As teachers and parents, we know that our number one goal is to get books into our children's hands. But it's not that easy. The stars must align: we have to get The Right Book at The Right Time into The Right Child's hands. Eek. How to?The Right Book
Helping a child find the right book is a giant exercise in being open-minded. Remember that they have been on this earth for a short time compared to us "wise ones" and so they have not yet had the chance to purge themselves of the need for slap stick humor, utterly predictable plots, flat characters, and yes, I'm going to say it: potty jokes. Before you faint, let me just say that I am not condoning mediocre literature at all. If I think a child will bite, I will offer Charlotte's Web first every time over Captain Underpants. But remember that reading is a habit. Like any habit, it's got to form before it can be molded. It's the job of the literate adults on a child's life to match them with books that will form a reading habit for life. I have never met an "avid reader" who reads only low-level romance novels. Avid readers read low-level romance, history, nonfiction, best sellers, the newspaper, etc...
The Right Book is also a book that is, in the perfect world, just a hair below the child's instructional reading level. We call this their independent level. In the perfect world, every child would jump up and down and clap their hands and snatch these books from our hands and then savor the fact that they can fluently read almost every word. This actually does happen a lot for readers at certain levels. Which ones? Well, the ones who are reading at the levels where authors are writing compelling, exciting children's literature. Kids who finally reach a level L/M and can read Magic Tree House can be changed students simply by being introduced to the series. Not only that, but there are handfuls of amazing series at that same L/M level. Meanwhile, down at G, the "cool" books are slim pickings.
Without getting into a long discussion on leveling, I'll just say here that sometimes The Right Book may be just a little challenging for the reader. Not every book should be challenging every time. That will only wear out his "reading muscles" and exhaust his strategies. But there are times when The Right Book is a bit of a stretch and it is that stretch which builds a renewed confidence.The Right Time
Children are social beings. As they grow into themselves, they go through lots of versions of who they are. One way they do this is by copying their peers. We see it all the time. It's normal, but still- "peer pressure" gets a bad rap. Reading is one instance when we can turn that notion on its head!
You see, often, The Right Time for a child to be reading a book is after their friend read it. Or- better yet- before any of their friends have read it. We can mold children into communities of readers by advertising which books are popular and have "waiting lists." We can sell books by sharing what other kids have had to say about a particular series or author. So when we are trying to get books into kids' hands, we are not only worried about which book they will like in a vacuum, but we have this added level of social importance to think about.
Sometimes, we can piggy-back off of a movie coming out that was based on a book and try to hype up the book and other books by the author. Or we can pull an author who has lots of seasonal or holiday books out at a certain time of year. Or maybe there's an author who is truly just hot right now, so we can showcase him or her and the newest books. But other times- we have to actually manufacture our own craze. Browse your books and find a certain genre or author or series that has been under-appreciated and give it the make-over it deserves. Put it in the spotlight, and most importantly, get a few kids to read it so that you can honestly say, "So-and-so read it and loved it!"
Getting books into kids' hands at The Right Time is like coordinating the perfect time to catch a wave out on the surf. Once you catch the wave, ride it!
The Right Child
Even if you have what you believe to be The Right Book and The Right Time, you still have one more layer to contend with and it involves really knowing your readers. Can this child handle the issues in the book you are about to put forth? Will they be able to understand the humor or the historical references? Just because a child is reading on the same level as the foreboding book, Encounter, about the white man's first encounter with the Native Americans and just because it's around Columbus Day- does NOT mean it is the book for that child. To pair a child with this book, you would have to know that you had a sophisticated reader with a strong grasp on history (or at least a sophisticated reader with a willing adult to talk to about it).
There's no doubt about it: matching kids and books is hard work. But it's important work; maybe some of the most important. Avid readers aren't born. They slowly grow into themselves. And for that to happen, the stars must align. You can make that happen.
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