Reading Roundup Archives

A new study has found that when parents read their child a wordless picture book they use more sophisticated language and more detailed descriptions than if they read them a picture vocabulary book. A good indication that wordless picture books are a great way of helping your child improve their literacy skills.

Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books 2012

Publishers Weekly have once again picked their best books published this year for children and teens. Here are their 2012 selections for the best children's picture books, fiction and nonfiction, together with reviews for each book.

Explosive Sales of E-Books

More and more parents are choosing to buy e-books for their children, with sales of children's e-books in the first half of 2012 nearly triple what they were the year before, according to figures from the Publishers Association. But what benefits our children more - print books or e-books? Check out the research findings in this article.

Comparing the Benefits of Print Books and E-Books

This interesting research published by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center compared parent and child interactions across print books, basic e-books and enhanced e-books (those with more interactive functionality). They concluded that print books and basic e-books are better for building literacy skills, for instance when parents question their child about the text in order to improve vocabulary and comprehension. Enhanced e-books can distract readers from the story, affecting the nature of conversations and the amount of detail a child recalls. The study did acknowledge, however, that enhanced e-books can be more advantageous in engaging and motivating more reluctant readers.

An Easy Trick That Helps Preschoolers Learn to Read

Making occasional print references as you read to your preschooler, such as pointing to letters and words on the page as you read them, can help your child become a better reader. This was the conclusion of a recent study by Ohio State University.

Reading Rocket's Top 12 Comprehension Apps

Use your iPhone or iPad to help boost your child's reading comprehension. Reading Rockets have identified their favorite comprehension apps and they are worth a look. There are apps for encouraging reading for detail, practicing sequencing, differentiating between fact and opinion, practicing inferring, mind mapping and developing vocabulary using antonyms, synonyms, and homophones.

2012 ALA Children's Books Award Winners

Some of the most prestigious awards for children's books have been announced by the The American Library Association. They include the 2012 awards for the Caldecott Medal - always big favorites with my young children - and the Newbery Medal.

Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books 2011

Publishers Weekly have chosen their list of the best books published in 2011 for children and teens. Check out the selections for the year's best children's picture books, fiction and nonfiction, including reviews for each chosen book.

NY Times 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2011

The New York Times Book Review has announced this year's list of the 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books. For almost 60 years a panel of judges has been selecting its favorites annually from those children's books published during the year. You can also review the list of 2010 winners.

Helping Children Expand Their Vocabulary

One of the essential components of strong reading ability is a good vocabulary. What can you do to help your child improve their vocabulary? Find out some useful, practical tips in this article from the New Jersey News.

Chapter Books for Younger Children

When can you start reading chapter books to your young child? Why should you? What are some good chapter books to try reading aloud? Find out the answers to all these questions in this informative article from Trevor Cairney.

Rhythm and Reading

Interesting new research found that children who are good at recognising rhythmic patterns in music are also good readers. This seems to support the importance of poetry and nursery rhymes (which have strong rhythmic patterns) in helping children learn to read.

The Whole Language and Phonics Debate Continues

The whole language and phonics debate continues, as illustrated by recent press articles warning against relying exclusively on using phonics methods to teach your child to read.

An interesting list appeared recently of 50 popular children's books which should be on every child's reading list, according to top children's authors.

Interactive Books - A Blessing or a Curse?

Recent comments by bestselling children's author Julia Donaldson have added to the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of digital interactive books.

Story Repetition Helps Children Learn More Words

New research shows that reading the same story to your child repeatedly can help them learn new words more effectively than reading a different book every time.

Pushy Parent or Perfect Parent? Discussions on Parenting Styles

A number of discussions have appeared in the press recently around parenting styles and the ever present pressure to be the perfect parent.

Recent Literacy Research Confirms that Literacy Starts at Home

Two recent literacy research studies have re-emphasised how a child's home environment in the first few years of his life is crucial in determining his future reading success.

Children's Book Apps for the iPad

Having received an iPad for Christmas, I take my first look at children's book apps for the iPad.

2011 Award Winning Children's Books

Some of the most prestigious awards for children's books were announced this week by the American Library Association. Find out which ones you want to add to your Wish List.

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