This is the first from a set of four - one for each season
Last week I helped the Teacher-Librarian compile a list of books to share with a young reader. Sadly, the specialist teacher suggested titles that in my view are better left until this child, who is now seven, is older. We need to keep in mind it is early in the year here in Australia - she has only just started Grade 2. This request for books goes back to one of my 'pet' topics - building field knowledge. The teacher suggested books that are part of our "stupidly" prescriptive English syllabus - titles the child will encounter in higher grades. There are so many other books she could try now and so many I am sure she will enjoy. If I were her teacher or Teacher-Librarian or parent, I would be so excited to go on this reading journey hunting out fantastic books.
On the upside though, it's great this teacher was asking for advice.
A UK commentator commented on this issue recently - he posed the question:
How can schools support teachers with keeping up to date with children's literature? Jon Biddle
I've put a few social media answers at the bottom of this post.
Here are the books I suggested which are in one of her two school libraries:
Yes, this is an old book - but that is the value of a school library -
many are sure to have this whole series of four titles.
You will fall in love with young feisty
Clementine
because she has read Pippi Longstocking
This is the first book in a sweet story slightly reminiscent of The Borrowers
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower (My own childhood favourite)
Facebook group Reading for Pleasure in Schools - here are some answers to the question posed above:
When I trained as a teacher, we had to keep our own reading journal of children's literature and share it regularly as part of our PGCE. In an ideal world, starting a staff meeting with one book recommendation from one member of staff on a rota would be great and time set aside to share book ideas too. If we want true buy in and a reading culture that permeates our schools, then it has to be everyone not a tokenistic tick box or just the English Lead
I’m currently reading a book a week that the children recommend to me from their reading bookshelves.
We compare reviews. There’s a lovely buzz as they try to convince me to read their favourites.
In my previous school, during the daily DEAR time, teachers were encouraged to model reading alongside the children. This was the perfect time to read children’s literature. So often, the book I chose didn’t make it back on the shelf as the children had created their own waiting list for it.
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