Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age -- From Picture Books to eBooks and Everything in Between

by Jason Boog, Betsy Bird (Foreword by)

Overview

A program for parents and professionals on how to raise kids who love to read, featuring interviews with childhood development experts, advice from librarians, tips from authors and children’s book publishers, and reading recommendations for kids from birth up to age five.

Every parent wants to give his or her child a competitive advantage. In Born Reading, publishing insider (and new dad) Jason Boog explains how that can be as simple as opening a book. Studies have shown that interactive reading—a method that creates dialogue as you read together—can raise a child’s IQ by more than six points. In fact, interactive reading can have just as much of a determining factor on a child’s IQ as vitamins and a healthy diet. But there’s no book that takes the cutting-edge research on interactive reading and shows parents, teachers, and librarians how to apply it to their day-to-day lives with kids, until now.

Born Reading provides step-by-step instructions on interactive reading and advice for developing your child’s interest in books from the time they are born. Boog has done the research, talked with the leading experts in child development, and worked with them to compile the “Born Reading Essential Books” lists, offering specific titles tailored to the interests and passions of kids from birth to age five. But reading can take many forms—print books as well as ebooks and apps—and Born Reading also includes tips on how to use technology the right way to help (not hinder) your child’s intellectual development. Parents will find advice on which educational apps best supplement their child’s development, when to start introducing digital reading to their child, and how to use tech to help create the readers of tomorrow.

Born Reading will show anyone who loves kids how to make sure the children they care about are building a powerful foundation in literacy from the beginning of life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476749792
Publisher:	Touchstone
Publication date:	07/15/2014
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	874,528
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jason Boog was a publishing editor at Mediabistro and lead editor of their popular blog on all things publishing, GalleyCat, for five years. His writing has been featured on NPR and in the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Believer, and Salon. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Boog lives in California with his wife and daughter. Visit him at JasonBoog.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Betsy Bird, New York City children's librarian ix

Introduction: The Born Reading Playbook, or How to Use This Book xv

Chapter 1 Before Your Baby Is Born 1 Interlude: How Sign Language Can Change Your Baby's Life 20

Chapter 2 First Year of Life 25

Interlude: Raising Library Babies 46

Chapter 3 Reading with a One-Year-Old 53

Interlude: How to Inspire Reluctant Readers 85

Chapter 4 Reading During the Terrible Twos 91

Interlude: The Joy of Homemade Books and Projects 123

Chapter 5 Three-Year-Old Readers 129

Interlude: Why Your Kid Should Read Comic Books 167

Chapter 6 Learning with Four-Year-Old Readers 173

Interlude: Mastering the Art of Storytelling 217

Chapter 7 Kindergarten and Beyond 223

Conclusion: How Born Readers Can Thrive with Common Core Standards 263

Reading List 277

App List 283

Bibliography 287

Acknowledgments 291

Index 293

Editorial Reviews

06/16/2014
In his first book, former GalleyCat blogger Boog surveys current research on early childhood brain development and shares experiences of raising his daughter, Olive, to appreciate books from infancy. The result is a paean to the advantages interactive reading gives children by the time they reach preschool. Boog’s “Born Reading Playbook” contains many good ideas. He suggests that parents can engage young children with reading by extending the ideas in books to learning about the world in an age-appropriate manner. Although Boog does not object to electronic media, he does object to parents who use media and electronics as a babysitter, especially for children younger than two. His book, audiobook, and app recommendations are thoughtful, current, and specific; “Born Reading Bundles” suggest ways to combine books, new media, and conversation topics. The concluding comparison between kindergarten Common Core standards and the skills developed through interactive reading methods focuses on academic readiness and advantage rather than the love of reading. Despite the book’s strengths, Boog’s focus on the successes, but not the challenges, of his daughter’s experience, inadvertently makes him seem like a know-it-all rather than an educator or peer. Agent: David Patterson, Foundry Literary + Media. (July)

Publishers Weekly

A great resource for anyone who wants to help children love to read.

Gretchen Rubin

"I seriously don't have enough good things to say about this book. . . . He’s this generation’s Jim Trelease. This book is awesome, and I think it's one that should find its way into school curriculum for teachers and librarians."

The Novel World

"Offers insightful tips from Boog’s own experiences as a father as well as from researchers with decades of expertise in the fields of literacy, child development, parenting, and education. ...Packed with invaluable bits of advice designed to create curious, enthusiastic, and lifelong learners."

Allison Irwin

03/15/2014
Former Mediabistro publishing editor, new father Boog interviewed childhood development experts, librarians, and children's book authors and publishers to offer an interactive approach to making children readers. With a foreword by Betsy Bird of the New York Public Library.

Library Journal

10/01/2014
Boog makes a strong argument for why caregivers of children ages birth to five need not simply read aloud, but also interact with children to ensure maximum nurturing and brain development. In fact, he states early on that "hospitals should be handing out interactive reading pamphlets along with diapers as new parents head home." He tackles the digital debate as well. While suggesting that parents try to adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics policy advising zero screen time for children under two years of age, he advocates that any time a child spends on an electronic device should be as interactive as possible. Calling his collection of reading/interacting strategies "the born reading playbook," the author gives practical and smart advice, along with explanations of the 15 skills detailed throughout the book—all without sounding preachy. While some of his ideas are commonplace ("ask lots of questions" and "read together"), other suggestions ("follow the things your child loves" and "guide your child beyond what they already know") might be novel ideas for parents unsure about how to effectively read aloud to young children. Each chapter lists 10 suggested books to share. Chapters are arranged by age, and as the levels increase, so too do Boog's suggestions for how to use books and digital devices. "Born Reading Bundles" are a combination of print books and multimedia activities to share with children. His conclusion focuses on the Common Core State Standards, noting that "parents will have to do more work outside the classroom to encourage…individual interests." He also notes that his born reading playbook skills tie into the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards. This will be a useful title for all libraries to include in both their parenting and professional reading collections.—Lisa Kropp, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

School Library Journal