By Cheryl Murfin Bond
Book Clubs are Great Forum for Sharing Ideas and Nurturing a Lifelong Love of Reading
Seattle mom Susan Maney and her daughter Julia will never forget the day the book Go to the Room of the Eyes, by Betty K. Erwin, came to life for them. It was a magical moment shared in their mother-daughter book club.
Written in 1969, Erwin’s story is a reflection of the times, as six children deal with civil rights concerns and meet a Vietnam vet suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. Set in Seattle, the club members were able to the house and some of the locations that are described in the book.
A Place Where Kids Matter
Parent-child book clubs are a growing phenomenon throughout the country, with many bookstores and libraries hosting gatherings and friends and neighbors coming together to form independent groups. In the best clubs, librarians, educators and bookstore owners say, the thoughts and insights of kids and parents are equally valued and encouraged.
Both Maney and Julia, now 14, are convinced that the club they attended when Julia was 9 to 11 years old helped lay the foundation for her voracious book appetite. And she continues to share her ideas about what she reads with her parents.
A Less Reluctant Reader
“One of my daughters is what you might call a reluctant reader,” explains Sue Cain, whose daughters Maggie, 10, and Emily, 11, are in two different mother-daughter book clubs. “Even though she’s a straight A student, she’s not someone who will just sit down and read in her spare time. It really helps to have someone other than her mother to keep her reading. She loves seeing her friends and going to the book club and she understands that it would be embarrassing to go in and say ‘I haven’t read the book.’” The upshot is Maggie and Emily both read at least one good book a month outside their school assignments.
Listening with an open mind, speaking one’s own mind respectfully, recognizing and defining one’s personal values and forming opinions are all critical life skills, bookstore owner Susan Scott and other book club advocates points out.
Book Clubs are Not Just for Tweens & Teens
Although these sound like skills for older kids, book clubs are a great way to fost independent thinking and opinion-making in younger kids and even preschoolers. The key to success lies in finding ways to make a book tangible makes a real difference to younger kids’ enthusiasm.
“I like to keep all the elements a surprise and the kids really enjoy that aspect of the club – they are always trying to get secrets out of me,” says preschool bookclub facilitator Claudia Benbow.
“We always start with a craft or activity related to the book, but no one knows what it is until they get here. We serve a snack but keep it a surprise and I never divulge the next book until the end of the meeting.” She also shows deep respect for statements and ideas shared by kids and parents and goes out of her way to ensure that every child has a chance to speak.
That fact and the fact that many children are exposed to news and information about current events and controversial issues makes parent-child or facilitated book clubs an important place where kids start to find their own voice.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line, says teen librarian Angelina Benedetti, is that reading equals opportunity no matter the age – opportunity for personal, emotional and intellectual growth. A good book group will foster that growth and in doing so open up the world to a child.
Tips for Starting Your Own Parent-Child Book Club
Never drag a child to a book club. “The idea has to be appealing to the child or you will be swimming up stream!” says Susan Scott, owner of Seattle’s Secret Garden Bookshop.
Look for members with interests and personalities that complement each other – that goes for parents and children. Shireen Dodson offers qualities for a good fit in her book The Mother-Daughter Book Club. They include: an interest in reading, similar reading skill levels, ages or grades close together, an acquaintance or friendship with someone in the group, a cooperative attitude, comfort with discussion and an interesting mix of viewpoints for the mothers.
Plan activities, crafts or outings inspired by the book. For example, come dressed in period costumes, write to the book’s author, bring food from cultures represented in the book, keep a book club scrapbook or, when possible, visit a site mentioned in a book.
Independent book clubs tend to revolve from house to house. Allow the child-parent pair hosting the book club in a given month to choose the book.
Parents should decide up front which types of books and topics they are not comfortable reading/discussing in a book club setting. Reassess your list of “absolutely not” topics every six months and be open to your child’s evolving development.
Keep it small. Most book club experts agree that keeping an independent or neighborhood group to four to six kids and their parents is optimal.
Meet monthly, even if you decide to read one book every two months. Meeting consistently is key to creating a cohesive group and keeping reading a priority throughout the month.
Kids love to eat, especially when gathering with friends, so make snacks part of the club.
Think about two-hour meetings to ensure time for deep discussion, snacking and play.
Don’t forget the boys! While the majority of existing groups are mother-daughter or general parent-child, consider starting a father-son or mother-son group. Start them early since boys’ interests in an organized club may fade after age 12 because of added activities and peer pressure.
RESOURCES
Books and Magazines
Book Lust: Recommened Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason by Nancy Pearl, Sasquatch Books, 2003. Pearl is director of the Washington Center for the Book at Seattle Public Library and really knows how to get people excited about reading. Her book includes wonderful reading lists for parent-child clubs.
The Mother-Daughter Book Club: How Ten Busy Mothers and Daughters Came Together to Talk, Laugh and Learn Through Their Love of Reading by Shireen Dobson, Harper Perennial, 1996. The book is “the Bible” on starting your own club.
Great Books for Girls (2003) or Great Books for Boys (1998) by Kathleen Odean, Ballantine.
Beyond Reading Aloud: Learning to Read Through Listening to and Reflecting on Literature by Dorothy Hennings, Phi Delta Kappan, 1992.
Eyeopeners: How to Choose and Use Children’s Books about Real People, Places and Things by Beverly Kobrin, Penguin, 1988.
Children’s Literature: An Issues Approach by Masha Rudman, Longman, 1984.
Award Winners
To obtain current and past lists of books that have won one of the following prestigious children’s book awards, go to the American Library Association’s Web site at www.ala.org.
The Newbery Award is named for 18th-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
The Coretta Scott King Book Award is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association’s Ethnic Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table. Recipients are authors and illustrators of African descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of the “American Dream.”
The John Steptoe Award for New Talent is chosen by a seven-member national Coretta Scott King Award Jury. These books affirm new talent and offer visibility to excellence in writing or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published book creator.
The Caldecott Award is named in honor of 19th-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Read All About It
For more on children’s literature, authors and the art of storytelling, check out:
Reading Begins at Home – Partnership for Reading helps parents help their children during the critical years of learning to read.
Reading to Two – How and what to read to siblings.• More Books and Beyond
Cheryl Murfin Bond is a freelance writer living in Seattle.
From United Parenting Publications, June, 2004.
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