This is the question I get asked the most as a reading specialist. As a parent and educator, I have a fairly easy time picking appropriately leveled books for my 9 and 6 year old. But I am quickly realizing that there is a GINORMOUS need for a tool, or blog, or service that helps parents pick books their own kids can read. If you aren't an educator, you may find yourself walking into a bookstore, or local library, or even perusing book lists on Amazon and find yourself wondering "What are some good fit books for my kid to read?" Parents hear from teachers that their child is a certain level (A-Z) depending on what grade they are in. If you are a parent in a non-educational field, I can see how this could be totally overwhelming! It is second nature to me! I can pick up a book and within 20 min or less, have a good idea of a specific level.
I have been getting requests. Many requests from parents, colleagues who don't teach reading, and random people I meet. They all have one question. What should my kid read this summer? So I've decided to refocus this blog to fulfill a great need that I see. I will become a resource to parents who need help finding book lists for their kids to read. This idea came to me over the course of 4 days, when I had 3 different people ask me for book recommendations for their children-all different aged kids. I realized that I absolutely love organizing lists of books that are the appropriate level for readers in kindergarten through sixth grade. I have already compiled 3 of these lists for parents. My goal is to start blogging lists of good fit books by level/grade level/genre, so parents have a place to come to get ideas to help foster a love of reading in their children.
Unfortunately, the "uncorked" part of this blog may have taken a back seat. I love wine. I love helping people find wine they love. I love getting asked to help people find wine. But I have found that I love helping parents help their children more! When I handed over my first book list packet, complete with decoding/comprehension strategies to a parent, she hugged me. I am not a huggy person, but I was so happy that I could help her. I'm hoping to do more of that here. And maybe eventually change the name of my blog to focus more on my reading background. Stay tuned...
