"Humor is the oxygen of children's literature. There's a lot of competition for children's time, but even kids who hate to read want to read a funny book."
~Sid Fleischman
The
True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex:
Grades 3-5
I have read this book twice, which is
one of the highest endorsements I can give. My younger sisters and their friends also
liked the book when I recommended it to them. The
True Meaning of Smekday is funny, charming, and there are drawings that
create context for the reader (reading a description about aliens isn’t the
same as seeing a picture, such as the picture of Gratuity and J.Lo on the right).
The
True Meaning of Smekday is also the inspiration
for the 2015 movie Home, though the
movie’s plot is a little different from the book’s plot.
The
Adventures of Captain Underpants by
Dave Pilkey: Grades 2-5
Summary: The Adventures of Captain Underpants follows the adventures of best
friends Harold Hutchins and George Beard after they hypnotize their mean
principal (Mr. Krupp) into believing he’s a superhero called Captain
Underpants. When the hypnotized Principal Krupp runs off to catch
villains, George and Harold must dehypnotize their principal and safely return
him to school before they find themselves in trouble.
I love recommending this series
because the Captain Underpants books
are humorous, easy to read, and have pictures on every page. I’ve found that
sometimes it’s best to give reluctant readers books with short text and
pictures, as it makes the books seem less daunting. My older brother isn’t a
reader, but he read every single one of these books when we were kids (probably
because the books have whoopee cushion jokes). The first book in the Captain Underpants set was also turned into a movie this year.
On a side note, I read that this book is
frequently challenged or banned. Dave Pilkey wrote a blog response
for Huffington Post about the banning
of his book, and the title is aptly named “My Book Makes Kids Laugh, and It was
Banned Anyways.” One of the main points Pilkey makes is that kids and adults
are amused by different things, which I think is the case with these books (to read more about Pilkey's response, click here). I’m not sure if I’d find the Captain Underpants series funny now, but I thought the books were hilarious when I was 8.
My other recommendations are:
Babymouse series by Jennifer and Matthew Holm (grades 4-6)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
(grades 5-8)
I think these are some excellent options to get kids to read. Comedy can do a world of good in motivating kids to pick up a book of their own free will. I think, in general, it's important to allow kids to pick up and read what they find entertaining. Getting kids to read can be a task when they can't find books that match their interests. Taking kids to the library or book stores to explore and encouraging them to choose books that appeal to their interests (regardless of what parents think of the subject matter) will develop a natural inclination to read for pleasure.
ReplyDeleteTalking to kids about what they read could also encourage them to pick up a book more often. Parents that take an active role in their children's interests will encourage kids to continue the behavior. Ask kids what they liked about the book, who their favorite character is and why, and what they think would happen after the story ends are some great ways to engage kids about what they read.
Also, encouragement and rewards can be a good way to motivate kids to keep reading. I think that reading gets overlooked in terms of being rewarded behavior in kids and treating time reading similarly to time spent doing chores can encourage kids to keep up the habit. It doesn't have to be a monetary reward, even a simple "I'm proud to see you enjoying reading!" could be an effective way to motivate kids to keep reading well into their lives.
Here's a little piece from CNN on encouraging kids to read that would tie in nicely with this piece: http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/28/opinion/patterson-kids-reading/index.html
Do you have any suggestions on what might encourage high school age kids to pick up reading? I know that it's a tough age to keep reading at, so I'm curious if there's any types of encouragement or books you could suggest that might influence them to keep reading.
I used to LOVE CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS in grade school. I think they are great books to get children into reading because they are both funny and engaging... plus, there are funny illustrations. I also think reading is very overlooked. If they would have offered an alternative to recess, say twice a week, to read instead, I believe there would be many more readers than there are.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I didn't know HOME was based on a book-- I didn't see it but I love Jim Parsons. Maybe I'll have to try it next time I'm babysitting my cousins and see how they like it! (I'm 90& sure they have read SMEKDAY.) Also, to Michelle, I think encouraging high school reading should start with non-forced reading. Perhaps offer book reports OR some other sort of project as options and see what is picked. Or, maybe just allowing 20 minutes a week for quiet pleasure reading like my English teacher in 10th grade did. It at least made everyone read 2 books during the school year.