Customer Reviews

What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child--and All the Best Times to Read Them

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This is an incredible treasure -- helpful and chock-full of information -- with a warm and wise narrative voice. Discover the best book to read when your child is nervous about going to the doctor or having a first sleep-over, loses a beloved first pet or gains a new sibling. Or simply, peruse the book for good bedtime reads. It's like having a personal shopper to sort though all the books on the shelves, describe them and provide specific recommendations...Sarah

I have to be honest and say that I was disappointed in this book. It is not as thorough as I was expecting. I suppose it could be useful to a parent that read no books as a child or has no memory of the books read. The lists offered were very basic. Very few suggestions were new to me and many great books were left out. Book is comprised of very short lists, the introduction to the lists are more detailed than the lists themselves. I would definitely not recommend this book. Time would be much better spent browsing your local library or book store.

This books is absolutely wonderful! I have just ordered it for all of my friends with children. Whether an aunt or uncle, grandparent, parent or friend of a child, this is the perfect book for you! The titles that Ms. Allyn recommends are fantastic and the gentle but informative way in which she teaches about the read aloud can benefit all. I am expecting my first child and cannot wait to begin the journey of reading aloud to him or her. Thank you, Ms. Allyn!

"What to Read When", by Pam Allyn, is a new book that will benefit parents, teachers and librarians. This book features an annotated list of more than 300 titles addressing childhood themes that range from friendship to thankfulness, courage, separation, creativity, spirituality, and more.

I really like the thought-provoking annotations that the author has written to accompany the recommended books. Many annotations include a "Talk About It" segment that include discussion questions and comments.

Ms. Allyn uses the acronym R(Ritual), E(Environment), A(Access) and D(Dialogue)to define four keys to helping your child become a lifelong reader. This article should be must-reading for every parent.

I checked-out this book from the public library but I plan on ordering a copy to keep as a reference book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in children and reading. It will be a wonderful companion to your "The Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease.

I can't wait to share this book with every parent I know, and some non-parents too... I have some catching-up to do on my own reading of children's books! How fortunate we are to have this great resource going forward.

Have you ever wondered how best to influence your child's thoughts?

Are you a good example of an avid reader?

Or, have you ever said, "I want my child to be a good reader. But I don't like to read?"

It all starts with your attitude about reading and how you identify yourself as a reader.

No one can exist without reading something. You might like the sports page. Or, maybe you like the comics. How about the online blogs? You do read. And, it's important that you start identifying yourself as a reader, and that you share with your child what you like to read.

It's also important to inspire your child to choose books that resonate with your child.

Maybe you remember landmark books from childhood, like "Curious George," or "Charlotte's Web."

While these are great examples of books to read aloud, and for your child to read, at the appropriate age, what about books on subjects that reflect how the world has changed?

Allyn has identified, in "What to Read When," many examples of landmark books, most of which were published between 1990 and 1999, reflecting subjects that can help you to discuss with your children what they think, need, want and feel.

And when you or your child has chosen a book for you to read aloud, it's important that you show a physical appreciation for the book; that you pause and talk between the pages; and that you reflect back, with your child about the book. By doing so, you inspire choices, in your child. You also encourage dialogues and a love for language.

While not all books are appropriate at any age, Allyn has listed the chronological "when," and the emotional "when," to select certain books with your child.

Because I don't have children, and I visit many schools, each month, in San Diego, the chronological section really impressed me. It told me what matters to children, and where their interests are, at each age.

The emotional "When" section of this book identifies the must-read books to provoke, entertain, inspire and move you and your child to conversations that nourish and preserve a healthy connection between the two of you.

I've never seen a non-fiction book do what this book does. It invites readers to question what's missing in the fifty themes, within the emotional "when."

This is impressive because it invites you to read this book again, to search for what's missing, and to search for what you have gotten out of this book.

The only thing that I saw that is missing from the themes is a list of books on "Traveling Parents" (military deployment; merchant marine travels; and corporate employee travels)."

And, within the fifty essential themes, I marked many books that I personally will read, because I want to explore the topics for myself.

This is a great book. I am happy to have made a recommendation to the San Diego City Library to include this book in their catalog.

Even though I'm a librarian, I sometimes have trouble finding age appropriate books. I mean, I know how to help college students conduct research, I know how to preserve documents and I know how to make early American history relevant to today's present but sometimes finding a children's book stumps me.

That is where What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child ~ and All the Best Time to Read Them by Pam Allyn comes in handy. Pam Allyn is the the founder and executive director of LitLife, an internationally recognized organization that trains hundreds of K~12 teachers each year. She is also the founding director of Books for Boys, an award~winning mentoring and reading initiative at The Children's Village. Allyn is also the recipient of a Points of Light/Disney award and two James Patterson PageTurner Awards for excellence in bringing literacy to underserved populations. In other words, a librarian's dream...

The idea behind the book is the belief that reading aloud to your children is important in the development of happy, healthy, well~rounded children. And while most read~aloud book guides are geared towards children from birth until roughly 5 years of age, this book also offers book suggestions for children up to the age of 10. Yes, it is just as important to read to older children as it is to younger children.

The book begins by explaining why parents should read aloud to their children ~ think bonding, developing an interest in reading and expanding your child's imagination. The next part provides an annotated list of what to read to your child at every age and ends with a reading guide for books by theme, such as adoption, courage, death, loneliness and spirituality.

I like that each section is prefaced by a memory of Allyn's interactions with her own family members or children she has come in contact with during the course of her work. These little vignettes make the book approachable and help the parents to understand why a certain book was chosen or the discussions that can develop from the readings of various books.

One of my favorite book choices is in the section dedicated to books about heroes because gasp a librarian is included in the mix of civil rights leaders, Native American activists and suffragists. The Librarian of Basra: A True Story of Iraq by Jeanette Winter tells the story of Alia Muhammed Baker, a librarian in Basra, Iraq who struggled to save her library's books before the war. According to Allyn, read this story to provide "a new perspective on the war in the Middle East, and to show the incredible capacity of books to inspire heroism." Wow.

This book is a definite must for any parent or adult looking to find age appropriate books to read to their children on a plethora of topics.

I just finished What to Read When and am very impressed with the information on reading aloud that is packed into this book! As an educator I love how the first part of the book discusses the importance of the read aloud. I would definitely have this book out for parents to read at Parent-Teacher Conferences. I think many parents, especially ones not in the field of education, would benefit from reading all of the many reasons why reading aloud is so powerful and crucial to their child's development. I already purchased another book as a gift for my sister who recently had her first child!
The section on landmark books is another great resource. The quick synopsis of each book recommended for different ages is fabulous for parents that may not know some of the classics they could be reading to their children. There are a few classic books from my own childhood that I can't believe I have forgotten about and can't wait to enjoy reading with my daughter.
Lastly, I found Part III to be extremely helpful as a quick reference on finding books to deal with specific themes. I'm due any day now with my second baby and found a wonderful book on preparing my 2 year old on the birth of the new baby!

This book is wonderful! It is a terrific resource for parents. It's a must read for anyone who hopes to develop a lifelong love of reading in a child. It is so well written and user friendly. I have read the copy I pre-ordered and am recommending it to everyone I know with children under 10. I only wish Pam had written "What to Read When" a few years ago. I think a copy of this book would make a wonderful gift for new parents.

One of life's great pleasures is offering and receiving book recommendations, and here they are presented in abundance. The discussion topic suggestions are an effective jumping-off point for lively and expansive shared reading experiences. I am a pre-school teacher, and I look forward to bringing this lovely book to the attention of the families in my class. It's great that this can be a two-way sharing process, thanks to your website: [..], where we readers can offer our own thoughts and suggestions of wonderful books to read with children.