HOW TO HELP KIDS DISCOVER QUALITY BOOKS
by Kathy Sattem Rygg
I’m wearing two hats as I write this
post—one as an author who writes middle grade books and another as the parent
of a middle grader. I’ve had many conversations with moms surrounding the question,
“What are some good books for my first, second, third grader, etc.?” Most of
the time, parents answer by suggesting well-known series featured at major
retailers. But I’d like to help parents and grandparents realize there are so
many additional resources for quality children’s books.
Most adults obtain their news from
multiple sources—newspaper, TV, and online sites. Children should obtain
reading materials in a similar manner. Purchasing books from a local retailer
and visiting the public library are important places for your child to find
reading material. However, the online world has opened up limitless additional
places to help them discover quality books.
You may think the book market has been
flooded with self-published books that are of low quality. While there are some
books that fall into this category, there are still plenty of really great
self-published children’s books. There are also a lot of independent publishers
producing high-quality children’s books. My young middle grade novel ANIMAL
ANDY was recently published by Muse It Up Publishing. The submissions and
editing process was the same as for traditional publishers, but Muse It Up only
produced ANIMAL ANDY as an ebook. I was able to have print copies made through
Amazon’s CreateSpace, which is great so I can make it available in school
libraries and at my local bookstore. However, the big question is, how does my
ebook reach middle graders?
That’s where parents come in. Unlike
young adult readers, middle graders don’t have the power to purchase ebooks
online, nor as a parent do I want them to. I think it’s necessary for parents
to monitor what their children are reading. But I also think parents need to do
the leg work to help their younger kids discover more than just what’s
available at the bookstore or on Amazon.
My nine-year-old is a voracious reader
and it’s difficult keeping his bookshelf full, so I got him an inexpensive
e-reader to supplement what he brings home from the library. Through a little
bit of research and web surfing, I have found so many great ebooks for him to
read, many of them free or at a very low cost! In addition to browsing Amazon
and Barnes and Noble, I also search Smashwords.com, Museituppublishing.com,
Featherweightpublishing.com and other independent publisher sites, children’s
book review blog sites, and book giveaway blog hops.
On the flip side, my six-year-old is a
reluctant reader, and the e-reader is great for him, too. First of all, he
wants to be like big brother and read digital books. Second, with an ebook I am
able to increase the font size and make the “page” he has to read less
intimidating by having fewer words that are larger. By supplementing printed
books with ebooks, I have even more tools to help foster a love of reading in
him.
As parents and grandparents, actively
help your children seek out quality books both in print and as ebooks. Buy your
children an inexpensive e-reader and fill it with quality reading content.
Parents want quality books for their kids. Authors are producing quality books
for kids. Let’s get our kids and books together—it’ll be a match made in
heaven!
Bio:
Kathy Sattem Rygg is a children’s author and the Editor-in-Chief of the
children’s online magazine knowonder!, which publishes free, short stories for
kids ages 3-10. She earned a degree in magazine journalism from Iowa State
University and has worked for several Fortune 500 companies, including the
McGraw-Hill Companies’ Business Publications Division in New York City. She was
also the Editor-in-Chief of Women’s Edition magazine in Denver, CO. She
currently lives in Omaha, NE, with her husband and two children.
ANIMAL
ANDY: Ten-year-old Andy Ohman is spending his summer working at the Aksarben
City Zoo where his dad is curator. There are rumors that the city might close
the zoo due to budget cuts. An anonymous donor has given the zoo an antique
animal carousel, and Andy’s dad is hopeful it will help boost attendance.
Andy’s doubtful that an old kiddie ride will make a difference. He doesn’t see
what’s so special about it. But when he takes it for a spin, he unlocks the
magic that will help save the zoo.
ANIMAL ANDY is published by Muse It Up Publishing.
The ebook is available online at the Muse
Bookstore. The print
version is available on Amazon.
Kathy
Rygg’s blog site is http://ksrwriter.blogspot.com
Follow
her on Facebook under KSR Writer
Follow
her on Twitter @kathyrygg
3 comments:
I do so agree, Kathy. Good article!
Maggie
Vin and the Dorky Duet
Dewi and the Seeds of Doom
MuseItUp Young
Halo Publishing International
http://www.maggielyons.yolasite.com
Great post, Kathy! I love the idea of making the font larger for the youngest readers! A friend of mine turned her daughters reading on the Nook into a lesson in money budgets. She gave her allowance and designated so much for books which was loaded on a gift card and then her daughter had to figure out how many books she could buy, etc. Also, it is now so easy to gift an ebook to young readers all you need is the email address and the book can be sent to the readers Kindle through Amazon.
Great post, Kathy! I love the idea of making the font larger for the youngest readers! A friend of mine turned her daughters reading on the Nook into a lesson in money budgets. She gave her allowance and designated so much for books which was loaded on a gift card and then her daughter had to figure out how many books she could buy, etc. Also, it is now so easy to gift an ebook to young readers all you need is the email address and the book can be sent to the readers Kindle through Amazon.
Post a Comment