“There was a book you had up on your door last school year that I was interested in reading.” A colleague caught me in the hall at the end of the one day of school we had between this week's bookend set of typhoons. I was excited to be able to locate the book in question on my desk and pass it on. In my previous blog (see link) I posited 3 ways to cultivate a culture of reading for the communities I’m part of, whether at home or in school—modeling reading, sharing reading, and encouraging reading—and I reflected on the first one, because it doesn't often work to cultivate by fiat what I don't do myself.
Sharing reading with my community starts with making my modeling more public: posting my current reads electronically on Goodreads and Facebook and putting posters of them on my classroom door (see photo above). It also expands into exploring what my community does or may enjoy reading. “Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs” by Sandra Boynton would not be my first choice of reading material, but I will read it ad infinitum to my grandchild, with great and unfeigned joy, pretending to poke my fingers on the “dinosaurs spiny” because he squeals with excitement when I do, and I delight in his delight, and in increasing his delight in general and his delight in books in particular (see photo below).
On the same principle, though a number of years ago suspense, sci-fi, and YA romance would not have been my first choice of reading material, I read it now, because I love the satisfaction of being able to recommend a book to a teenager that he ends up loving. I’m also addicted to the excitement a student exudes when I come back to talk to her about a book she's recommended to me. (I make it a personal rule to always read a book that a student has cared enough about to recommend to me.)
If you want to know how to figure out which books your community might like—whether that’s a grandchild, a child, or a student—you can take 2 approaches: (1) ask him or her, or (2) check out a blog like The Nerdy Book Club which issues annual awards in a plethora of categories from picture books to YA lit, in fiction and non-fiction (see this link for the 2017 awards). When a student is looking for a book to read, I use a combined approach: I ask, “What are 2 books you’ve enjoyed?” and then I find 2 or 3 recommendations based on that.
However you do it, keep sharing your reading. While there are few things more fun than animatedly sharing a favorite book with another avid reader, remember 2 things when you're dealing with a child who insists she hates reading: (1) there are no non-readers, only readers who haven't found the right book yet, and (2) it only takes 1 book to transform those children into avid readers. Don't give up.
How do you share your reading with your communities?
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