Parents who encourage and model a love of learning.
Achievement motivation • School engagement • Homework
Bonding to school • Reading for pleasure
In The Several Lives of Orphan Jack, 12-year-old Jack leaves the orphanage with no family or fortune. Rich in ideas and a love of learning, Jack is bound to make a mark.
This lover of words tempts readers to dive into his favourite book, the dictionary, as he tussles with “turnips, trouble and trepidation.” This funny folk tale offers an enduring truth – lifelong learners have plans, concepts, and opinions to share.
Unlike Orphan Jack’s world, Nicholas Allen’s is asset-rich. In the popular book, Frindle, he’s blessed with a loving family and a supportive community. A project inspired by an incident at school brings him fame and fortune.
Both characters enjoy an ongoing engagement with ideas. These critical thinkers have a commitment to learning that brings them rewards beyond their imagination.
Along with Nick and Jack, the dictionary is a “star” in these two stories. It deserves a place on the bookshelf of any reader from the third grade up. However, if children are to be nurtured with interesting words and imagined worlds long before they’re ready for this handy resource, they need to digest much more and sooner.
Parents will do almost anything to keep their children from going hungry. Similarly, they must honour the importance of providing “food for thought”, stocking up on books. Not just any books will do. If the content is going to speak to kids, it must be appropriate for their age.
Grown-ups can see what appeals to their beginning independent reader. In your child’s favourite book, notice the size of the print, the number of words per page, and the kind of story that satisfies. Then make available more of the same until the reader reaches another ability level.