Arts & Literature

Most children love to read adventure books. In fact, one of the best ways to get a child interested in reading is to expose him to adventure books. There are many types, from pirate legends to historical tales and fantasy. If you find your child is drawn to a certain type of adventure, you are sure to find a number of books for him.

If your child is into archeology, than you may find that books such as Jeramiah Stokely, Archeologist by Alan K. Garinger is a fun read. Jeramiah Stokely, Archeologist has a companion kit that can be ordered that contains two pounds of clay, simple tools and instructions so that your child can learn to make pots, beads and decorations like the Native Americans did.

Some children find adventure in the world around them. Jeramiah Stokely, Naturalist by Alan K. Garinger is a book about a boy who is trying to save a swamp. You can buy a companion kit that contains a journal and a poster. Your child can have fun recording his adventures and identifying birds, trees, animals and plants. Also, since they can follow the same character, its easy to get your child interested in subjects they may not have otherwise touched.

Try Classic Adventures
There are classic adventure books your child may want to read. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson has always been a favorite. You may also try The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling or even books by Mark Twain such as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Its best, however, to discuss the historical implications of these books with your children. While they can be excellent vehicles for discussions around issues of race, without discussion, some of the content may be confusing to younger readers. You can try modern tales written about historical times such as Tagger: Alone Along the Mystic River by J.A. Louthain or The End of Forever by Denise Page Caraher.

There are many places to find book reviews on childrens books. There are lots of quality childrens stories on the market current. Two books that have gotten good reviews are Tagger: Alone Along the Mystic River and Ame the Elephant: Terrorized by Evil Mice. Tagger has been noted for the engaging heroine–one of the best role models in the genre of young adult fiction. On the other hand, Ame has garnered recognition for helping young children understand and process the events of 9/11. Many magazines, both geared towards adults and children will review childrens books. Newspapers often review new books. There are a host of places online where you can find book reviews.

When you are going to online bookstores, you have a chance to read reviews written by customers. Some customers will write thoughtful, educated reviews. There are also people who seem to have little education, judging by the quality of craftsmanship in their reviews, who seem to enjoy tearing apart books.

There will always be readers who love and hate specific books, meaning that the most extreme reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. If a number of reviews are positive, you can probably bet that the book will be good. You will also want to take into account who is writing the review: Are they looking for the same qualities in a book that you are?

Find Reviews in Magazines
For more established reviews, you should go to the magazines and newspapers. You may be able to find some online if you conduct a search. Publishers of books will often post fair to good reviews about their own books on their websites. Dont forget, no matter what review you read, it is all subjective. In the end, only you can decide if you like a book by reading it yourself.

Fiction is a guilty pleasure–an escape from reality. I believe everyone should read fiction on a regular basis. Everyone should always have at least one fiction book sitting on the night stand at any given time. Escaping from the problems of daily life can help bring stress relief.

As someone who loves to read, I find it difficult to imagine someone who doesnt want to grab a book in his spare few minutes and devour it. However, I have one son who hates to read and a boyfriend who could care less about reading fiction. To me, they are aliens from another planet, but then, thats me writing fiction again.

Reading Can Reduce Stress
Fiction can provide an escape from the real drudgeries and worries about life. Children can be encouraged to read while waiting in the doctors office or waiting for the bus. Getting a child interested in reading may be easier if you can figure out what he likes to read. My bookworm son loves fantasy, adventures, castles and battles. He loves Harry Potter and C. S. Lewis. Many kids have been turned on to reading because of the Harry Potter books. A few years ago, children started to read again because of the Goosebumps books.

The issue boils down to finding books that cater to a childs specific interests. If your daughter loves cats, find her fictional stories involving cats. The same goes for any kind of animal. There are mysteries and horror books as well as historical books and books with messages, so you dont have to worry about compromising the quality of reading material to find a genre that interests your child.

The only way to get a child interested in reading is to find a subject that interests him. For me, when I was a preteen, I discovered weird short stories. I particularly liked the Alfred Hitchcock series of books with little mysterious short stories. I also discovered science fiction and fantasy short stories. Short stories are fun to read because you dont have to spend a lot of time on them. Some people prefer immersing themselves into a novel. Reading a chapter a day can be a good habit for people to get into.

Some children may enjoy animal stories. There are endless books on almost every kind of animal. If your child likes opossums, he may enjoy Uncle Billy Possum, who appears in many of Thornton Burgess books. Rabbits, of course, are everywhere from Peter to Uncle Wiggly to The Tortoise and the Hare. Elephants have always been popular from Babar the Elephant to the modern Ame the Elephant.

Fiction Stories Bring Science Alive
Getting a child interested in science may be able to be accomplished through stories. You can find storybooks that come with kits so that your child can try to imitate some of the facts hes learned. For example, books by author Alan K. Garinger can be ordered with companion kits.

History can come to life when a child identifies with a character. Think of how much more real the Old West or pioneer times became when you read Shane or Old Yeller. A modern take on Native Americans can be found in The End of Forever by Denise Page Caraher. A girls struggle to survive on her own in Connecticut in the 1820s can be found in Tagger: Alone Along the Mystic River by J.A. Louthain. Through engaging and well-crafted historical fiction, children tend to internalize the details and feel of an era better; this can give them a serious leg up in history class.

Many times, if you mention history, children will moan and groan. When I went to school, I found history incredibly boring. As an adult, I cant believe how fascinated I am by history, but its because Im coming at it from the idea of people doing things instead of memorizing dates for events that seemed meaningless to me that happened long ago.

Children can remember a wealth of information. Even children with learning problems can remember and enjoy a variety of subjects if they have the proper scaffolding. As an example, you might want to watch your kids play a computer or video game. See how they can tell you intricate facts about the characters and setups and remember where the booby traps are and how many points they need to get to the next level. Most kids can name most of the 150 plus Pokemon characters but probably cant give you the name of ten presidents. Because the games have a story attached to the facts, characters, and details, children are able to build on that scaffolding and remember details.

For children to love history, we need to make history just as fun. By writing books with fictional characters in historical settings, authors can bring alive a certain time period. Think about how many people learned about the Civil War because they read Gone with the Wind. Its the same for children. A more recent example is Massacre Island by Anne Chancey Dalton, a book that is gaining a fan base among young adult readers and parents.

Books Bring History Alive
There have been many series of books written over the years by authors attempting to bring fictional characters into historical settings. Some books you may want to look at include Torch in the Darkness: A Tale of a Boy Artist in the Renaissance by Alan K. Garinger or The End of Forever by Denise Page Caraher. Your child may also enjoy Tagger: Alone Along the Mystic River by J. A. Louthain. Each of these books takes a complex period and allows the details to come to life with a well-drawn character that children can empathize with.