun while you read so that you keep on doing it!

Filed Under: Books, Education Tagged With: , ,

Books: Adventures for Kids

June 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment
books 

Image by brody4 via Flickr

In some circumstances, when you mention reading a book to kids, you see the glaze look appear over their faces—and maybe even some eye rolling. Presentation is everything, so getting kids exciting about reading really comes down to how you present it to them. Truth be told, books hold adventures, expectations and ways that you and your kids may never have the experience to have in any other way.

Get Lost in a Book

When it is a good book and a book that holds the interest of the reader, it is easy to get lost in the book. It is easy to not want to put the book down, not even for a minute, because you simply can’t stand not knowing what happens next. This is the type of feeling you have to instill in your children. In other words, you have to find topics, characters and genres of books that seem to capture and hold the attention of your child better than others.

Get Involved

The love of reading is also a monkey see, monkey do type activity. When your kids see that you love to read and they witness you reading and enjoying books, they are more apt to partake in the activity themselves. In addition to leading by example, you can also make reading a special activity that you share with your child. Each night, sit down and read an entire book, a few pages or an entire chapter of a book with your child. How much you read and what you read, for example, will depend on the age of your child (and possibly their attention span).

 

Filed Under: Books, Reading Tagged With: , ,

The Glory and Angst of Writing for a Living

May 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Writer Renata Bomfim 

Image via Wikipedia

 

The writer’s life is a misunderstood one. If you write for a living, you’ve no doubt witnessed people’s blank expressions when you reply to the question: What do you do for a living? The starving artist, the blocked creative person or the best-selling author are all images that come to people’s minds, depending on which movies they’ve seen or how familiar they are with the writing profession.

The Angst of Writing

Perpetual angst is the topic most commonly addressed in movies made about writers. Unhappy editors and pressing deadlines cause writers to sulk, worry and sometimes hide from the world. The irritable writer with a cigarette in hand and crumpled paper in or near the trash can is a prevalent image. The unhappy writer who hasn’t showered in days and can’t think of how to start or end his book makes up the dramatic image of the typical writer’s existence. With such constant despair, what makes writers do what they do?

The Joy of Pursuing a Passion

In reality, writers write because they must. The flow of ideas and the urge to craft writing into the perfect sentence, paragraph, chapter and book causes the writer to endure the difficult and uninspired moments. Being paid to do what you love is pretty much everyone’s dream. The writer who can sit and work anywhere at any time enjoys a rare privilege.

The creative outlet coupled with continual autonomy makes a writer’s life one worth Living. Angst-filled moments do exist, but they are quickly forgotten the moment a brilliant idea appears or the work touches other people’s minds and hearts.

Filed Under: Reading, Writing Tagged With: , ,

Summer Reading Programs Explored

March 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Summer Reading Programs Explored

Children hate to read during the summer. School is out and most children believe that reading is some type of school related activity. However, if a child does not read for the three months that they are out of school they could really lose their reading skills and have to almost start over from scratch when they return to school. To encourage children to read during the summer month’s libraries and book stores all over the country start summer reading programs for children.

Summer reading programs are a great way to encourage children to pick up a book and read a little during the times when parents have a tough time getting their children to read. So how does a summer reading program work? The concept is fairly simple. Children are encouraged to sign up at their local bookstore or library. There is usually a huge kickoff event with refreshments and other types of things that would get a kid excited. After signing up children are given the requirements for the program. This could be read X amount of books, X amount of pages or track progress on books. There will be prizes, rewards and events throughout the summer that keep the kids excited and coming back to the library and wanting to read.

Children’s summer reading programs have proven to be a very successful way to get children to read during the summer. The best part is that a lot of the programs are free for parents so it’s a very cost effective way to encourage reading and get children into the libraries.

Filed Under: Reading Tagged With: , ,

Exploring Adult Summer Reading Programs

March 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Exploring Adult Summer Reading Programs

Summer is the time when many people gear themselves up to head to the beach or a remote vacation somewhere. There is always so much to see and do outdoors during the summer months that people forget to take a few moments, sit back and pick up a book. That is why many libraries and bookstores create summer reading events intended just for adults.

A study once showed that library attendance dropped over 50% during the summer months. This usually means that governments and private funders will not provide as much funding to the libraries. In an effort to encourage citizens to come check out the library and see what it has to offer during the summer months, libraries offer summer reading programs.

Summer reading programs for adults differ from those that are geared to children. They will usually require the adults to share and talk about a book that they previous read and enjoyed during the summer months. They will then place their name in a box and hope to win dozens of prizes. These prizes can range from iPods to gift cards.

While the summer reading programs for adults might vary from those of the children the benefits are the same. Libraries and bookstores what to encourage adults to visit the library during the summer months which will encourage adults to keep reading despite the hot weather. Summer reading programs will also bring in library patrons that can help with funding for the library which every library desperately needs.

Filed Under: Books, Reading Tagged With: , ,

Even More Books for Children Between the Ages of Nine and Twelve

March 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Even More Books for Children Between the Ages of Nine and Twelve

When your children are between the ages of nine and twelve, their imaginations are running wild and they are looking for a variety of new stories that they can read and experience. You should be striving to fill your home with top books from award winning authors. The following is just a brief list of some of the top books that are recommended for this age group, and so you should strive to keep these books and similar titles in the home at all times. Read to your children, and allow them to read to you. Reading is a beautiful thing that you should explore with your children.

- “The Phantom Tollbooth,” which was written by an author named Norton Juster.
- “Tuck Everlasting,” which was written by an author named Natalie Babbitt.
- “Anne of Green Gables,” which was written by an author named Lucy Maud Montgomery.
- “The Great Gilly Hopkins,” which was written by an author named Katherine Paterson.
- “Little House books,” which was written by an author named Laura Ingalls Wilder.
- “Sideways Stories from Wayside School,” which was written by an author named Louis Sachar.
- “Harriet the Spy,” which was written by an author named Louise Fitzhugh.
- “A Light in the Attic,” which was written by an author named Shel Silverstein.
- “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” which was written by an author named Richard Atwater.
- “My Father’s Dragon,” which was written by an author named Ruth Stiles Gannett.
- “Stuart Little,” which was written by an author named E.B. White.
- “Walk Two Moons,” which was written by an author named Sharon Creech.
- “The Witch of Blackbird Pond,” which was written by an author named Elizabeth George Speare.
- “The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963,” which was written by an author named Christopher Paul Curtis.

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Getting Noticed by a Publisher

March 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Getting Noticed by a Publisher

Every writer knows just how hard it is to get your manuscript looked at by one of the largest publishing firms. You have to have a great introduction letter and a story that really grabs the attention of an editor. Most editors at major publishing firms will give a book three pages before they decide if they want to explore that author or not. So how can you as a writer get your manuscript looked at by a major publisher? Here are some tips that could help you get past the editors tossing the manuscript or recycling it.

Great Letter of Introduction. You will want to make sure that your letter of introduction about yourself is as good as it can get. You want to focus on the main points and not spend time talking about how you would love to be published because most publishers don’t’ care. Just keep it short, sweet and to the point.

Synopsis of the Story. Publishers will require that you put a brief synopsis of the story. Try to make it compelling and captivating to readers. However, do not lie in the synopsis. Don’t talk about the great dragon if there are no dragons in the story. Just be honest but make it really intriguing.

Editing. One of the biggest turnoffs for an editor is to have a story that comes to them that is lacking in editing. This could be blatant spelling or grammar errors, typos and other items. You want to present the best product that you can. If you cannot employee an editor ask friends or family members to help you out.

These are just some of the considerations that you are going to want to make when you are looking for a publisher to notice you. Getting noticed by a publisher is an essential step in bringing your book to print.

Filed Under: Books, Writing Tagged With: , ,

More Books for Children Between the Ages of Nine and Twelve

March 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

More Books for Children Between the Ages of Nine and Twelve

If you have children aged between 9 and 12, then you are probably well aware of how important reading is during these years. One of the best things that you can do during this period of time is to help your child read by providing them with a wide variety of books and stories to read. The following is a list of some of the award-winning and highly popular books that are specifically geared toward this age group. If you want to help your child develop a serious hunger for reading, then make sure that these books are a part of your child’s reading library.

- “The Giver,” which was written by an author named Lois Lowry.
- “James and the Giant Peach: A Children’s Story,” which was written by an author named Roald Dahl.
- “Little House in the Big Woods,” which was written by an author named Laura Ingalls Wilder.
- “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,” which was written by an author named Mildred D. Taylor.
- “Stone Fox,” which was written by an author named John Reynolds Gardiner.
- “Number the Stars,” which was written by an author named Lois Lowry.
- “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh,” which was written by an author named Robert C. O’Brien.
- “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” which was written by an author named Barbara Robinson.
- “Matilda,” which was written by an author named Roald Dahl.
- “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,” which was written by an author named Judy Blume.
- “Ramona Quimby, Age 8,” which was written by an author named Beverly Cleary.
- “The Trumpet of the Swan,” which was written by an author named E. B. White.
- “The Chronicles of Narnia,” which was written by an author named C. S. Lewis.

Filed Under: Books, Reading Tagged With: , ,
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