Member Reviews

How to Raise a Reader would make a fantastic baby shower gift. That was the thought I had the entire time I read this book. As a parent of school aged children and as someone who values reading, much of this book was “preaching to the choir.” However, for first time parents or parents to be, I think it would be very valuable. It has wonderful book lists at the end which would be a terrific resource to keep handy. I enjoyed the way the book was divided and found it to be easy to read and very relatable.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

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Wonderful and relatable novel that spans from babies to new adult ages. Would be a wonderful fit for those who are expecting and are avid readers, yet will also fit for those who want their child to develop a passion for reading. Includes title suggestions based on age, but could be adaptable to reading level.

*Received an ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for my own honest review.

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This book is an incredible resource for parents and other important adults in a child's life who want to impart a love of reading to children. I was given this book in e-galley form by the publisher and NetGalley. I will most definitely want to purchase the hard copy. I bookmarked and bookmarked as I read.

Pamela Paul oversees book coverage at the New York Times while Maria Paul is associated with the Times. They both love reading and want children to as well. Both authors recall their favorite reads over the course of the book. As an adult, like me, you may start thinking again about when you learned to read and the books that you most loved as a child as you make your way through the text..

The book is divided into four sections: Born to Read which is about babies and toddlers; Growing a Reader which is about emerging and then independent readers; Your Middle-Grade reader and A Reader for Life: Teenagers. The book ends with a section on more books by theme and reading level.

In each section there are many suggested books. I will give just a brief idea of the riches within. For babies: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and Moo, Baa La La La. Classic board books are mentioned as well including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Snowy Day. Toddler suggestions include The Carrot Seed, Millions of Cats and Harold and the Purple Crayon along with new Classics like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Hello Lighthouse. The authors continue with suggestions right through the teen years. The importance of keeping an open dialogue with children is stressed; for example, The Hunger Games may upset some readers but not all. It can be good to dialogue with the reader.

Paul and Russo are parents and it shows. They have practical knowledge about raising readers. There are so many suggestions from using the library, to NOT using books that are device based, to not getting overly caught up in parental contests about whose child learned to read first, to the joys of bedtime stories, young readers love of series and so much more. One aside was about Harry Potter with the authors noting that these are not meant for very young readers even if they are able to decode the words.

I recommend this book most highly. It is full of reasoned ideas and book suggestions that will make adults excited about opening the world of literacy to children.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this terrific book. The opinions are my own.

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As an avid reader who has had a lifelong passion for books, it is so important to me that I do my best to raise kids who are also readers. I have read a lot on this topic and while most articles and books seem to recycle the same information and tips, this book was full of interesting and new advice that I hadn't heard before. It's broken down in chapters for each stage of life and has so many great book recommendations both at the end of each chapter and at the end of the book. I highlighted and saved multiple tips and books and I'm very happy to have been given the opportunity to read and review this book. I hope to pass this recommendation on to others and I hope reading becomes a passion for more kids out there.

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Apologies at the moment all i can do is read and review mobi or convertable pdf format books.

I love the blurb of the book and will still watch out for it being released as ebook

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I wanted to see what this book was about seeing as most of my job is working to get kids reading. I have heard a lot of what this book was saying but I could see how for new parents much of this information would be new and helpful. I liked the little tips and ideas throughout the book and the reassurance that it is never too late for your child to become a reader. I think that is what scares many parents.

My favorite part of the book was the book lists. I love book lists. Always so helpful. I would get this book just for the lists.

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Wow, what a treasure! How to Raise A Reader stood out to me as the parent of a middle-grade reader and a new reader in Kindergarten. This book is divided into sections from babies to teenagers. The advice is approachable and relatable and I loved that it was coupled with specific book suggestions and also some types you might want to avoid.

How to Raise A Reader would be a great refresher for someone who has been a lifelong reader or really helpful advice for someone who is hoping to incorporate regular reading into their families lives for the first time.

The directory at the end of the book gave wonderful suggestions by not only genre and age groups but also by important messages such as kindness and empathy. Sometimes the number of books that are available to us as parents can feel overwhelming so having a list of suggestions about different topics was a wonderful addition to this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I'm confused about the audience for this book. Obviously parents, but parents who care enough about literacy to make an effort to raise a child to enjoy reading don't need the generic, banal advice. As a librarian, I'm passionate about the topic, and as a parent I want my children to feel passionate about books. But this seemed pretty skimpy on statistical relevance and relying more on anecdotes which is fine if the book has taken more of a memoir approach. While everything was solidly good advice, I was curious how dated the suggested reading list would be in a year. Heck, most of the suggestions seemed obvious already. I liked it, but I think this would have made a great serial in a parenting magazine rather than drag it out to a slim book.

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This is a great book full of practical tips to foster reading and love of books in children. It includes lists of suggested books for different age groups. The clean layout is accented with lovely color illustrations, which show readers of many skin tones.

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A great book for parents who want to raise readers but are unsure where to start. Some of the information seemed like common sense to me but that may not be the case for those who weren't raised on books. My favorite thing about this book was that it included specific book recommendations for the different age groups (babies, toddlers, etc) and things to be wary of when choosing books.

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