Choosing books to suit children
Thirty two days until Christmas! While most people will be spending Christmas in the sunshine, I’m going to be spending it in the clouds on my way home to Scotland for a grand ‘Hogmanay’ New Year and my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.
While it may take some people six weeks to plan their packing it’s likely that I will spend the time planning what books to read on the flights, and what books to take back for my nieces and nephew.
They are now ‘tweens’ and have a love of anime and manga.
Luckily my colleague Dariann can help me choose the latest manga series to please them.
Failing this a book voucher is always a safe bet. In fact, now that they are reading more confidently, they have developed their own reading tastes and studies find that children picking their own books have an early advantage.
It helps them:
■ make independent choices
■ develop literacy preferences
■ understand their own reading ability
■ choose books for specific needs
It’s still really important that we guide and support them to become more independent at choosing books and taking risks with their choices.
This helps to extend their reading range. Of course we shouldn’t forget that reading still needs to be fun.
Choosing books for my young nieces can be a tad more challenging.
Not only do they seem to have as vast a reading collection as our own Children’s Library, this long distance aunt isn’t au fait with their interests and preferences.
Young children are repeatedly in a position where adults choose their books.
Teachers and parents pick books with the best intentions, usually for reading development, but not always to develop a love of reading.
The first step is to find out what they enjoy reading or what their interests are.
They generally need time to explore books so regular visits to the library really helps with this. Using the library is an inexpensive way to let children experiment and discover lots of different types of books.
Libraries have an amazing range of books that are free! They also have lots of fun activities for kids that encourage reading.
Let them loose to explore the shelves and choose what they want to read will help encourage them and get them excited. Asking them to choose a book just from the front cover can help too.
What book covers interest them? Colourful, bold, realistic, fantasy, muted, animals, people?
So looking at my own advice what I really need to do is take them on a trip to their local library, potter around choosing books together, read with them and suss out what they like.
A trip to my all-time favourite bookstore, five floors high, is a treat in itself.
We can get lost in the aisles, choose a prized book, enjoy an indulgent hot chocolate and then finish off touring the amazing Christmas lights in the city square.
As for my own reading that is another story.
With the prospect of visiting a much-loved bookstore and the comparative price of books in the UK, packing for the trip shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll be heading to Scotland with a light suitcase.
On the return leg of my journey though, I may be charged with an excess baggage fee!
WHAT’S ON Exhibitions
Christmas Delight Exhibition, by Carolyn Hokianga, 1-30 November, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ Gallery Space. Heritage room:
Volunteers staff the Heritage rooms at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ Tuesday to Saturday at the following times: Tuesday, 10am-12.30pm Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 10am-12.30pm and 1-3pm Saturday 10am-12.30pm Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom Heritage Room has the Research librarian available all day every Friday.
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Friday Concert, Performance by Rhonda Tyler, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 12-1pm
Cribbage Group, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 1-3.30pm
SeniorNet, Get help with your tablets, phones and laptops Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 10am-12pm
Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 2-4pm
Kids Book Club, Fridays during term 4, Te Takeretanga o Kurahau-po¯ , 3.30-4.45pm
■ Sunday,November 27:
Wha¯ nau Fun Time, The Youth Space, Te Takeretanga o Kurahau-po¯ , 1-4pm
Sunday Concert, Performance by Ainslie Allen, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 2pm
■ Monday, November 28:
Storytime, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 10-10.30am Meet Street, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 10am
■ Tuesday, November 29:
Justice of the Peace, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 11.30am-1.30pm
■ Wednesday, November 30:
Crochet & Coffee Club, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 10.30am
Meet Street, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 5.30pm
Quiz Night, Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯ , 7-9pm, $5
■ Thursday, December 1:
Crochet & Knitting, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 3.30-4.30pm