Get Ready for Summer Reading: Encourage “WILD READERS”

Are your kids “wild readers”?  Are you?  I know I am!  For one, I read a book about reading.  But how do I share that love of books with my children?

I just finished Donalyn Miller’s “Reading in the Wild.”  A perfect book to get ready for summer reading!  This book is about how to cultivate lifelong reading habits.  Although Miller specifically talks about her experiences teaching 6th graders to love reading (beyond her classroom), I thought her insights applied to everyone, including me (mom).

I have to admit that I grabbed this book simply based on the title.  WILD READERS!  I want that for my kids!  Wild readers read because they love reading.  Nothing can stop them from reading.  They read whenever they get the chance.  They know what they want to read next.  They have favorite authors and series.  They are confident in their book selections.  They seek out reading communities and enjoy talking with over readers.

If you have a house full of wild readers or you want to help your kids become wild readers, this is the book for you.  There are an AMAZING number of things we do that we think encourage reading but instead squash our children’s interest in reading.  Do we give our children enough opportunities to read?  Do we allow them the opportunity for self-selection?

If you want to kick off summer reading with a BANG, I recommend checking this book out first!  Then hit the library.

 

 

Book Review: “Happier at Home” by Gretchen Rubin

Summer reading!  I just finished reading “Happier at Home” a week ago.  Then I plowed through the 3rd book in the Divergent series, “Allegiant” by Veronica Roth.  Next on my reading list is “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv.  Here is my review of “Happier at Home” from Goodreads.com:

I actually enjoyed this book more than “The Happiness Project”, Gretchen’s first novel. I sped through it, so I must have REALLY liked it. It blows my mind to think of how many books Gretchen must read. I can’t image where she finds the time. Then I think, “Well, she did go to Yale!” I thought all her suggestions and tips where applicable in my life, even though Yale would never let me near their campus and even if I couldn’t figure out from the book how she had time to clean and cook meals like a regular mom. Maybe she doesn’t. She still inspired me to doggedly pursue my resolutions. I might have different goals than her but the “how to” is the same.

I think it’s frustrating to read books that remind us it takes time and hard work to accomplish our goals. Sort of like reading books that remind us that eating right and exercising are the best (and probably only) ways to get in shape and be healthy. We would rather read short-cut books that don’t work. Keeping that in mind, I sidestepped the minor frustrations that arose during the book (such as when and if she actually cleans or cooks) and allowed myself to be inspired. Instead of trying to figure out how many hours she actually spends with her daughters each week, I thought about how dedicated she was to her family in addition to having a thriving literary career.

I WAS little disgruntled after finding out that Gretchen’s father-in-law is Robert Rubin. When I told my husband, he said it was like one of Bill Gate’s kids writing about how difficult their lives were and how they became happier. When you put it that way, I not so sure how honest she was in the book.  BUT…I still liked the book.