June 16, 1999
Contact: Peggy Shaw, (615) 322-NEWS, [email protected]
Hot summer reading for kids and adults to get
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Summer is a hot time for adults and children to read together, according to a children's literacy expert at Vanderbilt University. And Ann Neely, associate professor at Vanderbilt's Peabody College of education and human development, has the perfect list of books for families headed to the beach, the mountains or just the backyard hammock.
Here is a summer sampling of books that, Neely says, adults can enjoy as much as children:
Top 10 novels:
1. "Just Juice," Karen Hesse
2. "Maniac McGee,"Jerry Spinelli
3. "Chasing Redbird," Sharon Creech
4. "Sun & Spoon," Kevin Henkes
5. "The Islander," Cynthia Rylant
6. "Bat 6," Virginia Euwer Wolff
7. "The Giver," Lois Lowry
8. "Bridge to Terabithia," Katherine Paterson
9. "Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone," J.K. Rowling
10. "Catherine, Called Birdy," Karen Cushman
Top 10 picture books:
1. "Pink and Say," Patricia Polacco
2. "The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups," David Wiesneski
3. "Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge," Mem Fox
4. "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse," Kevin Henkes
5. "The Gardener," Sarah Stewart
6. "Time for Bed," Mem Fox
7. "Mailing May," Michael O. Tunnell
8. "Pete's a Pizza," William Steig
9. "Squids Will Be Squids," Jon Scieszka
10. "10 Minutes Till Bedtime," Peggy Rathman
To make the best use of these summer reading lists, Neely, an elementary education specialist and former fourth-grade teacher, suggests that parents set aside 30 minutes or an hour a day to read with their children. Parents should schedule reading at designated times, and choose several different kinds of books. "Books that are really good for adults and children to share are those about characters they both can relate to," she notes.
According to Neely, "reading together" can mean different things for different families. Adults can read to children, parents and children can take turns reading pages or everyone can read books independently and then discuss them as a family. "Some books almost demand being read by an adult to guide the child's discussion," she explains.
Neely believes that parents shouldn't hesitate to read to their older children. "I don't think that children in any of the elementary grades or even in the early middle school grades are too old to be read to. I think we should continue that, even when we have excellent readers," she says. "We should provide children with oral, read-aloud role models and examples of putting expression into reading, and have them practice some of their reading."
Even those long summer road trips can be given some literary flair with books on tape, which entertain and educate children on tedious rides. "When you're making travel plans, plan the books you'll listen to as a family," Neely suggests. "There are some great books on tape where some of the original authors are reading.
"And if everybody's listening to 'Charlotte's Web,' for example, you have shared a point of reference from that book that you can refer back to."
For more news about Vanderbilt, visit the Media Relations homepage on the Internet at: www.vanderbilt.edu/News. Additional information about Peabody College can be found at: http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/peabody.
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