Hamilton - Raising bookworms: getting kids reading for pleasure and empowerment

PRAISE for RAISING BOOKWORMS

Raising Bookworms does something rareit recognizes that to get a kid reading means lighting an internal fire, not just applying an external push. This book shows you how to make reading a habit theyll want to form all on their own.

James Patterson, Multi-Bestselling Author,
19 Consecutive #1 titles; NY Times Adult and
Childrens #1 bestseller list simultaneously

If children did come with a parenting manual, this would be it. Good books are the core of good parenting, and Raising Bookworms is a common-sense guide to instilling a love of reading in your children. Given the right guidance and incentives, children will read for the sheer joy of it. This practical guide to how to make that connection is an essential resource for every parent and parent to be.

Lovingly written and packed with recommended reading and activities for parents and children, this essential guide to raising readers connects children with the joy of discovering the world through books. The message is simple: Children can learn to love reading books. Caring attentive adults can make the difference, and that difference changes lives.

Leonard Kniffel, Editor in Chief
American Libraries

Emma Walton Hamiltons Raising Bookworms celebrates the experience of bonding with children through books and shows just how dynamic and creative a process that can be. Reading aloud, dramatizing stories, and using books as guides to the arts, sciences and larger world, are just a few of the great ideas shared here. Raising Bookworms is filled with tips for parents and caregivers of children of all ages, and it reminds us of the joys and benefits of having books as part of our lives.

Susan Raab, childrens literature industry consultant
Raab Associates Inc.

Parents who bemoan the fact that their children cannot read, do not read for pleasure, or spend too much time watching television or playing on the computer can turn to the well organized and informative Raising Bookworms by Emma Walton Hamiltona blueprint for building successful readers. Raising Bookworms excels in suggesting ideas for scenarios that encourage reading. Many parents hesitate to read to their children because they feel uncomfortable reading aloud. Using her theatrical background, Ms. Hamilton makes simple suggestions that would assist any shy parent. Those who turn to this book will learn how to make their home into a reading studio that will catapult their little ones into a life of literary success.

Ilene Abramson, Director of Childrens Services
Los Angeles Public Library

The book is filled with words of wisdom and inspiration, but the practical tips will help parents ensure that their children not only can read but love to read. The tables at the end offer a tidy matrix of activities that will reinforce reading efforts.

Jeanette Larson, Childrens Literature Consultant
TLA Librarian of the Year, Austin, TX

I think Raising Bookworms should be required reading for all parents of school-aged children and for all educators. If more people found joy in life, the world would be a better place. Joy in reading would open so many doors for each child. Its the springboard to a lifetime of success.

Jennie Dunham, Childrens Literature Agent
Dunham Literary

Emma Walton Hamiltons many practical, thoughtful, sensible, creative, kid-friendly, and just plain fun strategies for raising bookworms are just what all parents need to get their children reading and loving it. Her annotated booklists of family favorites for preschool through middle school underscore her simplest and most important hypothesis: Reading = JOY. What better gift can we give our children?

Judy Freeman, Childrens Literature Consultant,
Author of Books Kids Will Sit Still For

Stories make us human, and reading them connects children with a multitude of worlds and possibilities. Emma Walton Hamilton knows this, and has brought stories to life in her work in the theater and in her books for children. Now, in Raising Bookworms, she gives the rest of us the tools we need to share stories with the children we love. A clear, concise, and hands-on manual for parents, educators, and anyone interested in celebrating the written word.

Catherine Creedon, librarian and author
Blue Wolf

Emma Walton Hamilton has the key to putting joy back into reading for children. Her tips and suggestions for reading together as a family activity are a boon to busy parents and will lead them to many happy connections with their children.

Connie C. Rockman, Childrens Literature Consultant
Author/Editor of Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators (Editions 8, 9 & 10)

Raising Bookworms is the book that every family needs! It is filled with brilliant and creative ways to bring the pure pleasure of reading into your childs lifea gift that if given early will stay with them forever. As a family that spends all of their time together making musicreading together is still such an important part of our lives. Thank you, Emma, for sharing what we believe to be one of the greatest gifts of all.

Lisa Michaelis, and Billy and Emily Schlosser,
Laughing Pizza

Getting Kids Reading for
Pleasure and Empowerment

Emma Walton Hamilton

B EECH T REE B OOKS

Copyright 2009 Emma Walton Hamilton

Printed and bound in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Beech Tree Books, PO Box 839, Sag Harbor, NY 11963

www.beechtreebooks.com

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