Review: How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo
book recommendations and simple tips
How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo is one of those books every parent, aunt, grandmother, grandfather, uncle, and any one involved with children should have. It focuses on creating lifelong readers — those of us who pick books up and cannot put them down until we’ve finished them. It’s also about the pleasures of reading and quiet time with family.
I admit that I’ve had this book since it was published in 2019. This is around the time my daughter was beginning to struggle with reading, and it was put aside for more pressing concerns. My review is not likely to be a typical review given these personal circumstances.
Now that I’ve picked it back up, I can see how some of the writing and notions here may be “too liberal” for some people, and I can agree that rewriting (verbally) an author’s work is not teaching children to think critically. I do see the need to teach older volumes and learn from them, but some of these books are for elementary age children and probably can be cast aside as needed in favor of more up-to-date books that reflect our current world.
My largest issue with this book, is that it is light on resources for where you can go to seek out help for a child who struggles with reading to determine if those struggles are neurological or cognitive. I understand that this is not a book to help dyslexics specifcally, but having some resources at the end or in the sidebar notations ( See “When to Consult an Outside Expert” or “Even Excellent Learners Can Struggle”) about dyslexia and other conditions could round out this volume. Not everyone can afford to hire an expert. What are the resources that are available for families? Where should they turn if the school system is less than helpful? I would have appreciated that more than the anecdote about a dyslexic who achieved success.
There is mention of audiobooks, and from experience, I can tell you these have helped my daughter understand her school reading assignments much better. They are a good supplement to reading. Is it reading if she just listens to audio? For her, it is. She tends to do better with items that are multi-sensory. Audiobooks provide her with narration in varied voices to help keep characters straight and in some cases, there are sound effects or visuals (esp. on YouTube) to help illustrate the background.
One thing I did like was the discussion of “rated” books in which books are given levels based on fluency, etc., and how children can interpret those ratings — as if to say they are not reading well enough and making them feel down about their ability. Reading is not a competition, and kids should be free to learn to read at their own pace, unless there are other issues.
I also loved the mention of poetry and keeping that in the rotation. Either by sharing poems with your children daily or asking that they share a poem with you on Father’s or Mother’s day. It can be one they write or one they find in a book or online. It gets them thinking about words and language differently. And you can celebrate emotional moments together.
For parents who are looking for book recommendations or how to create a culture of reading in their home, this book can provide some tips, but some of these tips really could have been boiled down to a blog post, rather than an entire book. How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo does offer a list of books for different reading levels: baby to toddler, elementary, chapter books, middle grade, and independent readers. The main theme is to share your love of reading with your children.
This book is probably best suited to parents who want a little advice on which books to consider for their child’s interests and reading level, but not all of the recommendations will suit everyone.
RATING: Tercet
About the Authors:
Pamela Paul is the editor of The New York Times Book Review and oversees books coverage at The New York Times, which she joined in 2011 as the children's books editor. She is also the host of the weekly Book Review podcast for the Times. She is the author and editor of five books: My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues, The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony, Pornified, Parenting, Inc., and By the Book. She is a former columnist for The Economist, Worth, and The New York Times Styles section. Her work has also appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Slate, Vogue, Psychology Today, Brown Alumni Magazine, and other national publications. She lives with her husband and three children in New York.
Maria Russo is the children’s books editor of The New York Times Book Review. She has been a writer and editor at the Los Angeles Times, The New York Observer, and Salon, and holds a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband and three children.