Teachers should be familiar with a wide range of books. In any one classroom, a teacher may have students with widely divergent interests and skills. A one-size-fits-all approach to recommending books will not work all of the time. While the tried-and-true popular options (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Shel Silverstein, etc) are great options, a teacher has to dig deeper than just the ten most popular book choices.

 

A child is much more likely to enjoy a book if the recommendation is tailored for him/her, than just picking a random book off the shelf. If the teacher knows the child really likes science fiction and wants to be an engineer, the teacher can recommend a book that takes into account that child’s interests. Or, if the child likes to read about children like herself, the teacher might choose a book with a female heroine from her ethnic background. Again, the key component here is that the teacher is already familiar with these books.

 

Further, high quality literature can build critical literacy skills. It’s not just that the child is reading; it’s important that the child is reading GOOD books. The more books that a teacher is familiar with, the more of a repertoire he can recommend to his students. When we discuss “high quality literature”, we are referring to books that:

• Demonstrate developmental value (to gain knowledge of the world, to understand herself better, to develop reasoning skills, to learn to manage her emotions, to appreciate beauty, to learn to make good choices, and generally to become a good human being) (Aaron, 2010).
• Demonstrate subjective appeal (appealing pictures, enjoyable themes, humor, rhythm/rhyme)
• Reflects diversity and accurate portrayals, avoids stereotyping
• Enhances vocabulary
• Promotes active engagement
• Support and extend your child's experiences with and knowledge of the world.

 

(© ______ 2000, Allyn & Bacon https://www.education.com/reference/article/selecting-children-literature/)