The Nerdy Book Club

I love seeing blog posts from The Nerdy Book Club – always insightful little tidbits from school teachers and librarians about books, kids and more.  Today’s post ponders the question “What are you reading?” and why such a simple question can open the doors to a full-fledged conversation with youngsters. As Christy Peterson points out, it is an open-ended question, rather than your typical, “Did you finish your reading?” “Do you like to read?” or the dreaded “What reading level are you?”

“What are your reading?” opens the doors for children to not only state what they’re reading, but also to expand on it as necessary, or to have the adult asking the question to ask more questions about the book.  Kids LOVE to share and when the adults in their lives truly listen and are excited about what kids are talking about, that is when a relationship can blossom. I am constantly asking the kids in the library what they’re reading and I do it with an aside where I say, “I’m looking for something new to read.” I can assure you that my TBR list is never ending, but by giving the kids the control to offer suggestions to me, the dynamic of our relationship changes and allows the kids to show off their knowledge and share their interests. I ask this question when I’m working the reference desk, when we’re waiting for other kids to arrive for a program, after our program when kids are milling around the library.

And when it comes down to it, isn’t that what we want kids to do – talk about what they’re reading? Encourage them to become lifelong readers by building their skills as children?