5 Fun Reads Your Kids Will Thank You For
You want to teach your kids to read, but more importantly, you want to teach them to love to read. Consider these five recommendations, all of which are enjoyable for kids while showing them the possibilities of the written word. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
5 Titles to Get Your Kids Reading
| Title | Written by | Illustrated by |
|---|---|---|
| Storytime | UK children's magazine from Luma Works | |
| The Monster Alphabet | Michael P. Spradlin | Jeff Weigel |
| Rudie Nudie | Emma Quay | |
| Don't Call the Office | Megan Williams & Madison Reaveley | Cathryn John |
| 10 Little Circus Mice | Caroline Stills | Judith Rossell |
A Look Inside Storytime Magazine
Important Literacy Statistics
- 12%: Percentage of world population that could read and write in 1820
- 86%: Percentage that could read and write in 2015
- 2/3: Illiterate people worldwide who are women
- 85%: Juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system that are functionally illiterate
- More than 60%: Prison inmates who are functionally illiterate
- 90%: Welfare recipients who are high school dropouts
- 2/3: Students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade that end up in jail or on welfare
- 53%: Percentage of fourth grade students who said they read for recreation
- 20%: Percentage of eighth grade students who said the same
- 30 million: Number of U.S. adults who cannot read, write, or do basic math above a third-grade level
- 1/6: Young adults who drop out of high school
Meet the Cast of Scarlett, Starlet by Emma Quay
In Depth
There are many benefits of reading, especially when parents introduce books to their children at a young age. It can improve concentration, develop vocabulary and language skills, and it engages a child's imagination. However, sometimes it can be a challenge getting your child to find a book that keeps them wanting to come back for more. In no particular order, here are 5 titles kids of all ages are sure to enjoy.
At #1 we have Storytime, one of the UK's leading kids magazines offering fairy tales, new stories, funny poems, awesome animals, myths and legends, illustrations, puzzles, games and much more. Each month, Storytime is packed with brilliant tales for boys and girls of all ages. Unlike most magazines for kids, it has no advertisements and no throwaway plastic toys.
Storytime runs as a social enterprise. Profit is reinvested to support parents in spending more time reading with their children, and to work with schools, councils and other organisations to improve the literacy of families across the UK. Reading for pleasure is important and magazines for kids play an important role in that. With Storytime magazine, kids can enjoy an engaging and magical world of stories every month.
Storytime runs as a social enterprise.
Coming in at #2 we have The Monster Alphabet. From the Abominable Snowman to brain eating zombies, this book will take you on a frighteningly fun journey through the alphabet. The New York Times Bestselling team of Michael P Spradlin and Jeff Weigel take young readers on a voyage around the world with the intrepid monster hunter Morgan Marvin Marshall as he searches the globe for a creature to match every letter.
Whether it is the Abominable Snowman high in the mountains of Nepal, or the fearsome Kraken deep in the ocean, Morgan finds his monsters in all kinds of clever ways. With delightfully playful illustrations done in brilliant colors and playful rhythmic text, the book helps young readers learn the alphabet all while proving that monsters aren't really so scary after all.
Next up at #3 is Rudie Nudie by writer and illustrator Emma Quay. Bathtime is over, and clothes aren't yet on, but the fun has just begun. All parents are familiar with the nightly ritual of their own Rudie Nudies streaking from room to room before they are harnessed by pajamas. In this case, it's a preschooler and her toddler brother who engage in the disarming romp.
All parents are familiar with the nightly ritual of their own Rudie Nudies streaking from room to room before they are harnessed by pajamas.
The simple charcoal sketches work well for capturing the movement and energy illustrated throughout the story. The pictures are paired with a pastel background and some intentional uncolored areas that leave the impression that the illustrations are unfinished. The lyrical prose makes the story ideal for shared reading at bedtime. Emma Quay captures all the joy and energy of childhood in this bestselling modern classic.
And at #4 is Don't Call the Office by Megan Williams & Madison Reaveley. Cameron Parker loves her big, blended family. She just wishes that when her Mom, stepdad, Dad, Nana and Grandpa each pick her up from school, they would listen to Cameron's one simple instruction: don't call the office.
9 year old Madison Reaveley came up with the idea for Don't Call The Office after her stepmom, Megan, was late to pick her up. Megan Williams, award winning author of Our Interrupted Fairy Tale, thought the story was a great idea and they began writing that weekend. She also learned to never call the office again. Megan resides in West Vancouver, BC with Madison who splits her time between West Vancouver and Coquitlam, BC., where she lives with her Mom, stepdad and sister Maya.
Megan Williams, award winning author of Our Interrupted Fairy Tale, thought the story was a great idea and they began writing that weekend.
Last on the list, at #5 is 10 Little Circus Mice written by Caroline Stills. Ten topsy-turvy mice teach simple addition in this charming math picture book. Each spread features an equation showing one way to add up to ten, while the acrobatic critters split into two groups representing the numbers in the sum.
Stills' 10 Little Circus Mice, was published by Little Hare Books in Australia, New Zealand and the UK in March 2013, and by Holiday House in the US in 2014 where it was renamed Mice Mischief: Math Facts in Action. A year later it was published in China, as well as a French version in Canada. Stills resides in the Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne, Australia.
