I loved this book. It gave me get pointers and tips on ways to make my daughter fall in love with reading like I do. It’s has great advice and some really great booklist also which I loved!

This book was a helpful and quick read. It provides a lot of information about children and reading at all stages. I especially appreciated book recommendations for each stage.

It is so important for parents, especially first-time parents, to understand the power of reading. If children see their parents reading, they are so much more likely to become readers themselves. This book has great tips for parents on how to establish a culture of reading of home. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

This is outstanding!! The structure is fantastic - readers are broken down into logical stages from babies to toddlers to emerging readers and so on up through teens. Each section addresses key factors for that particular age group - when to seek outside help for your emerging reader, when to incorporate graphic novels and audiobooks, when to stop reading out loud, etc. And the writing style is conversational and pleasant - like sitting across from a friend who's already been through that stage of parenting and is giving you her hard-earned advice from experience.

There are TONS of book recommendations - in the sections by age as well as a full chapter of recommendations at the end in categories like books that make us laugh. My favorite section was the recommendations for the post-Harry Potter reading slump.

The whole book - in words and tone - is affirming and encouraging. The authors give suggestions for reading-related activities, setting up a home library, what to do when your 6 year old is struggling to read but your friend's 4 year old is reading chapter books, etc. I heartily endorse so much of what the authors have to say here. This will be perfect for both parents and for teachers. This would be outstanding for a baby gift. I could even seen grandparents or other friends and family who love to give book gifts using this for gift ideas. Really a fantastic resource for so many people. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

I really enjoyed reading How To Raise A Reader by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo. They talked about many easy to follow techniques to encourage children of all ages to pick up a book and read more. There are many great book recommendations for every stage of your child's reading ability and they explain why these books are good for this time of their life. They also explain things to watch out for and avoid.

One of the most common challenges I hear from my blog's readers is their struggle to get their children to keep reading. With so many distractions of an electronic nature, children may seem to have too many alternatives to a good book. What's a parent to do? New York Times Book Review editors Pamela Paul and Maria Russo are full of good ideas and suggestions about common reading pitfalls to avoid.

This book is structured according to developmental stages, from reading to babies, toddlers, primary grades, middle grades to YA suggestions for your teens. One of the things I love about their advice is that they point out how quickly children will notice that their parents aren't reading, are on the phone or otherwise distracted. They encourage family reading time, family audiobooks, and in general, modeling the behavior that you wish to achieve. They also point out that you need to know your child's nature- what engages them, what they fear, and even just making sure you know why your child resists some aspect of reading. One of the author's children was resisting reading alternate pages out loud with their parent and the concerned parent was surprised when the child sighed heavily and said "I hate reading out loud. I have to go so slow." Not what you'd expect unless you know your child is an excited reader who is looking forward to getting to the next page!

I found this book has some good advice, some great booklists, and in general I think it would be either a solid purchase for parents of young children or a book you could check out of the library for strategizing about flagging interest in your middle grader or high schooler.


I received an Advanced Review Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

HOW TO RAISE A READER by Pamela Paul (My Life with Bob) and Maria Russo is a fabulous resource from the editors of The New York Times Book Review. In this very helpful text geared to parents, Paul and Russo use four sections (Born to Read, Growing a Reader, Your Middle Grade Reader, and A Reader for Life) to offer ideas and titles for young people from babies to teenagers. As a high school librarian, I was most interested in the fourth section where the authors point out that "literature can provide powerful company" and "many lifelong readers remember adolescence as a time of intense immersion in books, a period in which you read to help figure out who you were, what you believed in, and where you stood in the world." They define a Young Adult (YA) book as one which "plunges the reader directly into the experience of being a teenager – that confusing, exhilarating, hormone-fueled, high stakes time when you really don't know what the future will hold for you or what adulthood is really like." In addition, they mention several sites like Book Riot, The YA Bookshelf, and Girl Plus Book, which help readers stay informed about new YA titles. Paul and Russo also offer a lengthy lists of themed books (dealing with fear and bravery, kindness and empathy, family stories, etc.) for ALL ages. The choices are informed and varied – we plan to check the YA recommendations against our high school collection, but a quick review says we have many they recommend on our shelves already.

I like finding good books to recommend to parents and to add to my own professional development, so I picked up How to Raise a Reader. Written by two editors of The New York Times Book Review, How to Raise a Reader is all about inspiring parents, caregivers, and educators to promote a lifetime love of reading. Organized into four parts - Born to Read, Growing a Reader, Your Middle-Grade Reader, and A Reader for Life, with a fifth section providing book suggestions by themes and reading levels (not A-Z, more like age and grade) - this is a handy Readers' Advisory volume to have at your fingertips, and a good suggestion to hand parents who want to work toward growing their own readers. There's advice, tips and facts about early childhood learning, and booklists, booklists, booklists. Illustrated in full-color by popular children's book illustrators, this is a book that will make you fall in love with reading again, too. It's easy to read; easily skimmed if you need to look for one specific section or booklist; and filled with an upbeat, positive attitude: you can do this! You can get kids to love books!

Never overwhelming, the information is presented in easily digestible sections and fact boxes. Get yourself a desk copy to keep on hand, and consider adding this to your parenting sections. And encourage those parents when they come in, looking scared and lost. Remind them that reading kids' books is fun, and tell them that they should never feel bad about reading along with their kids, too! I can't tell you how many times I've had a parent confide that they "aren't really readers", or "haven't picked up a book in SO long". Kids' books are the best way to get back into reading - let this book and your expertise be the pep talk bewildered or just plain tired caregivers need.

Cultivating Joyful Habits of Reading

A Review of

How to Raise a Reader
Pamela Paul and Maria Russo
Hardback: Workman, 2019.

Reviewed by C. Christopher Smith


As editor of a book review periodical, and as an employee of a neighborhood community development corporation, I’m particularly curious about the role of literacy in placemaking. (Some of my reflections along these lines were explored in my 2016 book, Reading for the Common Good). One crucial piece of this puzzle, of course, is the work of helping our children cultivate joyful habits of reading. I was excited to hear about the new book How to Raise a Reader, co-written by two editors of the esteemed New York Times Book Review, Pamela Paul and Maria Russo. If anyone would know what it takes to cultivate a culture of reading, and invite our children into it, Paul and Russo would certainly be in that group.

The focus of the work of raising a reader, the authors observe, falls squarely in the home. “School is where children learn they have to read,” the authors write. “Home is where kids learn to read because they want to. It’s where they learn to love to read” (viii, emphasis in the original). I’m inclined to agree with the authors, but these assertions do raise some crucial socioeconomic questions – which I will return to later. The wisdom that Paul and Russo offer on raising a reader is spot on, but not earth-shattering.

I was raised by two educators, and am now married to a middle-school English teacher, whose mother was also an elementary school teacher. My wife and I have partnered in raising three children who are now teenagers, and we have found that the recommendations in this new book are basically the wisdom we received and the wisdom we have tried to live by in raising our kids. We also live in community with a thriving pre-school – where our children attended and my wife worked in past years – and the recommendations in this book dovetail nicely with the prevailing thought in early childhood education. For readers who might not live in families or communities so saturated with educators, How to Raise a Reader offers a decidedly helpful compendium of wisdom on sharing the love of reading with your children.

But this book is more than just wisdom about parenting to cultivate readers; more than half the book consists of a broad range of annotated reading lists for children from birth through the teenage years. Again, living in a world dominated at work by the publishing industry and at home by educators, I was familiar with most of the books that were recommended. (Though I was just a wee bit saddened that although there was one brief tip-of-the-hat to Madeleine L’Engle, none of her books were included on the book lists).

For parents who are not embedded in the worlds of publishing or education, the lists that the authors have compiled here are top-notch guides to some of the best books for younger readers. I suspect that with a little bit of online searching on any one of these categories, one could compile a similar list of high-quality books in that category, but the authors save us the work of doing so, and given their notable roles with the New York Times, I suspect that these lists may in due time become a sort of canon for the categories they cover.

One of the steepest challenges of this book lies in its premise that the home is the hub of raising kids who love to read. In the twenty-first century, there are many socioeconomic forces that have laid siege to the stability of home life, from divorce to overwork to poverty and so on, and which may pose significant challenges to the work of raising readers. It would not be impossible for a parent hard-pressed by one or more of these forces to instill a love of reading, but for many others, it may not be as much a priority as other basic human needs like food, housing, and healthcare. I would love to hear more from the authors about how community organizations like pre-schools, schools, libraries, and after-school programs can do to collaborate with families in raising kids who love to read. (To be fair, the authors do include brief sections on the virtues of libraries – e.g., the superb sidebar on page 25 “Libraries are Great for…”) My experience in an urban neighborhood with more than its share of social and economic challenges is that the premise that the home is the locus of cultivating a love of reading is a bit naïve. Here it is truer that it takes a village – working together – to raise a reader.

My quibbles aside, How to Raise a Reader is an important book for the vital work of cultivating literate places. It is a book that libraries should keep multiple copies of in circulation, and that should be purchased in bulk and freely given to parents by schools, churches, or community organizations. Its wisdom on raising kids to be readers is sharp, and its recommended reading lists will be very helpful as parents seek to provide their children with high-quality books that befit their age and reading skills. I hope that this book will spark a broader conversation about the societal virtues of reading, and what it takes to cultivate a love of reading, even in situations where the home life is less than ideal and cannot sustain many of the practices recommended here.

–—–
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He has authored a number of books including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks.

Spread the joy of reading!
Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing for the opportunity to read and review How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo!
The book opens with explanations of reading’s importance and the reading experiences of both authors. I appreciate this statement from this section of the book: “School is where children learn that they have to read. Home is where kids learn to read because they want to.” That quote sums it all up perfectly! As a parent and a teacher, I have personally experienced both school and home influences on reading. The book is broken up into parts. Part One: Born to Read includes book suggestions to the years of babyhood through toddlerhood and breaks down what babies can handle by stages and ages. Developing rituals around reading is a great way to guarantee reading takes place every day, like reading at bedtime. It’s a wonderful step when a toddler becomes a reader as he or she looks through books independently and starts telling the story on their own. A reminder of what libraries are great for for when our kids are little and not so little. Here’s an eye-opening statement that will be important to remember: ...the statistic most highly correlated to literacy is the number of books present in the home. Part Two: Growing a Reader discusses the emerging reader and independent reader. Part Three: Your Middle-Grade Reader discusses “novels for children”. The following statement is a reminder of why we read, “...to escape, to uncover, to challenge ourselves, to be swept away by a compelling voice, to find companionship with characters we connect with, to travel the world from the safe distance of a living room armchair.” Thanks to J. K. Rowling for ushering us into communal reading by building excitement, anticipation and all the aspects of her Harry Potter stories that give readers topics of discussion. Part Four: A Reader for Life: Teenagers states the fact that young adult literature is a category that didn’t even exist a few decades ago. When I was a teenager, reading choices were much more limited than they are now. Reading options can be overwhelming now because we have so much choice and variety in genres. Part Five: More Books to Love by theme and reading level explores books that are humorous, tear inducing, heartwarming, family stories, full of courage, kind and empathetic, good for identifying and accepting yourself, have awesome male characters and great female characters, are historical and biographical, dealing with science and nature, and historical fiction. Fantastic book for adults wanting to foster a love of reading in their younger counterparts, 5 stars!

For people who love to read, one of the joys of parenthood is seeing one's children read. New York Times Book Review children's books editors Pamela Paul and Maria Russo published an article in 2017 called "How to Raise a Reader" that was so well-received and widely read that they have expanded it into a book. How to Raise a Reader is a great resource for parents and caregivers of children of all ages.


Some of their advice is so basic that you think everyone knows it. But it's the kind of advice that is worth repeating and constantly reminding ourselves of. They are not huge fans of forcing early reading, but they are fans of exposing children to books, even before the children are born. Reading for oneself sets a pattern; "If you want to raise a reader, be a reader." School is important, but that is "where children learn that they have to read. Home is where kids lear to read because they want to. It's where they learn to love to read."


Paul and Russo spend time at each developmental stage, encouraging habits and practices that build readers. Don't be afraid to introduce even small children to "subjects for which they don't have any context." Through every stage, parents can introduce books and topics that might spur the young reader's interest, but, especially as children mature, "you're not barreling in through the front door of your teenager's reading life" to dictate what they read. Helpful suggestions and strategically placed books around the house are nice, though.


I love this idea: "Give your child one special book for every birthday in his life, to be kept in a special place on his shelf." More than that, though, always make sure to have plenty of books available throughout the house, and not simply as keepsakes. "Books are meant to be read, and well worn books are like living artifacts, their curled or worn or even marked up pages the record of many happy readers."


For each age level, Paul and Russo give lots of recommendations, including classics that were classic when I was a kid as well as books that were published in the last few years. You'll find plenty of titles that will inspire you to run out to the bookstore to stock up for your kids (or for you!) And of course you'll be inspired to pick up a book to read to or read with your kids. Read on!


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!


The article that started it all:

https://www.nytimes.com/guides/books/how-to-raise-a-reader?searchResultPosition=2&redirect=true

The guide starts with how necessary baby books are and touches on all the important stages: keeping them interested as toddlers and pre-schoolers; working with children who are reluctant readers.

It also stresses that parents are the best example - children who see their parents reading regularly are likely to read too.

The authors suggest “regular trips to the library (even better as a family) to keep a constant stream of new and intriguing books around your house.”

Personally, I found this book a great read. It's full of wonderful ideas to create a love of books in children and that's something I'm committed to, even though I'm not a parent.

The book would be a great resource for parents and librarians.

I am a YA librarian and a new Mom so I was excited to read this. I love to read and have wondered what if my son one day doesn't. Reading is a huge part of my work and home life and I hope to share it with my little boy and instill his own love of reading.

How to Raise a Reader is a great collection of tips, hints and suggestions on how to make reading appealing. Ideas of being opened minded, making books available and part of your everyday life are encouraged in subtle consistent ways. In other words: show don't tell. Have a home library, visit the local library and have a regular reading routine at home. Create a nurturing reading environment and encourage discovery of their own reading styles and choices.

These and many more tips and insights are common sense and the lists of suggested books for age and topic are helpful and informative (I was familiar with the YA sections so I was very thankful for other age suggestions).

My son may not become a librarian or a heavy reader but this info will help me cultivate appreciation for when and what he chooses to read.

Title: How To Raise A Reader


Author: Pamela Paul and Maria Russo

Genre: Nonfiction, Parenting, Reading, How-To, Book Lists

Plot: Raising a kid who loves to read is a lot of work and requires years of consistent and age-appropriate effort. But it is not as daunting a task as it sounds. Authors Pamela Paul and Maria Russo draw on their own experiences raising their children to be readers and break this goal down into manageable steps and achievable mini-goals, complete with handy book lists to get the ball rolling.

From babyhood and the exciting toddler years (where, yes, you have to do the bulk of the reading) to the early readers and then middle grade independent readers who devour everything in sight and binge on their favorite series and then finally the teenage years where they are off in worlds of their own and only require the smallest parental guidance in their reading adventures. This book covers all four age groups and has several additional lists in the back for further reading.

Likes/Dislikes: This was a delightful little book to read and I definitely found the beginning chapters on toddlers and babies very inspiring and encouraging. I read the early reader and middle grade sections a bit disinterestedly as I am not in that category yet with my budding readers. I found the teen chapter to be a bit amusing considering that I would not have welcomed any parental interference in my reading choices as a teen. Thankfully, the advice for that section was to be very hands-off with the teenagers.

I didn't really like that graphic novels were so strongly recommended. I can see the appeal for younger readers like mine but after that, I want them to read more words and less pictures. I also found it amusing that internet use is encouraged to go hand-in-hand with the reading experience. I use the internet to read book reviews and find new books all the time.

Rating: PG 15 and up (geared more toward parents)

Date Review Written: April 27th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

As a mom of 3 kids and someone who enjoys books about books, I knew I wanted to request to review "How to Raise a Reader" by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo on Netgalley. Paul and Russo are editors of The New York Times Book Review.

This book has good ideas for encouraging exactly what the title says and is organized by general age range from baby through young adult. Each section has a discussion on developmental stages with regard to reading and a short selection (30 or so) of book ideas.

At the end of the book, we have even more recommendations: something like 50 pages, grouped by broad theme: Tear-jerkers, funny books, heart warmers, kindness and empathy, self-acceptance and identity, history and biography, science and nature, historical fiction, etc.

Titles are some enduring classics in children's lit and current titles. We get title, author, and a few lines of summary. At the beginning of part five, the authors state the following book lists are highly personal to them.

The authors emphasize the importance of readers seeing themselves in books, and also reading books about people very different from them. We get a few titles in that vein, but I would have appreciated many more.

If you read it, don't skip the sections for ages younger than your children are now. There's timeless advice within regarding book ownership and library, etc.

I was bummed that there wasn't a bibliography at the back of my review copy. It appears everything is from the author's experience. They DO have good experience, but adding cited research could have taken this book to the next level.

Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud handbook continues to be my favorite go-to for the how and why. But where Trelease's book falls short (basically, middle grade and early YA is where his book stops), How to Raise a Reader offers more discussion for young adult books and teen readers.

When I was an older teen in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I lost my way when it came to books. There weren't many good resources out there at the time for finding books, and the genre itself was much smaller. I would have appreciated a book such as this to help me find titles I'd enjoy (or, I'd appreciate my parents having this book so to help me).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a digital review copy. Book published on Sept. 3, 2019.

How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo, 216 pages. NON-FICTION
Workman Publishing, 2019. $20.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - NO
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
Paul and Russo go through the stages of human development -- book style. These women, with lots of personal and professional experience, give tips, tricks, and book suggestions to be used with the beloved children around you of any age.
While this book’s primary purpose is being informative, it’s easy to read with its conversational tone, and it’s full of great ideas to implement -- and even tweak to make your own! The suggestions made can be used as a guide and a springboard to meet the needs of individual children and unique families. I only mark this book as “not to buy” and “low appeal” because I don’t think teenagers are the most interested audience for this book.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Probably a fine book for new parents, but as a librarian, there was not much new here for me. I would still recommend as a fine addition for public library shelves.

As a librarian that works closely with children, I found this book to be very insightful and empowering. Reading is such an important skill for many reasons, which are outlined nicely in the book, along with the benefits of developing a lifelong passion for reading. As a parent, I found the advice particle and approachable. Too often as parents, we are given the why but not the how. This book covers both in a practical way that encourages parents to begin when your children are small but not too worry if you are jumping in the game at a later time, the benefits are still worth the effort. The book is divided by age and has helpful suggestions for each age and stage of the reader. There are reading lists to pull additional inspiration from as well. Although the subject matter is of a serious nature, the book had a positive and often times comical approach which helped me as a reader feel less overwhelmed with all the information and suggestions outlined in the text. This book would make a great read for parents and educators alike and would make a great baby shower gift to expectant moms and dads.

How to Raise a Reader is an informative book with a lot of suggested titles. Geared towards parents who are interested in encouraging their children to read, it is categorized by age groups, with specific titles (with a synopsis of each) recommended. The latter quarter of the book is again organized by category. But, this time it’s by subject (family, bravery and fears, historical fiction, etc) and then by age group. In addition to providing a variety of lists, there are also pictures of many of the book covers, which enhances the enjoyment as well as the usefulness of this resource.

What I found to be most helpful (and interesting) was the authors’ descriptions of the various ages, what is appealing to those children, how to introduce books and reading, and even assurances that some children will ebb and flow regarding their interest in books.

The variety of titles that are suggested is impressive and I was glad to see some of my favorites on the lists. Their encouragement to visit the library was also very gratifying. I think this could be a good resource for parents who want to encourage and maintain their children’s interest in books and reading, starting at an early age and into adulthood.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

I came into this as a long time Children's Librarian, not a parent, so I'm not the ideal audience for this book, but I do think that it has some good information on reading throughout development. I can see it being popular with parents and I'm going to suggest it for the parenting collection we keep in our children's department. The booklists at the end are pretty useful. I was a little discouraged when the first page of the first list was all male authors, but it got better with representation.