The Love of Reading

Judy Moody and Friends

Robert Munsch

Magnetic book markers

 Gosh! How things have changed. If I had had access to the internet as a kid I would have been glued to it. There is so much information to learn that I think my studies would have been that much better. I think I would have loved reading more too. I say this because there are some wonderful children's book authors who have the most fabulous websites and interactive pages to make the books come alive in a way that I could never have imagined as a child.

The list I have provided is a sample of sites I think are fantastic for kids and not just for kids who love to read but also encourage them to read books more. The authors have excellent reviews from their readers as an added bonus.

I have yet to read any of David William's books but I recongnise him from the television. I also know him from a book that has had great reviews, Gangsta Granny. Check out his site it is wonderfully colourful has videos, games and competitions. You may recognise the illustrator too, Quentin Blake.

Quentin Blake is also known for illustrating books for Roald Dahl. Not only is there a website for Roald Dahl and his books but there is also a museum   which sadly I never got to go to. My kids love The Enormous Crocodile, we use a crocodile puppet and change the names to our kids names and they love it.

Both my children and I love Winnie the Witch. Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul are the creators to these wonderful stories. The books are wonderfully illustrated and the website has printable drawing and colouring activities and party game ideas and how to dress like Winnie. Kids love to dress like Winnie the Witch and have Wilbur the cat by their side.

Robert Munsch. You can't not like his books. His website is fantastic too. The kids love Smelly Socks, Mud Puddles, I Have to Go and more. Our Canadian family whom are mostly made up of teachers love to buy the young children in the family these books. And why not? They are truly lovely stories.

Judy Moody and Friends.  Great reading book for kids who are ready for long chapter books but still want pictures. My eldest has yet to start reading her first Judy Moody and Friends series she has many other books on the go. But from what I can see she will love it.

I want to name more but there are just too many. These are just to wet the appetite for the love of reading.

Kids Book Club

Reading for my 5 year old

My youngest chose this book and what a great book to start the summer reading program. Infact both my kids chose several books from the library but these ones stood out from the rest. She loved, Hooray for Reading Day and she was able to read most of it with me. My eldest daughter also enjoyed this book and it took her no time at all to read it. But her reading is now at another level and one of the books she chose was, Charles Dickens and Friends.

Reading for my 8 year old

This Charles Dickens book is written like a comic strip and is a very condensed version of the classics. Oliver Twist is one of the stories and did this story ever draw up a conversation! The first words out of my eldest's mouth was, "I don't like this book the people are mean". I gave her a snapshot of the era and why the author wrote these stories and how children were treated in the Victorian period and it was not a nice time for the poor. My daughter was appalled and couldn't quite believe people could be so aweful. She then went to her little sister and told her what the book was about and how dreadful she thought it was.

I was so happy to hear her talking about the book, learning something from it and asking questions. I can only hope this will spark a love for reading.

Kids Summer Book Club

Our local library is running a summer reading program where children have to read for 20mins everyday and write down in their little booklet the books they have read. After seven days of reading they go back to the library and receive a sticker. The program runs for seven weeks and if they read everyday and complete their booklet each child receives a reading medal.

I think this is a wonderful thing to get kids using libraries and keeps them reading while not at school. My kids are super excited about it all too. Since we have signed up they have read three books per day. One short so they can read to me, a book where I read to them that is a little longer and a book where they sit quietly on their own. My eldest reads just fine but my youngest needs more help with reading but she is picking it up fast. If I read a bigger book with my youngest she will help me read it and she shouts out the words she knows. My eldest will read out loud too, it is nice to listen to them read and it gets them used to reading fluently infront of an audience.

We are working on week one and I will post books and reviews as we go each week.