Teachers, parents, and other family and community members partner to instill a love of reading and writing in young people and to make good reading practices a part of everyday life. Here are a few easy and enjoyable suggestions for parents and other caring adults:
Applaud your young reader.
Encourage reading at every age. You can show your interest in many ways: help your child pick out books, take regular outings to the library, ask your child to read to you, and discuss what your child is reading by asking questions and offering your own thoughts.
Tell family stories.
Children love to hear about their own history. Share funny or memorable stories. Suggest books on the same topic or time in history. Let your child know your favorite books from your childhood. Have fun with follow-up discussions.
Create a book together.
This can be a fun activity for students of all ages. Start with a topic or story of interest to your child, and encourage him or her to develop a story and draw illustrations. Use this opportunity to point out relationships between words and art. Then fold and staple the paper together to form a book.
Reading Resources
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Book picks: Experience a range of emotions when you read
Stories can make us happy or sad. Stories can surprise or make us laugh. Check out these book recommendations from Pennsylvania educators and support professionals to find the book that fits your child’s mood.
Picture Books
- Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
- Hug by Jez Alborough
- My Daddy & Me by Tina Macnaughton
- The Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
- Sector 7 by David Wiesner
Humor Books (Young Readers)
- Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey
- Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry G. Allard Jr. and James Marshall
- Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Cleary and Jacqueline Rogers
- Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian and Tim Bowers
- Chicken in Space by Adam Lehrhaupt and Shahar Kober
Humor (Tweens/Middle School)
- The BFG by Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake
- Bruno & Boots series by Gordon Korman
- Captain Awesome series by Stan Kirby and George O’Connor
- Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park and Denise Brunkus
- Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts
Humor (High School)
- Surviving High School by Lele Pons and Melissa de la Cruz
- I Have a Bad Feeling About This by Jeff Strand
- A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
- Firecracker by David Iserson
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
- Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene
- Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- 39 Clues by Rick Riordan
More book recommendations from educators and support professionals
Pre-K Reading Recommendations
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein - A teacher in Karns City Area Educ. Assoc.
- The Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems - A librarian in Erie City Educ. Assoc.
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff - A teacher in Lancaster City Educ. Assoc.
- Hands Are Not for Hitting by Martine Agassi - A paraprofessional in Danville Educ. Assoc.
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault - A learning support specialist in Big Beaver Falls Educ. Assoc.
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst - An instructional assistant in Bensalem Educ. Assoc.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle - An instructional assistant in Bensalem Educ. Assoc.
- Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman - A paraprofessional in Woodland Hills Educ. Support Prof. Assoc.
- How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills - A reading specialist in Unionville-Chadds Ford Educ. Assoc.
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle - A teacher in Northgate Educ. Assoc.
- Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown - A teacher in North Hills Educ. Assoc.
- Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell - A teacher in Lakeview Educ. Assoc.
- Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss - An interventional aide in Lehigh Career and Technical Institute Educ. Support Prof. Assoc.
Grades K-1 Reading recommendations
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak - A teacher’s aide in Reynolds Educ. Support Prof. Assoc.
- I Spy Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold - A teacher in Northgate Educ. Assoc.
- Let’s Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans - A teacher in Allegheny Intermediate Unit Educ. Assoc.
- Diary of a Worm/Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin - A teacher in North Hills Educ. Assoc.
- The Biggest, Best Snowman by Margery Cuyler - A reading specialist in Unionville-Chadds Ford Educ. Assoc.
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg - A teacher in Lakeview Educ. Assoc.
- The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary - A retired educator in York/Adams PSEA-Retired
- The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney - A teacher in Penn Delco Educ. Assoc.
- Flat Stanley Series by Jeff Brown - A teacher in Whitehall-Coplay Educ. Assoc.
- Amelia Bedelia Series by Peggy Parish - A teacher in Troy Area Educ. Assoc.
- Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes - A teacher in Erie City Educ. Assoc.
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss - A retired educator in Pocono PSEA-Retired
Grades 4-5 Reading recommendations
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - A teacher in Seneca Valley Educ. Assoc.
- Magic Treehouse Series by Mary Pope Osborne - A teacher in Connellsville Educ. Assoc.
- The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka - A teacher in Lakeview Educ. Assoc.
- Judy Moody Series by Megan McDonald - A librarian and teacher from Allentown Educ. Assoc.
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid Trilogy by Jeff Kinney - A teacher in Warren County Educ. Assoc.
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