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Summary: Every Child Will Adore Reading,, Parents Will Have Fun, Too
Review: Every child will adore books and reading once they have experienced them as Esme Codell suggests. Parents, older children, teachers and volunteers will also be caught up in the process of helping children love to read using Codell's relevant and meaningful activities, coupled with books.It took only an hour to peruse and learn how to navigate this magnificent reference book full of lists, ideas, encouragements, tips, actrivities, and so much more. It is now easy to locate the right books and activities for the children I teach.
Esme Codell is a delightfully "up" person, whose personality and joy of living fully is expressed in her writing. She tells how to share that joy of life, experienced through books and activities, with your child. To quote her, she believes there is "no reason you shouldn't be empowered to make learning happen for your child whenever you see fit." Through this book, she makes it easy. As a former story hour lady and librarian, a current teacher, parent, grandparent and author, my excitement level and desire to "dig in" and use more of her ideas is high. Thematic learning is the ultimate way to capture children's interest. Codell offers multiple themes from science, history, fairy tales, party ideas, to traveling, and so much more -- all featuring a wealth of book choices. She knows her literature! How to Get Your Child to Love Reading is a "must-have" book for every parent, grandparent and teacher, and a great compliment to the book I authored, "You Can Teach Someone to Read". It's one you'll never stop using, even when it gets dog-eared. You may, however, have to pass it down to your child to use when he becomes an parent.
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Summary: Don't be Put Off by Author's Exuberance
Review: I agree with the enthusiastic reviews here and just wanted to add that, if one finds the author's style annoying (I do), this is still a great book. I didn't buy this book at first due to the overly-zealous style. On a second look-through I bought it, read it, and have bought multiple copies as gifts ever since. Terrific ideas to keep a child's interest as well as wonderful recommendations.
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Summary: Don't be Put Off by Author's Exuberance
Review: I agree with the enthusiastic reviews here and just wanted to add that, if one finds the author's style annoying (I do), this is still a great book. I didn't buy this book at first due to the overly-zealous style. On a second look-through I bought it, read it, and have bought multiple copies as gifts ever since. Terrific ideas to keep a child's interest as well as wonderful recommendations.
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Summary: Rx for Illiteracy
Review: I cannot say enough about this book! I caught about ten minutes of Esmé's recent interview on NPR and was immediately captivated, not only by what she said but also by how she said it. _How to Get Your Child to Love Reading_ was conceived when Esmé was staring at a shriveled potato that was sprouting eyes. She wondered, " . . . if I had a potato, nothing but a potato, how could I teach a classroom full of children? Well, I could cut a potato in half. (I can use the paring knife from my own kitchen, right?) We could review fractions. With one half, I could cut a design and do potato prints. We could plant the eyes from the other half of the potato (it can have eyes, right?) and grow mor potatoes, charting their growth." The ideas cascade: writing a story about a potato, making a book of potato recipes or potato poems, making potato stamps of all the letters, teaching reading getting books from the library about potatoes, talking about the Irish potato famine, writing letters to executives about potato chips or Mr. Potato Head. The preceding excerpt illustrates the boundless creativity of author Esmé Raji Codell. On this first page she establishes the metaphor that recurs throughout _How to Get Your Child to Love Reading_: "Children's literature is our national potato." It is the seed that, through its many shoots, can help our children become caring, educated citizens. Although the cover dubs _How to Get Your Child to Love Reading_ a "Parent's Guide," this book is a treasure trove for teachers, librarians, grandparents, anyone who cares about children and books. It provides "activities, ideas, and inspiration for exploring everything in the world through books." It is a valuable resource for nourishing juvenile readers, both the reluctant and the ravenous. _How to Get Your Child to Love Reading_ includes over 3,000 titles recommended for children from birth through eighth grade. However, it doesn't stop with mere recommendations. As Esmé says, "This book is a recipe book for children's literature: how to serve it up so it's delicious and varied." After a section on reading with "the littlest bambinos," _How to Get Your Child to Love Reading_ is organized by subject matter: social studies, math and science, story books, etc. Esmé subdivides the broad categories, however, so that book lists have very specific headings. She offers books for specific seasons, for special occasions (such as the arrival of a sibling or losing a tooth), for dealing with everyday problems (tattling or the hiccups). Because the categories are so specific, many books are listed simply by title and author. That is sufficient. Sometimes Esmé adds just a word or two of description. For example, in the math section the note "place value" beside the title _The King's Commissioners_ is extremely elucidating. For some books Esmé provides sentence summaries. For others she provides more information, even excerpts. She provides just enough information to whet our appetites. But _How to Get Your Child to Love Reading_ has so much more! Esmé's wisdom and revelry shine through on every page. Esmé includes dozens of articles, some on controversial subjects (for example, should reading be rewarded?). She has recurring features honoring "reading heroes" and addressing questions about various aspects of reading. She provides a list of benefits of reading aloud, a "Happy Childhood Checklist," a list of "Must-Reads by the Time You're Thirteen," six pages of story starters. She offers suggestions for integrating literature with life, often in celebration -- a parade of books, a storytelling festival, an unbirthday party. She recommends additional resources, many of them on the Internet. Appendices and indices round out _How to Get Your Child to Love Reading_. The appendices include Newbery and Caldecott Award honorees as well as winners. Information about a specific book is easy to find since the books are triply indexed -- by title, author, and subject.
I am thrilled to have discovered Esmé Raji Codell. She is indeed an exuberant, eloquent young voice for promoting literacy through children's literature. _How to Get Your Child to Love Reading_ may well offer the best hope for stemming the current tide of illiteracy.
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Summary: This book is impossible to borrow, you have to buy!!!
Review: I checked this book out from the library, interested in this whopping 500 page book! I had heard about the author from her Educating Esme book. I was interested in what she had to say, being a teacher myself. This book is quite inspiring, for children, teachers, and parents alike!!! I am obviously a huge advocate for children being surrounded by books and as well as ordering from scholastic every month, I scan the titles at the local bookstores, hoping that someday, the book fairy will come down and wave his/her magic wand at me! All silliness aside, reading about reading always gets me excited! I have no idea where she came up with all of those titles, she must have done tons of researching, because there are over 3000 titles in this book alone! I loved the little pages full of advice and ideas... example: Your Job: Connect children with books. Basically, if they want to be an accountant, read: Alexander, who used to be rich last Sunday. If they want to be in hotel management, read Rabbit Inn. Her chapters range for ages from infants to teenagers, stopping at interesting subjects in between! Books in the bath, alphabet and counting books, wordless books, unbirthday stories, civil war, slavery, Africa, Asia, the list goes on and on! Also, there are lots of little advice columns for those that need help. She responds, Dear gentle reader... I wish there was a book around when I was younger so I could have a greater access to all of these titles! Reading to children is the most important thing we can do for them because it spells out love and caring! I have to buy it!
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Summary: A parent and teacher's best friend
Review: I've read some reviews that state that this book is like having a great librarian or creative teacher in your home with you -- they're right. This is a charming, witty and practical reference guide. (Think of it like the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book for reading.) You can pretty much start anywhere in the book--you don't have to read it from cover to cover, though the first chapter is a good basis. I am definitely using the Amazon supersaver shipping discount and buying this for every teacher and parent on my holiday gift list this year.
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Summary: Pick it up
Review: If you want your kids to start reading or if you need direction in finding books that your kids will love this is a must buy.
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Summary: My PTA is going to go nuts!
Review: So many fundraising ideas! Loved the sections about cooking and reading, too. This book has about a million ideas for a rainy day, and a million and one for a sunny day.
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Summary: Not just a guide for parents!
Review: The cover of the book suggests this is a guide for parents, but I have adopted it as required reading for my students of education. This book is a great resource for teachers in training. So many teachers go out into the field without a background in children's literature and depend on textbooks. This book takes care of that! It also fosters great communication between teachers and parents, and there are so many pages in this book that can be reproduced and shared with families to create, as Esme puts it, "a bridge between school and home." Just like her first book, Educating Esme, this title is going to be dogeared and enjoyed by many future teachers, and inspire many veterans as well.
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Summary: A Must for Every Teacher as Well as Parent
Review: The is an enjoyable read. Every teacher should have this book in their own collection of professional development materials. It is timeless. The book sends a clear message from the first few pages, "Use what you have got!" There is no magic or mystery. I couldn't wait to turn the next page to see what Esme had to say next! Thank you for your wonderful ideas.
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