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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.

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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!

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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).

 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Importance Of Books In Children’s Life

March 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Children build up their skills, habits and personalities mainly with their interaction with friends and families. Similarly books can also help the child to develop all the above mentioned qualities. The books are also a good tool to open up mind and explore imaginations of a child and also make them think about the ideas that have never crossed their mind before.

Books will help to build good vocabulary skills in children. While reading each child will come across many new words each day and this helps them to improve their vocabulary skills. Reading books also help children to build up a better control in their language. Books also help them to know more about the world. Things that they have not seen or places that they have not visited can be easily viewed and details about such places can be attained through books.

Selecting good books which explains our culture, rules and responsibilities will help to develop social skills in children. Sharing quality can be also cultivated with the help of books. Children can make a group of their own and each one can buy book and share it with the others soon after reading. This will help in building a good bonding between your friends and also will help children to understand the concept of sharing.

While reading a book many distractions might come but due to the interest in books the child will give more concentration on what they are reading. This will help to improve the Level of concentration in children.

Parents should take initiative to make their child know and understand about the value of books. It doesn’t mean that you should your child to read books. Make them aware of the positive side of reading a book. Provide books to your children according to their age. Try to start this from very younger stage so that they will easily get adapted to it.

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Books for Children Between the Ages of Nine and Twelve

February 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Books for Children Between the Ages of Nine and Twelve

Facilitating reading in your family is ideal if you have growing children. It is up to you to help your child become a voracious reader, and this is something that you can accomplish by helping them read and giving them a myriad of different books to read along the way. The following list is just a small sampling of the excellent children’s literature that is geared toward children between the ages of 9 and 12.

- “Charlotte’s Web,” which was written by an author named E. B. White.
- “Hatchet,” which was written by an author named Gary Paulsen.
- “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” which was written by an author named C. S. Lewis.
- “Bridge to Terabithia,” which was written by an author named Katherine Paterson.
- “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which was written by an author named Roald Dahl.
- “A Wrinkle in Time,” which was written by an author named Madeleine L’Engle.
- “Shiloh,” which was written by an author named Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
- “Little House on the Prairie,” which was written by an author named Laura Ingalls Wilder.
- “The Secret Garden,” which was written by an author named Frances Hodgson Burnett.
- “The Boxcar Children,” which was written by an author named Gertrude Chandler Warner.
- “Sarah, Plain and Tall,” which was written by an author named Patricia MacLachlan.
- “The Indian in the Cupboard,” which was written by an author named Lynne Reid Banks.
- “Island of the Blue Dolphins,” which was written by an author named Scott O’Dell.
- “Maniac Magee,” which was written by an author named Jerry Spinelli.
- “The BFG,” which was written by an author named Roald Dahl.

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Even More Books for Children Aged Between Four and Eight

February 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Even More Books for Children Aged Between Four and Eight

Is your child between the ages of four and eight? If so, your child is somewhere between preschool and third grade in terms of reading. These are the most important years when it comes to learning how to read and developing good reading comprehension. The following is a list of some of the best books that you can keep in your home when you have a child between these age groups. Consider the benefits of stocking your home library with some of these classics.

- “The Little Engine That Could,” which was written by an author named Watty Piper.
- “The Paper Bag Princess,” which was written by an author named Robert N. Munsch.
- “Curious George,” which was written by an author named Hans Augusto Rey .
- “Clifford, the Big Red Dog,” which was written by an author named Norman Bridwell.
- “Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge,” which was written by an author named Mem Fox.
- “Caps for Sale,” which was written by an author named Esphyr Slobodkina.
- “Arthur series,” which was written by an author named Marc Tolon Brown.
- “The Art Lesson,” which was written by an author named Tomie De Paola.
- “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse,” which was written by an author named Kevin Henkes.
- “Amelia Bedelia,” which was written by an author named Peggy Parish.
- “The Little House,” which was written by an author named Virginia Lee Burton.

Try to set a goal of buying a new book once a week or once every couple of weeks, and teach your children how to keep the books in good shape over time. Building up a solid family library is an essential part of turning your children into voracious readers. Make sure that you read stories to them and that you facilitate their own ability to read so that they can begin to explore the interesting adventures that these books lay out for them.

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