Do you love to read?

Some how my scheduled posting got thrown off, so I bring you Technology Thursday today instead of yesterday. Sorry!

Let me ask you again. 

Do you love to read?

I hope so, because you are already reading this.

I do! I am a natural bookworm. I love to wander bookstores, libraries, and the shelves of everyone I visit. I love the smell of old books, the feel of the pages between my fingers, and the amazing stories that draw me in.

It is hard for me to say when my love of reading began, but I blame it completely on my parents. I think at first we went to the library in an attempt to escape the heat of the summer sun. But eventually I began going to exchange the books I had devoured for new ones. The librarians were astounded. I would read 2-3 chapter books a day. 

The reason I bring this up? Recently CNN posted an article about getting children to read. The number one factor they listed? Parents. Yup, parents are the key to getting a child hooked on reading. It is more than being an example. It is providing the time to read, exposing your child to new books, and encouraging them.

However, just like Donalyn Miller says in The Book Whisperer, you have to know the books in order to recommend them. This is hard when parents are juggling school, work, and many other responsibilities. 

The CNN article listed an awesome website called Read Kiddo Read. I love it and it is the perfect solution for this problem. An amazingly comprehensive site to send parents to when they need help finding recommendations. 

They break books down into four easy sections:

Great illustrated books, great transition books, great pageturners,  and great advanced reads. 

Each of those categories is further broken down into age groups and genres. There are pictures of the cover of each book and an educator and parent review followed by a list of other books a child might like.

I love this and it is completely free! I just had to share.  Enjoy!