Read Kiddo Read

I found a new website today that I’m in love with and just have to share.

James Patterson was interviewed on a radio talk show today about his efforts to encourage more reading in kids’ lives.

The idea to encourage the masses to read more arose from his experience with creating a love of reading for his son, Jack.  Patterson and his wife were not happy that Jack was not in love with reading, so they set out to change it.

Find Books your Kids will Relish

Patterson and his wife would go out and find books that they knew Jack would LOVE and then give them to him at the beginning of the summer.  This started the ball rolling for his love of reading.

Researching books that you know your child will love is a great start.  Stories and adventures that you are SO sure your kids will love, its almost a guarantee that they will probably stay up late turning the pages.

Spurred on by his love of reading and knowledge about how important reading is for developing young minds, Patterson went on to create a website called Read Kiddo Read.   The site focuses on encouraging kids to read by supplying lists of great books for them to peruse, learn more about, and then want to read.

The mission of the site is “Dedicated to making kids readers for life.”

Organization of the Site, “Read Kiddo Read”

Patterson divides the site up into age groups to make sorting through the titles much easier.  The major groups are:

• Great Illustrated Books for 0-8 year olds
• Great Transitional Books for ages 6 and up
• Great PageTurners for ages 8 and up
• Great Advanced Reading for ages 10 and up

The Pageturner section is the category I’m interested in for my 8 year old daughter, Imagineer.  When I clicked on this section, it is then further divided by “Fantasy and Other Worlds”, “Real World Fiction”, “Action, Adventure, Mystery”, and “Just the Facts”.

Once you choose one of these subcategories, you will then see the list of books.  When you click on a picture of the book, there is a parent review and educator review of the book provided.  Also, on the right sidebar, there are links to check the book out using a library finder or to purchase it at Amazon, B&N, Independent Bookstore Finder, Target or Walmart.  Very convenient.

I’m really looking forward to showing this tool to my kids when they get home from school today.

Sometimes it just takes one tool like this to motivate the little ones to check those books out and get reading, consistently.

Patterson discussed how simple rituals, like reading as a family for a half hour after dinner every night, is a great idea.

I don’t think we can implement family reading time right after dinner, with sports practices, but I think 8pm could work for us.  I’m going to start tonight.

I will keep you posted with the books that my little ones choose from this list.

Let me know if you find any gems on this site as well in the comments below.  Thanks! 🙂

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