Book Smart: How to Develop and Support Successful, Motivated Readers

by Anne E. Cunningham, Jamie Zibulsky

Overview

Authored by two passionate psychologists and educators, Book Smart: How to Develop and Support Successful, Motivated Readers is a how-to guide rich with stories, lessons, activities, and ideas aimed at supporting reading development and addressing the broad range of interpersonal, social, emotional, and motivational skills that can be fostered by reading with young children. The early chapters in this book will help you get your child ready for school and ready to read, and the later chapters will help you foster your child's lifelong love of reading. Throughout the book, the authors also provide tips for building a special bond with your child through reading together, from giving appropriate praise to modeling persistence. Perhaps most importantly, this book serves as a guide along the path to raising an independent reader. This journey begins with a discussion of oral language and early reading skills and then moves into early writing attempts, story comprehension, general knowledge development, and social-emotional growth. This book will help parents bring the joy of reading into the home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199843930
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/28/2014
Pages:	504
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Anne E. Cunningham is Professor of Cognition and Development at University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Education.

Jamie Zibulsky is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction to Shared Reading: Definitions and Practices
Chapter 2: The Role of Oral Language in Reading Development: How Language Skills Lead to Literacy Skills
Chapter 3: Emergent Literacy: The Roots of Reading
Chapter 4: Learning to Write: How Writing Makes You a Better Reader and Thinker
Chapter 5: Story Comprehension
Chapter 6: The Effects of Reading Volume: Vocabulary and Knowledge Growth
Chapter 7: The Social and Emotional Benefits of Reading Together
Chapter 8: Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"Book Smart is a big, generous treasure trove of information and instruction for parents. Zibulsky and Cunningham are passionate about the life of the mind and about how reading out loud to our children enriches their cognitive development and education, our families, and the entire community. Written in a clear, vivid style, the book is a perfect blend of practical advice and the theoretical and experimental reasons behind it."
— Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Tinkers

"This isn't a book that you'll read once and then put on a shelf. You'll pick it up and use it at every age and stage your child experiences on the path to reading success."
— Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic Inc.

"Book Smart, by top scholars, offers a reliable and up-to-date summary of what helps children become better readers. The emphasis on the spoken word - on reading aloud to children and on direct spoken interchanges between children and caregivers (unusual in a book on reading) is well established in research, is enormously important, and is especially welcome. Congratulations!"
— E. D. Hirsch, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Education and Humanities, University of Virginia; Author of The Knowledge Deficit and Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know

"[Book Smart] is a wonderful resource, a book that I read from cover-to-cover. Parents will find the most comprehensive information about reading to date and the crucial skills that are essential for its development. But what distinguishes this book among all the others is that while these authors are pre-eminent in the field of reading, they write with an eye carefully calibrated to their audience... These authors have masterfully unlocked the black box of learning to read in a way that never loses the passion and sheer intelligence they bring to their subject. It is a joy to read and will become a well-worn guide for parents and students of reading."
—Susan B. Neuman, Professor and Chair, Teaching and Learning Department, NYU; Co-Editor, Reading Research Quarterly; former Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education

"Written in parent-speak, Book Smart morphs the latest findings on reading development into fun activities and advice. Thank you Cunningham and Zibulsky for giving parents the toolkit that will help them raise literate, book-happy kids who learn to savor words and to inhabit new worlds through the printed page. Bravo!"
—Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Stanley and Debra Lefkowitz Professor of Psychology, Temple University

From the Publisher

11/15/2013
Cunningham (cognition & development, Univ. of California, Berkeley) and Zibulsky (psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ.) assert that while parents may be aware that reading aloud is a crucial activity for building literacy, they may not know the reasons why. According to the authors, the benefits are not only academic but also relational and emotional. Reading is a process that changes a child's thinking and understanding of others and the world. The chapters address a variety of questions: How do language skills translate into literacy skills? How can I grow my child's semantic, pragmatic, and syntactic language skills? How specifically does writing make my child a stronger reader and thinker? How do I increase understanding of the books we read? Included are ideas about how to help children become independent readers as well as suggestions for how to nurture the bond between child and parent through reading as an activity. VERDICT While parents have long known the value of fostering reading in their children, this journal-style book, heavy in educational jargon, might not be a comfortable text for the lay reader. Educators and professors in the field of reading development would probably benefit most from this work.—Julia M. Reffner, Fairport, NY

Library Journal