I don’t like starting anything negatively, but in this case I think it is best to get a couple of things out of the way first.
If you want your Story Time to achieve all it can, it is really better if you:
· Don’t just pick books you yourself enjoyed as a child.
I understand. Its very comfortable to stick with what you know. But a big part of what Story Time needs to be about is expanding children’s book horizons and yours. Of course, there is nothing wrong with occasionally sharing a personal favourite, but there are huge numbers of wonderful books out there, many published more recently. It is your job to move your children on. To get them excited about different, wonderful possibilities for their reading. Be brave. Explore some new things.
· Don’t just pick the current very popular titles.
You know, the ones by superstar authors that are usually to be found in supermarkets and at train station bookshops. These are the books that many children (and parents) are most likely to find for themselves. There is nothing wrong with children reading these books and you should most certainly never try to stop or discourage them. But It is better to use your Story Time to introduce them to some of the wider range of wonderful books available.
· Don’t just go on reading the same books year after year.
Again, if you have a sure-fire hit, then of course use it. But at least try to mix in some different titles, for exactly the reasons given. It really is important.
So what should you think about when choosing?
· Do aim to cover a range of different authors, styles and genres over time.
Different books will resonate with different children and you need to maximise your chances of influencing as many as possible. In any case, it is about introducing new possibilities, not always repeating what has been already been popular. Leave children to follow up a book that you have read to them by reading other similar books independently (e.g. other titles in the same series).
· Do think about diversity and inclusion issues over the range of books you choose.
All children need to see others like themselves represented in books from time to time. Just as much, they all need to see a full range of different children represented too. We are lucky. These days the range of representation in both characters and their authors is improving rapidly, so take full advantage. It is not necessary for every ethnicity, culture, etc. to be represented in every book you read, but it is a matter of balance over the range.
· Do include some older books.
Consider mixing in with contemporary books a few from the late 20th or earlier 21st Century. There are many outstanding titles from these periods that remain as readable as ever. Remember you are trying to broaden children’s reading horizons and they need to know that not everything worth reading was written in their own lifetime. (However I do not consider the major literary ‘Classics’ - Dickens, RL Stevenson, etc. – suitable for reading to many primary children, unless in really good simplified versions. We are supposed to be enthusing children, not putting them off.)
· Do sometimes include non-fiction amongst the fiction (but of the right type for Story Time)
Whilst you may sometimes read sections of information aloud to children for other curriculum purposes, many information books are not intended to be read straight off, cover to cover, and therefore do not make good read-aloud books for Story Time. In this context, it is often best to choose non-fiction that has a through narrative line (e.g. many biographies or recounts of travel adventures, discoveries and the like.)
· Do think about the current reading development needs of your class.
For example, if many of your class are not reading for pleasure as much as they might be, then your priority might well be to ‘hook them in’ with something where engagement is more important than challenge. On the other hand, if you have a class already well into reading, what is important is to stretch and challenge them with new and different things, books that may be a little beyond those they are currently choosing for themselves.
· Do choose books about which you can genuinely share enthusiasm.
Having followed The Golden Rule (tip 1) this is really vital. Sharing and spreading your own enthusiasm for books and reading is a very big part of what will make your Story Time enjoyable for your children and effective in developing their own reading.
