Welcome back to The Great Summer Library Challenge hosted by No Twiddle Twaddle and What Do We Do All Day? (that’s me). If you are new to the challenge you may want to take a look at the introductory post. Did everyone sign up for their library’s summer reading program as part of the preview challenge? Can I get a “YES!” If not, there’s still plenty of summer left.
How The Challenges Work:
Today, Bethany and I have put together 6 challenges to help your family explore the fiction section of the library. They are specifically designed for you and your kids to do together. You can find 3 challenges at No Twiddle Twaddle and 3 in this post. All the suggestions are easily adaptable to your own interests and your children’s reading level. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment and we will be sure to answer.
Each challenge has one basic challenge and 1 or more advanced challenges. Note that “advanced” means “extra fun”, not “extra hard.” It is summer, after all.
Don’t forget! This is not a test. It is impossible to fail! Your only job is to have a fun trip to the library! If you get to the library and then decide, “Ya know, my kids are happily reading books in the corner, I’m just gonna relax,” that’s okay, (That’s what I would do, but it’s no secret that I always take the easy road.) But there are a lot of empty summer days to fill and it’s our hope that these library quests will get you excited about discovering new books.
Discover the Fiction Section:
{For the first 3 challenges, visit No Twiddle Twaddle}
Challenge #4 – Introduce Your Kids to a Classic
Tell your kids the names of 3 favorite books from your childhood. Show them how to use the library catalog to find the books. Read them together and check them out.
Advanced Challenge: Find 3 books written by one or more of your favorite childhood authors that you haven’t read before. Here’s a short list of authors to help you get started if you need a bit of extra inspiration (but don’t feel limited to these): Robert McCloskey, Beatrix Potter, Arnold Lobel, Ezra Jack Keats, Virginia Lee Burton, Ruth Krauss, Maurice Sendak, Don Freeman
Advanced Challenge: Find an audio book of a childhood classic, check it out and listen to it.
Challenge #5 – Find new fiction books on a favorite topic
The non-fiction section isn’t the only place to read about a favorite topic. Pick a keyword that will interest your kids (for example, “dinosaur” or “digger”). Using the library catalog (ask your librarian if you need assistance), find several fiction books on that topic.
Advanced Challenge – Check out several picture books on a particular topic and compare and contrast the illustrations and style of writing. Talk with your kids about how different authors and illustrators portray the same subject.
Advanced Challenge – Check out your library’s summer programs for kids and pick a keyword that matches the theme of one of the programs. Find and read a few books on that topic and then attend a program, if possible.
The Brooklyn Public Library creates “picture book bundles” based around topics of interest.
Challenge #6 – Explore different reading levels of the children’s fiction section: picture books, early readers, and chapter books/middle grade novels.
Check out at least one book from each leveled area of the fiction section to read with your kids. You may be surprised that your young child loves listening to chapter books & your older children still enjoys picture books.
Advanced Challenge – Explain the different area of the fiction sections to your child. Compare the the structure and layouts of the books and discuss what the differences are in the different levels (for example, chapter length, font size, density of illustrations).
Advanced Challenge – Ask your librarian to identify at least one popular author in each level of children’s fiction books and find a book by each of those authors to check out.
The Bridge Books area houses beginning chapter books. Note the blank space on top, where I already removed some books to check out!
That’s it! See? A painless way to start discovering your library’s children’s section! You also get bonus points if you talk to your librarian and share with him or her your journey through each of the challenges (just kidding, we are not actually giving out points… but do talk to your librarian).
Be sure to pop on back to this post and let Bethany and me know how the challenges are going for you, and if you have any questions free free to ask. Stay tuned because our next set of challenges will center on the non-fiction section!
Happy Reading.
Introduction and Preview Challenge: No Twiddle Twaddle and What Do We Do All Day?
Fiction Challenges: No Twiddle Twaddle (#1-3) and What Do We Do All Day? (#4-6)
Non-Fiction Challenges: Coming Soon!
Resource Challenges: Coming Soon!
Final Wrap-Up: Coming Soon!
Jackie@My Little Bookcase says
I love this challenge.
It is still mid-year for our school kids in Australia, but I shared the challenge because I think it’s brilliant. Hopefully they can approach the challenge in a different way.
PragmaticMom says
I love the idea of sharing my favorite fiction books as a child with my kids and having them find them would make the trip to the library such fun! Love your ideas! Thanks for helping to keep my kids reading this summer! We will join the challenges next month when we finally finish school on June 26th!!
Alex Baugh says
This challenge sounds like so much fun, I wish I still had a young reader in the house. But I will spread the word to people I do know who still have younger kids.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks so much Alex! It’s been really fun to create these challenges and I’ve been learning a bit myself.
Jocelyne says
Awesome!
Angela Critics says
As a children’s librarian I have to tell you that I love your challenge. What a fun way to explore the great things that your local library has to offer! I would like to encourage families to follow your advice of asking the librarian. There is nothing a good children’s librarian enjoys more than helping children and their families find books they will enjoy. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your challenges.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Yay! So glad to hear that our library challenges are “librarian approved!”
maryanne @ mama smiles says
My kids signed up!
Natalie says
Big bummer – my favorite childhood authors were not writing in English and not translated 🙂 However – there is Astrid Lindgren and perhaps Anna is ready now to explore her books more. Your post gave me an inspiration to put a couple of them on hold in the library.
Shirley says
I always have hard time finding those early chapter books for my 6-year-old son. First, my library doesn’t have a corner for bridge books. Besides, there are a lot of selections for girls, but it is not the case for boys. Many times I asked help from librarians, they mostly recommended the series of “Magic Tree House.” That’s all. But unfortunately, my son is kind of scared about this series. Can you give me some advice on those bridge books, especially for boys? Many thanks.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Shirley, I also had a similar issue when my son was younger, so I wrote a post about how I learned to look for good bridge and early chapter books on my own in the library. Here’s that post with my parent tips: https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/2013/01/how-to-choose-early-chapter-books-for-kids.html
I admit I think all books are for boys and girls! My son loves books with female protagonists, especially the terrific and funny Ivy and Bean series. But if your son really wants books with male protagonists, he might like the Stink series or the Roscoe Riley Rules series. There are actually tons of great bridge books starring boys, as well as animals and families, even (not-so-scarey) mysteries. I’ve made a bunch of lists, and you can find them in the archives here: https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/tag/early-chapter-books
Let me know if you need any more help. And thanks for your comment. I hope you son enjoys his summer reading!
Shirley says
My son also loves books with female protagonists. But my concern is if I should give him some directions. Is it common, I mean for a boy with girl books? Do I worry too much?
Thanks.
Erica MomandKiddo says
(see my reply below)
JDaniel4's Mom says
My son recently picked out a book that was all girl from the fiction section for me to read. I asked him if he was sure it was one he wanted. He told me his preschool teacher had read one just like it. I think being open to exploring knew books as well as reading books they know they have enjoyed in the past are both important.
Shirley says
My son also loves books with female protagonists. But my concern is if I should give him some directions. Is it common, I mean for a boy with girl books? Do I worry too much?
Thanks.
Erica MomandKiddo says
I don’t give my son directions. I let him read what he wants. It’s totally common for boys to read books with girl protagonists. After all, girls love books with boy protagonists, too.
Jackie@My Little Bookcase says
I think authors write with issues in mind (hopefully touching on issues that affect young people) rather than for gender. I think it’s wonderful if children can relate to protagonists regardless of their gender.
Fanny Harville says
These challenges (especially the non-fiction challenges) make me realize that I have not done enough yet to help my son learn how to navigate the shelves at our library on his own and I’m excited to try some of these out with him. Great ideas!
And as another mom of a boy (8 yrs old) I have to add to the comments above. It is both normal and really good for kids (and adults!) to read books with all kinds of characters who are different from themselves. Boys, girls, characters from other ethnic backgrounds, other countries, animals, aliens, etc. We read to imaginatively expand our world, not to find our mirror image.
Erica MomandKiddo says
I completely agree. It would be rather dull to only read about people just like ourselves. Have fun at the library!
Dana Delaney says
We discovered our local library just this past May, after a year in town. We are so thrilled with their children’s programs that when I stopped in yesterday, the children’s librarian asked me if I thought I lived there! My daughter and her friend are loving it too.
I think we’ll begin your challenge today!
Erica MomandKiddo says
That’s wonderful, Dana. Sometimes I feel as though I live at the library, too.
Konda says
Summer challenge sounds interesting, am in with my son to do these . Thanks for sharing a wonderful book list.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks! Enjoy!