If your child avoids reading, stock up on the types of books that attract reluctant readers – joke and riddle books, comics, non-fiction, hobby or sports magazines, humourous stories, and celebrity or athlete biographies.

On library visits, add best bets to the pile of books your child chooses. Give books on birthdays and holidays and send the message: We value books and you’re worthy of them. In the books you choose, look for essential elements. Alphabet, counting, and concept books encourage a child to make friends with facts, particularly the
building blocks of language and our number system. Books of high quality are more likely to invite repeat encounters and boost brainpower.

Wordless books empower young children to use their own words as they mimic the reading ritual. They inspire older kids as they copy the storytelling format in their writing.

Bilingual books are especially welcome in families with a first language other than English.

“Healers and helpers” are characters in books that explore a challenge or crisis common to an age group. They remind kids that they’re not alone in their fear or frustration. They put into words feelings a child has not been able to express.

Folk tales and fantasy, poetry and rhyme enrich the imagination. Books like ones featured in these pages reflect assets-in-action. Books with a multicultural range of characters of both genders expand horizons and build understanding. The end result is a feast of words and images for hungry minds.

Ask

• After taking an inventory of your child’s home library, what areas are missing check marks?
• What essential elements need to be added to the collection?
• Are you providing a balance of books too terrific to miss?

AN INVENTORY OF YOUR HOME LIBRARY