Putting it All Together

To begin our selection process, we thought about children's lives and our own experiences as teachers; chatted with Linda Greengrass, librarian at Bank Street College of Education; read books; and explored topics that children's book authors write about. Classroom teachers may also suggest books that support curriculum, children's interests, etc. We then organized sets of related stories with common authorship, genre, or subject matter. We found that many children’s books are based on classic or universal concepts that come up again and again: understanding ourselves, exploring relationships with families and friends, and investigating other communities, people, and ideas. These concepts help children better understand the social fabric that makes up our world.

A novel or poem or play remains merely ink spots on paper until a reader transforms it into a set of meaningful symbols. The literary work exists in the live circuit set up between reader and text. — Louise Rosenblatt (Rosenblatt, 1968)

While reading aloud is already a part of the work tutors do with children, we are suggesting a new way of discussing, thinking about, and grouping books. Programs can decide how to integrate this technique, and tutors will need training and time to practice thinking out loud while reading to children. One way to begin training tutors is to bring a selection of books with a universal theme, like friendship or family traditions, and have tutors read them aloud to one another while thinking about the comprehension strategies they use. Prompt tutors to make the same connections they want children to make in their sessions.