I have always loved to read. As a child, I would devour one book after another…jumping from mysteries to historical fiction to teen drama. As I grew up, my tastes have evolved, but a book is never far from arm’s reach. In books, you can travel to another world, find yourself invested in deep and complex characters, learn new words and concepts and understand more about the world.
It is incredibly important to me to nurture that same love of reading in my children. I want them to see reading not only as a way of learning, but rather a way to explore and grow.
I have two friends who not only feel the same way, but have committed their life’s work to making it happen for their children and yours.
Amy Mascott and Allison McDonald are on the cusp of releasing their first book together, Raising a Rock-Star Reader – and it is magical.
Here’s what I love:
- The book is broken down in to bite-sized sections that allow you to focus on your child’s individual development.
- Each of the 75 tips is an action you can take in your home with your child or outside as you explore.
- Those tips focus not only on reading, but on listening (rhyming, focusing on every word and letter), playing games, you (the parent) as the reader, and asking questions. For example, Tip 17 Use Songs to Explore Language – includes song suggestions that I remember (and love) from childhood.
- You can easily incorporate the tips and suggestions in to every day activities – meal time, bed time, playing in the park, walking through the grocery store, or doing chores around the house.
It is designed for parents who have infants AND those who have moved well in to reading on their own. The idea is that you can begin to foster your Rock-Star reader’s love of books when they are only months old or when they are charged with choosing ‘what to read next’. Tip 71- Ask questions during reading to keep kids interested and engaged – can apply to those moments when you are sitting and reading with your child, or in later years when they are reading on their own, but talking about the characters and storyline can benefit their progress.
The commitment to your child’s rock-star status can be accomplished in as little as 5 minutes a day (but you can ALWAYS do more.)
I devoured this book, finding more and more suggestions I had never considered to keep my small people on track with what I hope is a life-time love of reading. Knowing Amy and Allison, I have been waiting for them to release the result of their collective knowledge and efforts and I couldn’t be more proud to hold it in my hands.
The official release of Raising a Rock-Star Reader: 75 Quick Tips to Help Your Child Develop a Lifelong Love of Reading is November 10th, but you can pre-order now. I certainly hope you will. (and when you do – share your favorite tip with me – you see a few of mine above.) You can get your copy on either Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Disclosure – I was excited to be given an Advance Reader edition of this book, though, as always, all thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.
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