Great Books About Things Kids Love More Than 750 Recommended Books for Children 3 to 14

Introduction "I like stories about children and wild animals and explorers." Garnet in Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright "Would you like me to read to you?" "Yeah. About airplanes." So Anastasia climbed up on the high hospital bed and read to Sam from one of the library books she had brought him. Anastasia at Your Service by Lois Lowry Annie put the dinosaur book back with the other books. Then she gasped. "Wow," she whispered. "Look at this." She held up a book about Egypt. Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne "What sayeth he?" asked the red-cross knight's friend. "Methinks they know of us," whispered the tall one. "Sure," I said. "I've read all about you guys--the sword in the stone, Lancelot and Guenevere, Merlin the Magician." Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka "The best kind of book," said Barnaby, "is a magic book. . . . The best kind of magic book . . . is when it's about ordinary people like us, and then something happens and it's magic." Seven-Day Magic by Edward Eager "What is the use of a book," thought Alice, "with-out pictures or conversations?" Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Wild animals, explorers, airplanes, ancient Egypt, knights and wizards, and stories about magic in everyday life--these are just a few of the things children love to read about. The speakers quoted above are all fictional characters, but they speak for real children, too, who have so many interests they want to explore, often starting when they are young. When I think about what motivates a child to pick up a book and read, or prompts a young child to ask a parent to read aloud, the answer often has to do with the subject of the book. True, some avid readers have an inner drive to read, but most children choose a book because it is about something they love. In my seventeen years as a children's librarian, I have seen child after child check out a book not just because I said it was a good story but because it was about dragons, dinosaurs, or dolls. Children who ordinarily wouldn't pick up a book unless they had to changed their minds when offered a collection of brain teasers, a photo-essay with great shots of snakes, or books about baseball, ballet, trucks, horses, monsters, or drawing. Most children don't realize what a rich array of books exists on so many fascinating subjects. Parents can take ad-vantage of their children's excitement about different subjects as a way to get them excited about reading. This guide will help parents and children find books to satisfy their curiosity and their thirst for "pictures or conversations." The larger goal of this guide is to help your child learn to love reading and to make sure that books mean more to him or her than just a school assignment. (For ways to incorporate reading into your child's everyday routine, see the sections of the book under the heading "Encouraging Your Child to Read.") If a child isn't enthusiastic about reading in school but loves soccer, a book on soccer technique may suddenly make reading worthwhile. A novel with a lot of soccer action or a biography about a favorite player may capture his or her inter-est. The child's devotion to soccer will spill over to books on the subject, giving books and reading a new and positive status. Learning can take on a practical purpose--such as under-standing soccer better--that hooks a child into reading. Oftentimes, children don't understand why they are taught certain things in school, particularly when they have to stOdean, Kathleen is the author of 'Great Books About Things Kids Love More Than 750 Recommended Books for Children 3 to 14' with ISBN 9780345441317 and ISBN 0345441311.