Brothers Grant and Calvin can’t wait to read new books. After getting a fresh batch of books, both boys are so excited to dive into their picks that within a few short hours, mom Amanda Henry-Godino finds they’re finished and ready for the next.
“When they get a new book, they want to read it right away — they don’t want to wait,” says Henry-Godino, who’s been reading to the boys since they were babies. “Both boys, if they’re into a book, will read it no matter the time of day.”
According to the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report, 90 percent of children enjoy the books they choose themselves. Letting her sons pick out their own books has been the household standard for years now, Henry-Godino says.
“Around ages 7 and 8, we started to encourage the kids to read by themselves a couple nights a week,” she says of the family’s reading routine. “The boys would take a look at their libraries, pick out their own choices, and read independently.”
Nights spent reading alone boosted the boys’ independent reader confidence, while nights reading together as a family meant a book selection that was extra special, so they had to listen more closely to comprehend the story.
“For read-aloud nights, we sometimes chose a bigger book that had more text and fewer pictures,” Henry-Godino says, “to push them toward chapter books a little bit more.”
Still, Calvin, now 9 years old, enjoys reading together and always wants to share what he’s reading.
“If something’s particularly funny, he’ll call out, ‘Oh, I want to read you this,’” Henry-Godino says.
Let’s take a look at what’s on Calvin’s bookshelves now.