Wherever you go, bring some books
Almost every teacher at almost every school in America sends students home with summer reading lists. It's not hard to understand why: Children in any grade who don't read during the summer have a harder time getting back up to speed when they return in September. The danger is that they fall behind their peers and take months to catch up. Some educators even have a name for it: the Summer Slide Syndrome.
Not all summer reading lists are equal, however. When was the list last updated? Stale lists tend not to reflect current children's interests. How many of the books are award-winners? While Caldecott and Newbery Medal winners are among the best known of children's literature and surely worth reading, they also tend to be among the more challenging books, at least in the upper elementary grades. (Think "The Giver" by Lois Lowry, and "Holes" by Louis Sachar, as well as books by Mildred Taylor, Laurence Yep, or Elizabeth Speare.)
"If summer books are too hard, the reading experience isn't pleasant, it's a chore -- it's like school! -- and they don't want to do more," says children's reading specialist Lucy Calkins, director of the Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College at Columbia University.
Since this is one time when quantity does count, that's a big problem, especially for a shaky reader.
"Reading builds on itself," says Calkins. "The more a child reads, the better his comprehension, fluency, speed, and cognition."
As you peruse your school's summer reading list, here are some things to keep in mind:
Entice your young child not just by the book but also by your presence. Read to your child and with your child, but be adventurous. Take advantage of the unique opportunities summer offers. Read under a tree, or next to a pond, or in a canoe.
Build reading into the day's activities on vacation: "If you wake up early, you can read in bed!" Don't be surprised if your son balks ("It's vacation, why would I want to read?"). It takes effort to find books boys enjoy. A girl of almost any age will read almost anything that's good, even if it's about a boy. A fourth-grade boy typically won't read a book about a girl no matter how good it is.
Find a series your reader likes and keep him or her well supplied. Many parents frown on serial books; we typically think they aren't quality reading. But a character a child met in the last book makes the reading more familiar and comfortable. That supports comprehension and builds reading confidence. Some good series include: for first grade, "Olivia" by Ian Falconer (Atheneum); for second, "Henry and Mudge," by Cynthia Ryland (Aladdin); for third, "Judy Moody" by Megan McDonald (Candlewick Press) and "Jake Drake" by Andrew Clements (Aladdin); and the "Joey Pigza" series by Jack Gantos (Harper/Trophy) for fourth grade. "Jake Drake" and "Joey Pigza" are likely to appeal to boys.
Think outside the box. The idea is to build a life that includes literacy, not just to fill a summer-reading requirement. If you're planning a family vacation, go online with your child and research sites of interest for the trip. If you're getting a new dog, go to the library and get some books on puppies. Find books and websites that hook into hobbies (comic books and baseball cards count) and leave books scattered around the house in places where he will stumble upon them.
Is Dad a reader? Boys whose dads aren't readers tend to conclude that reading is not a guy activity. Dad, make this the summer you sit and read with your son regularly, no matter his age. With a boy in second or third grade, start to read a chapter book aloud together until he gets into the book and wants to read ahead. Then read it on your own, or ask him to fill you in. (Warning: Don't grill him.) Meanwhile, have another book at hand when that one is finished. Also check out guysread.com. Created by children's author and elementary teacher Jon Scieszka, it's dedicated to helping boys find books they will want to read. Click on "guys' summer reads." The book list we offer this year is comprised almost entirely of books published in 2004, recommended to the Globe by Leo Landry of the Children's Book Shop in Brookline; children's librarian May Lo of the Boston Public Library; Susan Bloom, director of the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College; and this reporter. Note: NF denotes non-fiction; an asterisk means a boy is likely to enjoy it.
Kindergarten
"Halibut Jackson" by David Lucas (Knopf, 2004) "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!" by Mo Willems (Hyperion, 2004)
"Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse" by Lindsay Barrett George (Greenwillow, 2004)
"Tanka Tanka Skunk" by Steve Webb (Orchard/Scholastic, 2004).
"The Story of Red Rubber Ball" by Constance Levy (Harcourt, 2004)
First grade
"Princess Knight" by Cornelia Funke (Scholastic, 2004) "Little Rat Rides" by Monika Bang-Campbell (Harcourt, 2004)
"Biscuit" series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Harper, 2004)
"Agent A to Agent Z" by Andy Rash (Scholastic, 2004)
"Wallace's Lists" by Barbara Bottner and Gerald Kruglik (Katherine Tegen Books, 2004)
Second grade
"Superdog, The Heart of a Hero"* by Caralyn Buehner (HarperCollins, 2004) "Actual Size" (NF)* by Steve Jenkins (Houghton-Mifflin, 2004)
"Say Something" by Peggy Moss (Tilbury House, 2004)
"Lizzy's Ups and Downs: Not an Ordinary School Day" by Jessica Harper (HarperCollins, 2004)
"Tales from the Waterhole" by Bob Graham (Candlewick, 2004)
Third grade
"Silk Umbrellas" by Carolyn Marsden (Candlewick, 2004) "Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude" (NF)* by Louise Borden (Simon & Schuster, 2004)
"Shredderman #1: Secret Identity"* by Wendelin Van Draanen (Knopf, 2004)
"Mimmy and Sophie: All Around the Town" by Miriam Cohen (FSG, 2004)
"Tale of Tails"* by Tony Mitton (Random House, 2004)
Fourth grade
"Snap" by Alison McGhee (Candlewick, 2004) "Winged Migration, Junior Edition" (NF)* by Stephane Durand and Guillaume Poyet (Chronicle Books, 2004)
"Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America"(NF)* by Sharon Robinson (Scholastic, 2004)
"The Haunting of Granite Falls" by Eva Ibbotson (Dutton, 2004)
"Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy" by Jenny Nimmo (Orchard/Scholastic, 2004)
Fifth grade
"Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko (Putnam, 2004) "Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing" (NF)* by Paul Janeczko (Candlewick, 2004)
"Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett (Scholastic, 2004)
"The Young Man and the Sea"* by Rodman Philbrick (Blue Sky Press, 2004)
"The Voice that Changed a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" (NF) by Russell Freedman (Clarion, 2004)
Sixth grade
"Heartbeat" by Sharon Creech (HarperCollins, 2004) "Truckers" by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins, 2004)
"The Conch Bearer"* by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Millbrook, 2003)
"Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics" by Sue Macy (National Geographic, 2004).
"The Same Stuff as Stars" by Katherine Paterson (Clarion, 2000)
