By Kitty Felde It’s likely that among your children’s holiday gifts this year, there were more than a few gift cards. Left to their own devices, kids will head straight to the electronics store. But if there’s flexibility in what kids can spend their gift card money on, take them […]
Young Readers: Kids Can’t Keep their Hands Off these Giftable Books
By Kitty Felde Kids are reading less. A lot less. Just one in three children read every day for pleasure. According to the National Literacy Trust, daily reading by kids between ages eight and 18 has dropped 26 percent over the past two decades. Librarian Rebecca Opalka says she’s been […]
Young Readers: Bribes, Rewards, Incentives: Encouraging Readers By Any Means Necessary
By Kitty Felde Let’s say you’ve tried everything you can think of to get your reluctant reader to pick up a book. Now what? Here’s a suggestion from a librarian: bribe them. It doesn’t have to be much. Olineke Olaniya of the Indianapolis Public Library says she challenges young patrons […]
Young Readers: Finding a Perfect (Book) Match
By Kitty Felde It’s early in the school year, but maybe you’ve already heard the complaint: “But I don’t like reading.” The real complaint is that your child doesn’t like reading that particular book and can’t find the one he or she will in love with. If only there was some kind […]
Young Readers: Listen Up!
By Kitty Felde More and more of us are “reading” books with our ears these days. A survey by Edison Research finds that more than half of American adults say they’ve listened to at least one audiobook. And 56% of those same audiobook listeners say their children are also listening […]
Young Readers Book Review: Black Was The Ink
By Paula Young Shelton This historical fiction young adult novel takes the reader on an adventure through time and America’s political history. Centered on a young African American teen from Washington, DC, Black Was The Ink leads Malcolm on an exploration of himself, his family, and the forgotten history of […]
Young Readers: No Book Shaming
By Kitty Felde I just got back from the American Library Association annual conference in Chicago. It was the perfect place to ask the experts about how to get a kid to pick up a book. Librarian Arlene LaVerde from Queens, New York says kids have been inundated with school […]