Book Smart: How to Develop and Support Successful, Motivated Readers

Authored by two passionate psychologists and educators, Book Smart: How to Develop and Support Successful, Motivated Readers is a how-to guide rich with stories, lessons, activities, and ideas aimed at supporting reading development and addressing the broad range of interpersonal, social, emotional, and motivational skills that can be fostered by reading with young children. The early chapters in this book will help you get your child ready for school and ready to read, and the later chapters will help you foster your child's lifelong love of reading. Throughout the book, the authors also provide tips for building a special bond with your child through reading together, from giving appropriate praise to modeling persistence. Perhaps most importantly, this book serves as a guide along the path to raising an independent reader. This journey begins with a discussion of oral language and early reading skills and then moves into early writing attempts, story comprehension, general knowledge development, and social-emotional growth. This book will help parents bring the joy of reading into the home.

Anne E. Cunningham is Professor of Cognition and Development at University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Education.

Jamie Zibulsky is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University.