by Jason Boog
Touchstone 2014
336 Pages
Nonfiction
Recently I observed a strange thing. Only one grandson did any recreational reading on his own. The others read
when they were forced to read or when a parent read to them. How is this
possible when their grandmother reads voraciously? Additionally, I noted my
toddler grandson knew how to swipe my iPhone to get to the games. So, when I
noticed that a librarian I greatly admire, Betsy Bird of the New York Public
Library, had written the forward to the new book Born Reading by Jason Boog, I
decided that I ought to look into Boog's ideas about how to create lifelong
readers.
The biggest strength of Born Reading is the way Boog takes
15 key concepts, which he calls The Born Reading Playbook, and expands them in
each chapter to create parents who know how to interact with their children
and children who love to read. He has done the research, talked with the
leading experts in child development, and also has created lists of great books
and educational apps that will best supplement a child's development. He
teaches parents to read "interactively" with their children in a way
that makes reading part of the daily life experience.
Two of the things that really attracted me to Born Reading
were Boog's research regarding digital media and young children and his
observations about interactive reading. As a children's librarian, I am very
tuned in to the concept of interactive reading, but I have only observed the
consequences of the digital age on my grandchildren, since media has changed
dramatically since I retired ten years ago. I valued Boog's opinions on the use
of digital media.
Several caveats: Boog is not a librarian, a children's
literature expert, nor an educator. He is a writer and a father. The
Publisher's Weekly reviewer calls Boog "A know it all rather than an
educator or peer" but his material is valuable none the less. A perfect
gift for young parents.
This slide presentation is a nice addition to Boog's
information.
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