Summer Reading List

Happy May Day!  Spring has arrived and most of us are looking ahead to summer.  My thoughts go to gardening and then relaxing with a book in my back yard with the chickens and my flower gardens.

I'm sure many parents are thinking of activities for the younger members of their families who will soon be out of school.  I hope you'll include lots of time for reading.

Congratulations Teachers, you're almost done for the year.  Even though you're ready for summer break, over the summer you will probably doing some planning for next year.  I hope you'll read some new books this summer to introduce to your students in the fall.

So this is going to be my activity over the next few blog posts:  Making a Summer Reading List of Children's Books for readers of all ages to enjoy. 

When searching for titles I want to read I often start with award winning books.  Here are some of this years winners.

The Newberry Medal Winner for 2012 is: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos.  The Honor Books are:  Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai and Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin.

The 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner is: Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson.  The Author Honor Books are: The Great Migration:  Journey to the North by Eloise Greenfield and Never Forgotten by Patrick McKissack.

These books all sound fascinating and are now at the top of my list.

I invite you all to help me build this list by sharing your favorite children's book titles.  It can be books you've read, want to read or titles your children or students love the most. 

  

Summer reading challenges

With school out for the summer, how will you keep your children reading? Set a good example. Find some time to relax and curl up with a good book in the backyard. Be sure to visit your local library and learn about summer reading challenges offered for both children and adults.

When my children were young they were allowed their very own library card when they could write their name well enough to sign their card. Our library had no limit on the number of books one could check out, so the limit I set was, "as many as you can carry". We would take home 4 stacks of books, spread them out on the cool wood floor of our living room and read the afternoon away.

Today I checked the internet for some summer reading programs. The Association for Library Services to Children has a list of Notable books. It includes many award winners.

About.com features the "Top 10 Summer Reading List for Kids and Teens: 2010".

Both Borders and Barnes and Noble have summer reading challenges for children that include opportunities for them to earn a free book.

Make reading a priority for your children this summer with quality books and memories they will treasure.