What kinds of books will a reluctant reader be attracted to? We all have those kids in our classrooms or schools. Those kids who CAN read, but can’t seem to find anything to read in the library. They will read for the required assignments, but seldom pick up a book for recreational reading. Here are some subjects and titles of books that have worked well for me.
About 5 years ago a student came to me and asked if I had any books on building stuff. We didn’t have very much. I realized that there were lots of kids that probably like to build things and started searching for books for kids with building projects in them. I came across David Stiles’ books on building tree houses and forts and other simple projects. They were a hit! Other books that are universally popular are books on jokes and riddles, origami, paper airplanes, codes and ciphers, and drawing books. The “I Spy” books and “Where’s Waldo” type of books are also popular with all ages.
A few years ago another student came in asking for books on crocheting. Her teacher was teaching the whole class to crochet and she wanted a book to check out on the subject. I had a couple, but decided to update that section too. Along the way I also upgraded our books on weaving, beading, rubber stamping, quilting (MY hobby!), sewing, and knitting. This summer I saw a sale book on adding ‘bling’ to personal items (cell phones, shoes, purses, etc.) and got that for our library.
Consider adding books on other hobbies like stamp collecting, coin collecting, and photography. There are some great new books on digital photography for kids.
I have a weakness for any cookbook for kids. I gave some ideas last year about good titles for that section. You can locate that in my blog at sdalaibrarian.blogspot.com.
Think about adding books on sports, too. BMX biking is big here, and skiing and snowboarding are also popular. What sports do your students like to do? Do you have books on those sports?
Ask the kids what hobbies or sports or crafts they would like to see in the library and tailor it to your kids. If they have a voice, they will be very likely to use the books ‘they picked out’.
Have a great week!
Audrey
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