Writers are Readers, Too
Topics on the Page
Recent Research on Reading
Books for Children About Reading
World Read Aloud Day
November is National Picture Book Month
Reading Resources for Families and Teachers
eBook Reading
Recent Research on Reading
The National Education Association reported that kids who were read to three or four times a week were more likely to count to 20 or higher than kids who were not read to as much (60% vs. 44%), as well as more able to write their own names (54% vs. 40%)
(The Benefits of Reading to Children: From Prenatal to Adolescence).
GENDER AND READING
Gender Achievement Gaps in U.S. School Districts (2018)
Research from 10,000 school districts nationwide by researchers at Stanford University
Girls surpass boys on reading and writing in almost every U.S. school district regardless of local wealth or racial makeup
3rd grade Girls are half a grade level ahead of boys
8th grade Girls are a full grade level ahead
What's Going on in Your Child's Brain When You Read Them a Story, NPR Ed (May 24, 2018)
The Science of Story Time, Science Friday (September 11, 2015)
READING ON-SCREEN vs. READING IN PRINT
Reading Print is Better for Comprehension than Screens, Study Finds (December 15, 2023)
If a student spends 10 hours reading books on paper, their comprehension will probably be 6 to 8 times greater than if they read on digital devices for the same amount of time.
As students get older, the relationship between recreational reading on digital devices and text comprehension improves.
How Children Read Differently from Books vs. Screens. The New York Times (March 16, 2021).
Books for Children About Reading
How to Read a Book. Kwame Alexander. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. HarperCollins, 2019
The Book with No Pictures. B. J. Novak. Dial Books, 2014
Waiting for the Biblioburro. Monica Brown. Illustrated by John Parra, Tricycle Press, 2011.
We Are In A Book. Mo Williams. Disney-Hyperion, 2010
My Librarian is a Camel: How Books are Brought to Children Around the World. Margaret Ruurs. Bonds Mills Press, 2005
The Boy Who Loved Words. Roni Schotter & Giselle Potter. Schwartz & Wade (2013)
World Read Aloud Day
"Every year, on World Read Aloud Day, people all around the globe read aloud together and share stories to advocate for literacy as a human right that belongs to all people."
World Read Aloud Day is celebrated every year in February
Reading Resources for Families and Teachers
Stream videos from the site, YouTube, ad-free on Vimeo, or search for StorylineOnline in your app store.
Stories come to life through actors’ rendering and animations, and there’s even an activity guide for parents on the StorylineOnline site
#GadBookClub - During the COVID19 quarantine, Josh Gad reads children's books aloud every night on Twitter
Archive of 6,000 Historical Children’s Books, All Digitized and Free to Read Online
Skybrary from LeVar Burton Kids.com is an interactive library of books and videos for young readers
Wanderful Interactive Storybooks (formerly Living Books)
Includes popular CD-Rom books from the 1990s including Jack Prelutsky's The New Kid on the Block and Harry and the Haunted House
Fictional Stories in Science Blog features a diverse collection of books about STEM topics
Build Your Stack: Read Aloud Recommendations from the National Council of Teachers of English
100 Great Children's Books/100 Years, New York Public Library
Time: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time, Multnomah County (Oregon) Library
Multicultural Kids' Books that Teach Life Lessons, Prompt Creativity from children's author Grace Lin
Giving Students a Little Taste of a Book - Book Tasting as a way to introduce children to different genres and titles
Read Classic Books for Free, from the Library of Congress
How Video Games Can Teach Reading Just as well as Books, EdSurge (August 9, 2019)
eBook Reading
UA Study Shows Electronic Books Can Help Kids Learn to Read - If Digital Extras Don't Distract
In a three year study, researchers at the University of Akron found e-books can help reluctant preschoolers and kindergarteners become more engaged with reading.
Differences in Parent-Toddler Interactions with Electronic Versus Print Books, Pediatrics (March 2019)
Researchers found parent/toddler pairs interacted less frequently when reading e-books than with print books
When they did talk, they talked about the device, not the story
Parents need to engage in less technology-related talk and more story-talk when using electronic books for shared book reading
Electronic Books for Shared Reading
Interactive Book Apps—10 of the Best, The Guardian (September 14, 2015)
Best Interactive Children's Books, Book Riot (April 26, 2016)
Aesop's Fables Interactive Book, Library of Congress, 140 classic fables with illustrations and animations