A magazine for students and parents in langley - School District #35

featuregiving the gift of reading to your kidsGetting the rightgift book for yourchildto Langley School District Teacher LibrarianMarilyn Richardson.The Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s2010 edition of the Best Booksfor Kids & Teens, available online for$5.95, is a valuable resource for parents.It contains information on ‘thevery best books Canada has to offer,’says the CCBC website at www.bookcentre.ca.“All of the titles in Best Books for Kids& Teens have been handpicked by expertcommittees of educators, booksellers,school and public librariansfrom across Canada, so every book includedin the guide is guaranteed to bea great read.”Another source of what’s hot in kid’sbooks is your regional newspaper. Mostof them publish lists of kid’s books thatare top of the charts, usually with informationabout what’s most popularwith boys, with girls and at every agelevel.What are the best bets in books for parents who want to give the gift ofreading and literacy to their kids?Clara Walsh was one of the community participantsat Simond Elementary School’s DropEverything and Read day activities. IPICK isan acronym educators use to describe whatmakes kids reach for books. It stands for: Iget to choose, Purpose – as in why am I readingthis book?, Interest, Comprehension, andKnowing the words.First you have to determine thatcritical piece of informationthat can unlock a child’s love ofreading: what is he or she interested in?Is it fantasy? Horses? Mechanics? Monsters?Sports? Teen Romance? Find theright theme or genre, and you stand agood chance of rousing the enthusiasticreader in your child.One of the obvious places to go forpointers is your child’s teacher or ateacher-librarian. They may have someadvice about your own child, and cancertainly point to resources that willhelp you with your search. We talkedOf course one of the best places to gofor information about books is yourlocal bookstore. Visit the kids’ sectionand talk to the staff. They will beable to give you some ideas. VancouverKids Books has a web site, which is categorizedby age and subject, so you canzoom in on the selection you want. Goto www.kidsbooks.caObserve what your children have beenreading lately, and look for similarbooks or magazines that specialize intheir favorite subjects.If you’re still not sure what might bea best seller in your child’s eye, thenyou might want to log into a databaseavailable through the school districtcalled Novelist. If parents are going toaccess that from home, they have tocontact their child’s school to find outhow to log in. Plug a book your childhas enjoyed into Novelist, and it willfind similar volumes.8 Student Success