Shine A Light

From Education.com: 50 books your child should read before kindergarten

From Flavorwire: Some of the weirdest children’s authors of all time

From The Guardian: Why are so many highly praised children’s books so gloomy? (Remember what J.K. Rowling said: “If you are writing children’s books, you need to be a ruthless killer.”)

Scholastic has released its fourth edition of the Kids and Family Reading Report, surveying kids’ habits and attitudes about reading. Here are some highlights. (Click the link for more.)

The percentage of children who have read an ebook has almost doubled since 2010 (25% vs. 46%).

• Half of children age 9-17 say they would read more books for fun if they had greater access to ebooks – a 50% increase since 2010.
• Overall, about half of parents (49%) feel their children do not spend enough time reading books for fun – an increase from 2010 when 36% of parents were dissatisfied with time their child spent reading.
• Seventy-two percent of parents show an interest in having their child read ebooks.

Findings reveal the potential for ebooks to motivate boys, who are more commonly known to be reluctant readers, to read more. One in four boys who has read an ebook says he is now reading more books for fun.

eBooks may also be the key to transition moderately frequent readers (defined as kids who read one to four days a week) to frequent readers (those who read five to seven days a week). More than half (57%) of moderately frequent readers who have not read an ebook agree they would read more if they had greater access to ebooks.

Even so, the love of and consistent use of print books is evident among kids, regardless of age.

• Eighty percent of kids who read ebooks still read books for fun primarily in print.
• Fifty-eight percent of kids age 9-17 say they will always want to read books printed on paper even though there are ebooks available (a slight decline from 66% in 2010), revealing the digital shift in children’s reading that has begun.

The report also notes that the gender gap in reading frequency and attitudes towards reading is narrowing; however, the narrowing of the gap is driven more by decreases among girls than it is by increases in boys.

• Among girls since 2010, there has been a decline in frequent readers (42% vs. 36%), reading enjoyment (39% vs. 32% say they love reading), and the importance of reading books for fun (62% vs. 56% say it is extremely or very important).
• Among girls ages 12-17 there was an increase in the amount of time they spend visiting social networking sites and using their smartphones for going online.
• Among boys since 2010, there has been an increase in reading enjoyment (20% vs. 26% say they love reading), and importance of reading books for fun (39% vs. 47%). Reading frequency among boys has stayed steady, with 32% being frequent readers.

Additional findings of note include:

• Kids say that ebooks are better than print books when they do not want their friends to know what they are reading, and when they are out and about/traveling.
• Print books are seen by kids as better for sharing with friends and reading at bedtime.
• Consistent with the 2010 Kids & Family Reading Report, nine in ten kids say they are more likely to finish a book they choose themselves.
• Thirty-one percent of parents who have read an ebook say they personally read more books now than they read before starting to read ebooks.
• Thirty-two percent of parents say they are reading new kinds of books they never thought they would read, including children’s books and teen fiction.

To download the Kids & Family Reading Report and access audio sound bites, visit www.scholastic.com/readingreport.

From imom.com — 10 Ways to Get Your Kids to Love Reading

From Mental Floss: 19 fun facts about children’s books spotted at the library

From BuzzFeed: 11 classic kids’ books from the 1960s

From io9: Great Children’s Books That Look Death in the Eye (with spoilers). Quite frankly, I’d like to sit and read/re-read every one of these right now.

From The Guardian: Top 10 school stories

From The Guardian: Penelope Harper’s Top 10 Great Grandpa Books

From NPR: The top 100 novels for teens, as chosen by the public.

From Mental Floss: Fun facts about children’s books

Also from Mental Floss: Fun facts about the 11 greatest books for kids

Scholastic lists the Parent & Child 100 Greatest Books for Kids

Wow! The Lawrence Public Library has created a HUGE flow chart for people who want another fun reading experience like they had reading “The Hunger Games.”

And Galley Cat offers even more links to reading ideas.