"It's the soul of true parenting . . .

. . . and it's very rewarding": encouraging kids to read.

True dat.

Theresa Fagan, mother of eight, lists some of her family's favorite books.

I'll add, for little kids, the all-time classic, Goodnight Moon, and for middle-schoolers, the magnificent, Pulitizer Prize-winning novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Yearling.

(In 7th grade I wrote Ms. Rawlings a fan letter, and she wrote me back. Eat your hearts out.)

Comments

[JorgXMcKie]

For early adolescents and a bit, Madeleine L'Engele's "A Wrinkle in Time" is one of the all-time best intros to SF/Fantasy. Very readable. It will hold the attention of both boys and girls. A 9 or 10 year old with good reading skills would also love it.

For the 5- or 6-year-old in your family, "Sarah's Granny and the Groodle" makes a great introduction to reading beyond the Look/Say books normally given to five-year-olds. Hearing it read to them will make them want to read it to themselves.