Category Archives: Good Books
5 Ways to Make Literacy a Part of Your Child’s Christmas
1. “A Book on Every Bed” – This campaign was started last year in an effort to get a million books on the beds of a million children. The campaign continues on this year in an effort to foster a love of …
Paper or Electronic Books? Which Should Your Child Use?
With the increasingly popular e-readers (such as Kindle) on the rise, the question arises- are printed books on their way to becoming obsolete? According to American Booksellers Association’s CEO Oren Teicher, “ABA in no way believes that print books are going away. …
Back to School Book Recommendations – Ages 8-12
It’s that time again. Back to School. This is an exciting time of year; new teachers, new classes and new friends. It’s a time to re-establish routines and to re-focus. However, it can bring a lot of uncertainty and anxiety for …
Back to School Book Recommendations – Ages 4-7
It’s that time again: Back to School. This is an exciting time of year; new teachers, new classes and new friends. It’s a time to re-establish routines and to re-focus academically. However, it can bring a lot of uncertainty and anxiety …
Making Connections
It is a proven fact that even struggling readers will do better and work longer with a text they enjoy. The key is to find a text they can connect to. If your children are interested in dinosaurs, then find a book …
10 Tips for Choosing Books for Children of All Ages
Have children choose their own books as soon as they start showing a preference for one over another. Find the children’s section of your local library. Get to know the librarian, who can be a great resource. Find out what …
10 Ways to Make Reading Fun
The self-professed literary guru, Oprah, features an article on her website called “10 Ways to Make Reading Fun”, which provides some hints to help make reading more enjoyable for children. To read the article in its entirety, click here. 1) Get a Gold Star …
Top Children’s Books to Enjoy July 4th with a Bang!
One of our favorite July 4th family traditions is to read a patriotic book while waiting for the fireworks to start. Below are some of our favorites! Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong A Chinese-American girl helps …
Guys Read
Jon Scieszka, author of children’s books such as The Stinky Cheese Man and the Time Warp Trio series, created a website called Guys Read, which takes a look at the growing literacy problems among boys in the United States and other developed countries and offers …
Reading Horizons’ 2011 Summer Reading Recommendations, Ages 3-5
Silverlicious by Victoria Cann When Pinkalicious loses a tooth, it’s not just any tooth—it’s her sweet tooth! Suddenly candy no longer tastes sweet! With her pinkatastic pen, Pinkalicious writes a note to the Tooth Fairy and tucks it under her pillow …
Reading Activities: Harvard Professors and a Bedtime Story
What is it about reading a simple children’s bedtime story that can bring a Harvard professor immediately “down-to-earth” and cause us to feel he’s more real, more like one of us than an aloof intellectual? I suspect we easily share …
Reading Horizons’ 2011 Summer Reading Recommendations, Ages 6-8
Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee Meet Bink and Gollie, two precocious little girls — one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible. Setting out from their super-deluxe tree house and powered by plenty of peanut butter (for …
Reading Horizons’ 2011 Summer Reading Recommendations, Ages 9-12
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger Dwight, a loser, talks to his classmates via an origami finger puppet of Yoda. If that weren’t strange enough, the puppet is uncannily wise and prescient. Origami Yoda predicts the date of …
Make Plans Now for a Great Summer Reading Program
Summertime Favorites, is a list of recommended readings, from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEH has an ongoing mission to bring classic literature to children and teens. As I reviewed the list I saw that there were so many …
Reading Activities: Madeline and author Ludwig Bemelmans
What are the circumstances that lead to a fictional character’s conception and life that endear her to millions of fans through generations? Ludwig Bemelmans, author of the children’s books Madeline, was born April 27th, 1898 in Austria and came to the …
How We Learn to Read
Staff members at Reading Horizons reminisce about the hits and misses of learning to read. “My mom taught me to read. She had been a kindergarten teacher. The book she used to start me reading was the same book my dad …
I Missed “Drop Everything and Read” Day
I can’t believe I missed it. April 12 was D.E.A.R Day. D.E.A.R. stands for Drop Everything and Read. National D.E.A.R. Day is a special reading celebration to remind and encourage families to make reading together on a daily basis a …
Read About, and Practice, the Golden Rule
April 4-9 is the Golden Rule Week and we can’t think of a better time to review and reinforce the simple principle of treating others the way you would like to be treated. Little people learn from the big people …
Become a Reading Superhero
It’s easy to be a reading superhero, and you don’t have to fly, time travel, or become invisible to do it. Instead gather your family or class together for an afternoon of these fun reading ideas. Ask your students to …
Benefits of Reading Together as a Family
I know that some families are already planning little mini summer vacations. I remember our annual road trips to California to see my grandparents. My mother would take us to the store to get books for the trip - Nancy Drew, Little House …
