Children Becoming Readers (ePub)

This book treats a critical but often overlooked element in the development of strong reading skills in children. Namely, it exposes the vital importance of the home - not just as a support to the school, but as a foundational source from which literate behavior emerges. This is not a 'teach your child how to read' book. Rather, it is a book that examines how the development of reading ability in children can be a part of their natural development in the culture of the home in which they grow up. A key element of the book provides readers with an examination the reading process and understanding what is happening as a child is processing print. This explanation not only gives interesting and exciting insights into what is happening while a child is reading, but also shows that the most important elements that promote success in reading are things that can happen naturally in the child's home environment. These understandings lead to the heart of the book -- the importance of developing a culture of literacy in the home and enabling the child see himself or herself as a natural and powerful member of a literate culture. This is something that is desperately needed in today's world. The book ends by examining some challenges and opportunities that emerge when we engage with this notion of creating a literate culture in the home. Pulling the ideas presented in the book all together, we see that treating children as members of a literate culture unleashes an amazing potential for children to experience the power and the joy of literacy in their lives, which is critical to the well-being of our children as individuals and of our society as a whole.