athena1277 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Dd loves to go to the library and choose new books. I help her choose some non-fiction (on a topic of her choosing) and then she gets to pick some stories to read. We've been going a lot this summer and I'm starting to notice that she keeps picking from the same couple series. I don't mind that, but I would like her to pick a book or 2 that is not from her favorites series. Branch out a little, KWIM? I don't want her to dislike going to the library by forcing certain books on her, so what can I do? Or should I just leave well enough alone since she loves to read? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Dd loves to go to the library and choose new books. I help her choose some non-fiction (on a topic of her choosing) and then she gets to pick some stories to read. We've been going a lot this summer and I'm starting to notice that she keeps picking from the same couple series. I don't mind that, but I would like her to pick a book or 2 that is not from her favorites series. Branch out a little, KWIM? I don't want her to dislike going to the library by forcing certain books on her, so what can I do? Or should I just leave well enough alone since she loves to read? My dd is a ravenous reader and we go to the lib. 1-2 times a week. She also likes certain series. I really don't have a problem with that as long as the content is healthy. The good thing is they all run out eventually and to be honest when I find a series that I like I generally read in that series until it is complete. She is young. I think the main thing is she is reading on her own and enjoying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I generally limit DD to one book per trip in a given series. She always wants to check out a lot of books, so she'll happily pick out other things, too. I might relax this somewhat once she's reading on her own, but I can only take so much Arthur or Clifford myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 We go to the library 2-3 times a week. My kids have their favorites and for a bit I struggled to get them to chose something new. THe things that helped change it was the summer reading club. They have to read for 15 minutes to color a square, after 6 squares they get a stamp. My kids could do the full summer of reading in a few days so I put a rule of my own in place. I will only let them color in reading squares IF they have read a novel that is different from their normal reading. So dd can not count her non-fiction reading, ds can not count his graphic novels. In the last 2 weeks they have branched out, ds has learned he loves hardy boys and nancy drew mysteries, dd has started reading the city of ember series(she is waiting for book 3 to be available) and is really enjoying it. They still take out a lot each visit, we limit our trips to using only 2 cards instead of all 5 to keep track and we easily take 50-60 books out per visit between the 5 of us. MOst of that is in their favorite styles/genres but this new rule has opened them up to others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 My sister impleted a rule that her kids had to choose books from several different categories every time they went. Like: Fiction, non fiction, biography, craft, etc. I struggled with getting my oldest to read anything but Nancy Drew for a long time. She did eventually. I agree with teh poster who said she prefers to finish a series before moving on..the series will come to an end. Summber book club is a great way to introduce her to a bigger variety as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Our rule is one biography, two non-fiction, and two books of the child's choice. I don't mind if they are from the same series week after week as long as the overall content of the book is within our boundaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Dd loves to go to the library and choose new books. I help her choose some non-fiction (on a topic of her choosing) and then she gets to pick some stories to read. We've been going a lot this summer and I'm starting to notice that she keeps picking from the same couple series. I don't mind that, but I would like her to pick a book or 2 that is not from her favorites series. Branch out a little, KWIM? I don't want her to dislike going to the library by forcing certain books on her, so what can I do? Or should I just leave well enough alone since she loves to read? Does your librarian set out books on display? Maybe you can encourage her to choose one of the Librarian's favorite picks (either displayed or by asking the librarian - and with your supervision, of course.) I think many librarians are more than thrilled to be able to talk to a child about good books, and it might help dd to develop and nice relationship with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I would say be happy she is reading. I go through phases where I want to read all the books by one author or one type of book. My son has read through entire series and when he is done he moves onto another type of book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legomom Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Jessie Wise says that she used to require her children to pick one book from each of the following categories each week: science, history, art or music appreciation, practical (craft, hobby, how-to), biography, classic novel (or adaptation suited to age), imaginative storybook, book of poetry, religious book. I tried this with my kids and they were quite intrigued and had fun picking them out. They didn't read all of them and I didn't require it, but they did look at or read some of them and it definitely got them to branch out. On other visits, I have also just had them pick out one science and one history in addition to the books they choose. That works well too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtroad Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I generally limit DD to one book per trip in a given series. They get one fun book of their choice and I pick the rest. Just like buying groceries... they pick out the Pop Rocks & I pick out the beans, lettuce & tomatoes! By helping her learn to make better choices, you are teaching & training! Hang in there Mom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surlygirlie Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I don't want her to dislike going to the library by forcing certain books on her, so what can I do? Or should I just leave well enough alone since she loves to read? My own experience tells me that she will eventually find her way to other books. For a long time I wondered if my DD would find anything to like outside mega-long series books (Magic Treehouse, Fairy Realm) or endless craft books. I half-heartedly tried to nudge her in other directions, but it never really worked. After I let go, she naturally gravitated to other books--seeking out friends' recommendations, reading lists for certain age groups and the like. Now that she's 10, she continually surprises me with the variety and quality of the books she chooses. My advice is to not worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Mine was stuck on the Rainbow Fairies. :ack2: The first couple of 7-book series, I was happy she was reading... after that, they were clearly too young (and just.so.dreadful). We go to the library for book club, so I took the opportunity of her being occupied to pick out some books I thought she'd like, like Spiderwick Chronicles, and, oops, look at that, I had already checked out and we were in a hurry when book club was over. She balked the first time, but then was so enamored of Spiderwick she forgot. There have been some complete misses in my picks, but also lots of hits that she would never have picked for herself. Now she reads a pretty eclectic selection. Really, since the dreadful formula books habit was broken, she has been happy to give pretty much anything a chance. In fact, I need to go dig out Stanford's republication of the Sherlock Holmes serials for her; she caught some S.H. on PBS recently and wants to read it, and has expressed interest in Agatha Christie as well. Go figure. She's 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I consider myself very fortunate that my boy trusts my taste in books. I often present him with books that I think he'll like, and we have a rule that no one has to finish a book that is boring to them - school or otherwise, I don't see the point in that. We've quit books midway through, so there's no pressure there for him to avoid trying something out of his usual self-selected realm. There have been a few books that I wasn't sure he would immediately take to, so I selected them as read alouds. More times than not he'll get hooked and want to finish it himself (more quickly than waiting for me to read snippets daily). I also always have books handy, so if he has forgotten to bring something of his own ... my choice (for him) is always nearby! In the car, in my bag, ... and most importantly - on the back of the toilet :) I also leave him a stack of books on the nightstand. He'll flip through and decide which he wants to read. Basically i just let him check out whatever he wants, and then I check out whatever I want for him separately. We leave the books around the house so one is always accessible, and he just reads what's there. I also have him ask at the bookstore: "I like x-series, what else might I like?" Our used bookstore is awesome, though. And no lying here, if my son didn't trust my own taste I'd have no problems supplying the bookstore employee with a list of my own suggestions to pass on to the child ::grin:: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezus Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 When my dd was littler we would take turns picking out books to read aloud. I tried to choose things that she might not think to take off the shelf herself, to help bring a bit of variety to our reading endeavors. She has gotten into a few series books, but eventually has moved on to something else, so I probably wouldn't worry about it too much. If she keeps picking books from the same series that she has already read, I might start limiting books from that series to try to encourage her to stretch somewhere beyond that series. I think maybe it is comforting to some kids to read a series that has the same characters from book to book. Kind of like meeting up with old friends again. Kathleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I'd pick out a few good books that are on her level and do some joint reading. You read a chapter, then she reads a chapter. She may find your choices appealing and continue them on her own. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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