My name is Dr. Raquell Barton. I’m a mother, teacher, librarian, and the creator of this site. I started this blog because as a high school librarian, my constant struggle is encouraging students to read. Numerous studies have shown that as many as one in five children enter the 3rd grade unable to read or they struggle to read.
When a student is unable to read, it is an early indicator that they will have problems academically once they reach high school. Public education does not typically begin the charge of teaching students how to read until they reach kindergarten or first grade. Before then, it is up to parents and caregivers to be a child’s first educator during the early critical years of 0 to 4 years of age. And even more, to keep encouraging their children to read so they will “always” be readers!
So, my goal with this blog is to help you “Raise A Reader” by offering a few tips and tricks I’ve learned over my 20 years in education and as an elementary, middle school, and high school librarian.
One way to begin raising a reader is to begin this fabulous challenge: 1000 Books Before Kindergarten.
WHAT IS THE 1000 BOOKS BEFORE KINDERGARTEN CHALLENGE?
The 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge is simple. Read a book, any book, to your toddler, with the goal of reading 1,000 books before your child enters kindergarten. That may seem like a large number, but if you read one book to your child every day from the age of one to four, your child would have heard you read 1,460 books!
That’s an easy task!
Here are the instructions.
And to help you keep track of the 1000 books you read, they’ve created these fantastic tracker sheets that you can print out and use for every 100 books, plus commemorative sheets that will show your progress as well. Once you have read all 1000 books, you also get a certificate.
So why not join in! Help your child become a life-long reader!
Before I go, I want to share some of my all-time favorites! Remember, I’ve been an educator for 20 years. I’ve read a LOT of books and I’ve spent my career on all three levels. But there are some books that just stick with you no matter how many books you read.
If you haven’t picked up any of these books, I encourage you to do so. I know you’ll enjoy them as much as I did the first time I read them.
MY FAVORITE K-12 BOOKS
This blog post may contain affiliate links where I earn a commission if you sign up through them. However this in no way affects my recommendation. If I recommended the book, I have actually read it and liked it!
My favorite book for elementary school students (K-2): The Day The Crayon’s Quit by Drew Daywalt
(sequel – The Day The Crayons Came Home)
My favorite chapter book for elementary students (3-5): s by Barbara Park.
My favorite middle school book for middle school students (6-8): Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
(sequels – Sea of Monsters, The Titans Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian)
My favorite book for high school students (9-12): When Dimple Met Rishi
(sequel – There’s Something About Sweetie)
