By Kitty Felde
Perhaps I’m still thinking about Valentine’s Day, wondering about how we fall in love with another person. What is it about them that makes them irresistible?
A much tougher question is: how do we get a kid to fall in love with reading?
It’s hard enough to get a reluctant reader to pick up a book. But once they’ve done it, how do you get them to keep going? Suppose your reader has gotten into a slump, how do you get them excited about books again?
In other words: how can you find another book they’ll love?
Heidi Vonmayrhouser is a children’s librarian in Milpitas, California. As an investigative librarian, she likes to “dig into the interests” of her readers by asking lots of questions and then finding the perfect next book that fits the reader’s interests and passions.
You don’t have to be an investigative reporter – or an investigative librarian – to find out what might tempt the child in your life to pick up another book. Just ask a few specific questions. Here’s Heidi’s guide to interviewing your child:
Heidi’s Questions for Readers Looking to Fall in Love with Another Book:
- What do you do for fun?
- Which books have you read recently?
- Is there a book that you couldn’t put down?
- What book would you read in the summer for fun?
And because this should be a Top Five list, let me add one more. It’s the question we ask everyone who appears on the Book Club for Kids podcast:
- What’s your favorite book of all time…and why?
Take the answers to one of the clerks at your favorite indie bookstore, or talk to the children’s librarian at our beautiful new Southwest Library. They’ll guide you to your child’s next read, the one they could truly fall in love with. The one that could keep them reading and reading and reading.
Kitty Felde is the host and executive producer of the award-winning Book Club for Kids podcast. Her newest book in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries series of books and podcasts is State of the Union.