I had a similar situation with older children in a former school who
would check out books that were WAY above what they could read.
After talking with several of them, I figured out that they were
aware they could not read the books, but didn't want anyone else to
know that they could not read them. Still, they wished they could
feel free to take home books that they COULD read. I solved their
problem by making a display in the section near my regular fiction
called "Babysiter's Books". I promoted it as books that would be fun
to read to younger siblings or children if you were babysitting. It
changed it out regularly, and my struggling readers were my best
customers. They still borrowed the big thick books for show, but now
at least, they had a source of books they could actually read. I
always made sure that the display included things that would appeal
to them, but since they could claim they were for "the little kids"
it preserved their pride.
Gail Smith, NBCT
Librarian & Tech Facilitator
Edison Regional Gifted Center - Chicago, Illinois
gsmith@edison.cps.k12.il.us
"In the nonstop tsunami of global information librarians provide us with
floaties and teach us to swim."--Linton Weeks, Washington Post,
January 13, 2001
On Oct 4, 2007, at 5:47 PM, Cathy S. Hainstock wrote:
>
> My sympathies too! What a way to turn kids off reading.
> A couple of years ago I had a Prep student (5 y.o) come each week
> to library
> class and check out chapter books for teen girls (not the YA ones).
> Her mum
> came to me a little concerned that she was bringing all these books
> home but
> not really reading them, just carrying them around. And showing
> them to
> people. As we talked about it, we realized the reason the little
> girl was
> doing this was because she saw the power of reading 'big books' and
> was
> looking forward to when she would be old enough to read them. We never
> stopped her but encouraged her to also check out 'something she
> could read
> to mum'. She is still one of my best customers, and an avid reader
> of simple
> chapter books at the ripe old age of 7 (and a half!)
> My point is that perhaps that cookbook child was the next Jamie
> Oliver,
> pictures can be as inspiring as text. There are many reasons to
> read (and to
> borrow) a book. We need to be acknowledging them and encouraging
> them all.
> good luck =)
>
> Catherine Hainstock
> Teacher-in-the-library
> Village School Library
> Croydon North, Victoria
> Australia
> cathy@bytedesign.com.au
> library@villageschool.vic.edu.au
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