My 9 year old son, Exuberance {real names have been changed....in case you thought I would have actually named my child "Exuberance." I mean, that kind of crazy has been in the news and all over FB so....no, that's just his codename} has just discovered The Hardy Boys, which I wasn't sure he was old enough to really "get," but apparently I was wrong! I was really having a hard time helping him find books. | Affiliate Link |
My 7 year old son, Little Old Man {also a codename}, and my 3 year old daughter, Princess {there's another one}, love the library and are off and running when we get there. Little Old Man listens when I explain how to use the computer to look up books. Princess just keeps coming to me saying, "And can I have this one, Momma?" dragging some picture book as large as she is or carrying her "favorite" book---which is her favorite because we have it at home! But Exuberance? Everything was "Nah." He loved to read, and I've got him hooked on comics {Darkwing Duck, MegaMan, Adventure Time and Mickey Mouse} but I was struggling to connect with him using my second language: books. Which sucked. And then he found these on his own and BOOM, he's psyched about these books. So do you ever blank out when trying to help your child find books? Lists are handy, as are librarians. Try this list, which is via New York Public Library and passed on by my own Anne Arundel County Public Library system:
Another handy aspect to books and encouraging kids to read: books help us solve problems. When I was pregnant with my youngest, I read the boys I'm a Big Brother! and The New Baby by Mercer Mayer. We've read about Too Much TV, being afraid of the dark, having a bad day (LOTS of those! Exuberance has a hard time with his emotions and transitions; I use every avenue I can to help him with this) and we turned to the Berenstain Bears, Franklin, Mercer Mayer, Angelina Ballerina and Fancy Nancy. Little Old Man was exposed to {and LOVES} all the Harold and the Purple Crayon books, anything written by Mo Willems, and the Junie B Jones series. I'm always looking for new books and new series of books to dig into---list your favorites in the comments! | Affiliate Links |