Reading to Children: Resources

Book Distribution Programs

There are a number of programs whose mission is to get books into the hands of underprivileged children. Centers that serve children who qualify may want to investigate these links.

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Book Distribution Programs to Support Early Literacy

NCCIC offers links to over a dozen programs distributing children's books (often at no cost) to parents in childcare programs, hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices, libraries, and shelters, as well as their own homes. Some book distribution programs provide specialized training for early childhood caregivers and teachers. Training includes information on making book sharing interesting, how to use reading to develop language skills, and how to promote parental book sharing and reading.

Books for Kids Foundation

Promotes literacy with special emphasis on disadvantaged children and youth primarily in the NYC and Hudson Valley region. Books for Kids places books in the hands of children, creates libraries and participates in reading initiatives within community-based organizations, social service agencies, schools and under-served institutions. Books for Kids has given away more than 5 million books, worth more than $45 million, to disadvantaged children; They support the literacy programs of more than 270 agencies in the New York met area as well as hundreds of others throughout the US.

The Bring Me A Book® Foundation

Serves children who do not have access to quality books and who are not read aloud to on a regular basis. Provides libraries with quality, hardback children's books and read-aloud training for over 200,000 children and families in over 400 sites. Through innovative library and training programs, BMABF reaches low income children and families in preschools, childcare centers, health clinics, homeless shelters, and businesses.

First Book

Provides new books to children through eligible preschools, day care, after-school, and tutoring/mentoring programs in the United States that serve children from low-income households.

Raising A Reader

Fosters a reading routine by rotating bright red bags filled with high-quality picture books into a child's home each week. Raising A Reader has spread to libraries, childcare centers, Head Starts, teen mother and home visiting nurse programs. The program is designed to fit within existing family support systems. It inspires illiterate or limited English-speaking families to "book cuddle" with their little ones, developing a love of books that lasts a lifetime.

Reference Books

The Read-Aloud Handbook
by Jim Trelease

Essential reading for all parents, educators, and grandparents. This best-selling guide is divided into two parts: the first half contains the "ways" and "whys" of raising readers, and the last half consists of an annotated bibliography (The Treasury) of more than 1000 children's books for reading aloud, from picture books to novels and anthologies, with synopses on many of the stories and guides for recommended ages. The Read-Aloud Handbook website Jim Trelease has generously shared large amounts of his invaluable book on his website.

Using Children’s Literature in Preschool: Comprehending and Enjoying Books
by Mandel Morrow and Linda B. Gambrell

Emphasizing the importance of children’s literature in the preschool classroom, this book shows how to effectively read stories to young children and create a classroom literacy center. Use literature to help preschoolers understand concepts about books, learn within the content areas, and develop reading comprehension. And you can strengthen the home–school connection with literature-based activities that parents can use with their children at home.

The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators
by Anita Silvey

A fabulous resource for anyone interested in children's books. It includes 475 alphabetically arranged biographical/critical entries on current and classic writers and illustrators as well as essays on topics such as chapter books, poetry, fantasy, and book design. Includes useful graded booklists. Highly recommended for parents, teachers, writers, readers, and school and public librarians.

Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children 2nd Ed: A Lively, Opinionated Guide
by Walter M. Mayes

True to the subtitle, the tone is enthusiastic, committed, and informal in this introduction to children's books for parents, teachers, and other interested adults. Valerie owns a children's bookstore; Walter is a storyteller. Together they talk about more than 2,000 books, arranged by age-level from birth to 14, with lots of sidebars, quotes, and "spotlights" on authors. The children's selections are celebratory without being cute, a handy reference even for those who know the books.

The New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children: 3rd Edition Revised and Updated
by Eden Ross Lipson

A straight-forward and easy to use reference. The organization is simple, and listings are complete (containing year published and prizes received, as well as author, illustrator and edition info) and informative. Not only do they give information about the content and it's value to a child, but also its source, context, and an opinion about the best edition in which to invest. Contains multiple, invaluable indexes - about 80 pages worth! The titles are indexed by title, author, illustrator, recommended age, and special subject.

Choosing Books for Children: A Commonsense Guide
by Betsy Hearne and Deborah Stevenson

Offers articulate, authoritative, and thought-provoking discussions of books and the issues surrounding them, as well as solid bibliographies and advice on choosing books and introducing them to young people. Librarians will want to update their parenting collections with this friendly, reliable guide to the world of children's literature.

Articles on Dialogic Reading:

Dialogic Reading: An Effective Way to Read to Preschoolers
by Russ Whitehurst

When most adults share a book with a preschooler, they read and the child listens. In dialogic reading, the adult helps the child become the teller of the story. The adult becomes the listener, the questioner, the audience for the child. You can't learn to play the piano just by listening to someone else play, and you can't learn to read just by listening to someone else read. Children learn most from books when they are actively involved.

Charming the Next Generation: A strategy for turning toddlers into readers
by Renea Arnold

Fascinating article from a recent issue of School Library Journal describing the benefits of ‘dialogic reading’ and some brief instructions on how to get started.

Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library program

Children’s Librarians across the country can provide workshops offering vital tools to help prepare parents for their critical role as a child's first teacher. These dialogic reading tools were developed by Dr. Grover C. Whitehurst and Dr. Christopher Lonigan, well-known researchers in emergent literacy, and have been tested and refined by library demonstrations sites around the country. Library systems play a key role in disseminating early literacy information to parents, childcare providers, early childhood educators, children’s advocates, and political decision makers. These workshops and caregiver resources will enable you to initiate new early literacy services or to enhance ones you already have. Look into getting a Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® workshop near you.

Related Websites

These links just scratch the surface. There’s a lot of information on the web all encouraging teachers and parents to read to their children. And they all say you cannot start too young or do it too often.

And Do It Like This

If your computer has speakers and Flash, you’re in for a treat. Mem Fox (in her best British-South African-Australian-mix accent) reads a chapter from her recommended book "Reading Aloud." If you don’t have all that fancy stuff, then go to the next page and read it aloud in your own accent.

Heartwood : Literature-based character education for preschool and kindergarten.

Heartwood Institute is a non-profit educational organization founded to promote the understanding and practice of seven universal ethical attributes: Courage, Loyalty, Justice, Respect, Hope, Honesty, and Love. Heartwood offers literature-based ethics education resources for children, schools, and families. Their unique curriculum is well-worth investigating. Be sure to read the story behind Heartwood.

Better Kid Care: Reading Aloud

Excellent compendium of tips and strategies for childcare professionals found on the National Network for Child Care site. Includes:

• Why Read Aloud?
• Choosing Books to Read Aloud
• Organizing Your Collection
• Adding to Your Collection
• Guidelines for Reading Aloud
• Extending the Reading Aloud Experience