Have a reluctant reader on your hands? You're not alone! The good news is that there are plenty of books out there to please even the pickiest of readers. Just remember, when dealing with an uninterested reader you must seek out high interest and sometimes less conventional reading materials. Sooner or later your child is bound to find some type of literature that he or she can enjoy (or at least tolerate!) Start small with books that have short snip-its or bits of info (a few sentences at a time) and work your way up to longer more involved reading. Don't give up…with these few suggestions you might just discover the hidden bookworm within your child.
Hobby/Special Interest Books: The key here is to know your child, especially his likes. Is there a sport or hobby that your child enjoys? Choose wisely by following their lead & preferences. Sports fan? Try the following popular sports series or perhaps even a monthly sports magazine for kids… How about cars, ballet, animals…? There are fiction and non-fiction books available for almost every child's interest imaginable. Here are just a few samples…
Sports Series
Matt Christopher Baseball Boxed Set
Matt Christopher Extreme Sports Boxed Set
Eyewitness DK Series: Some samples of non-fiction with lots of intriguing photos and short text.
The Graphic Novel: A new genre has arrived and is becoming wildly popular among kids of all ages. The graphic novel looks more like a comic book featuring illustrations and short dialogue bubbles, but is based upon full length novels & classics. Entice the reluctant reader with this comic book approach.
Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel (Alex Rider)
Swiss Family Robinson: Level 1 (Bring the Classics to Life: Level 1)
The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (Graphic Library: Graphic History)
Children's Magazines: Monthly magazines that arrive on your doorstep have a unique appeal to kids. Magazines are full of interesting photographs and usually contain short text or brief articles. Magazines can include a variety of short articles, games and activities, or can focus on a particular subject such as nature, sports and more.
See Recommended Children's Magazine Subscriptions for several popular suggestions.
Humorous Books: Selecting humorous books is a great way to get kids reading. Amusing characters and situations are appealing to even the most reluctant readers. This genre has numerous favorite authors and titles to choose from.
See Humorous Children's Books for recommended selections for children of all ages.
Mystery or Adventures Books: Other high interest genres for children are mystery and adventure books. There are several superb series available. These who-done-it or cliff hanger type books encourage kids to keep reading or try additional books in the series. Thrill them and chill them with some great choices.
See Children's Mystery and Adventure Books for selections they actually won't want to put down.
Other Creative Ideas: Don't limit yourself to these few suggestions. Be creative! Children will often enjoy books based upon popular children's movies; holiday themed books; popular kids series; field guides; tween advice series such as American Girl, and yes, even joke or riddle books. You have to start somewhere! Use these types of books to help your child get past the trauma of simply picking up a book. It's ok to start with… but keep in mind that they'll eventually need to take on more challenging reading material. Just keep trying different types of literature until your child discovers something he or she likes.
Good Luck & Happy Reading!
Other excellent year round resources for finding favorite children's reading selections are:
Amazon's Summer Reading Store for Kids. Check out this superb selection of summer reading at Amazon's Summer Reading for Kids & Teens. This impressive summer feature recommends quality children's, tweens & teen books according to age group, popular book series, boxed sets, books from movies, required summer reading, books reports books, classics, as well as picture books, craft books and activity books for summertime fun. A great place to find the perfect books for your children.
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Visit www.littleones.com for our selection of Great/Award Winning Children's Books, Little Ones Recommended Toys & Gifts, Birthday Theme Parties and Baby Basics, along with teacher tips, parenting articles, family fun and much more!
