{Book Review} Book Smart: How to Develop and Support, Successful, Motivated Readers

My first kid loved to be read to.

My second kid loved books even more. From the time she could make any noise, she loved to jabber nonsense while holding a book and looking at the pictures.

My third kid wasn’t resistant to reading, but didn’t crave it like the first two. She likes her bedtime story, but she’s not the type of kid whose ideal afternoon is sitting on the couch for an hour with a pile of books next to us.

I’m not sure how number 4 feels about books quite yet, but so far, so good.

When I first came across Book Smart: How to Develop and Support Successful, Motivated Readers* by Anne Cunningham and Jamie Zibulsky (Oxford Press), I was drawn to it because I wanted to know more about how to help my kids to be internally motivated to read over the long haul. We’ve hit a few bumps in the road on our literacy journey- boredom, obsessions with other (electronic) things, a struggle with the desire to learn to read, and trouble with comprehension in our fast reader, and I wondered if perhaps this tome wouldn’t be a good resource to have for my reference shelf.

After working my way through most of this book (which is not a quick task– over 400 pages!), I have learned so much about how to support my children at the different ages and stages of reading, writing, and also how technology can support their efforts. As we move into a digital age, books that talk about literacy will no longer be relevant if they don’t address the digital age in which we live. I’ve learned some guidelines in determining which of those activities on Pinterest are probably actually helpful and which ones I can skip over. AND, probably the biggest thing I’ve learned is that reading with my kids (while fantastic and incredibly important) is not the only thing that kids need in order to be successful, motivated readers. There is also a second aspect, teaching our kids explicitly about books, reading, writing, etc., that is vital as well. I recognize some errors that I have made in-between first kid and third kid, and I’m hopeful that I can be a more intentional teacher of my kiddos from here on out.

A few other things I found interesting:

• When making my grocery lists or writing in my planner, it would be helpful for me to talk through my writing aloud. Example: I need to get some milk. Milk starts with the “mmmm” sound… I wonder what letter that is”. Things like this done on occasion are ways that I can work in intentional teaching while I do the things I’m already doing. This is incredibly important to me because I don’t feel like I can add a whole lot more to my day unless I can do it naturally.
• Teach kids the uppercase letters first, as they are typically able to recognize them better. 
• “The number of new words that children hear each day, and the types of words that they hear, have a large effect upon their developing vocabulary skills and later reading skills” (p. 25)
• It’s more important to talk through  book and answer a toddler’s questions about a book then to get through the whole book. 
• It’s important for kids to see their parents reading. This was a huge relief! I remember seeing my mom read a ton, and I’m sure that encouraged me to read. However, I always feel super guilty pulling out a book when my kids are awake. Surely I should be doing something else, right? Like feeding someone, changing a diaper, or reading TO them. But, studies show that parents’ demonstrated reading habits have powerful influence over their children’s desire to read. 

This book is one that is to be picked up and put down- revisiting chapters here and there as the different issues come up. I did choose to read the whole book through, highlighting places of interest that I’ll want to revisit again and again. They also recommend tons of quality resources – books, websites (with caution, as they know that websites change), articles, and apps. On one hand, this is fantastic, but on the other, my reading list has nearly doubled :).

I’m pretty excited to be able to share tools, tips, and activities that our family will be trying as a result of reading this book and learning more about the literacy journey of a child. Stay tuned for those as the year progresses. And while I typically highly recommend checking out books from your local library, this is the type of book that you may want to own for quick reference and dog-earing :). Of course, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to find it at your library first to make sure it’s something you’d really use!

This book is an absolute treasure. I’d highly recommend it!