Author and Educator Jacqueline Harvey’s Tips on Engaging Young Readers

Author and Educator Jacqueline Harvey’s Tips on Engaging Young Readers

Words || Jacqueline Harvey

Engaging Young Readers

JH Green Outside 3It’s never too early to introduce books into your child’s daily routine. Reading for pleasure – for the joy of the story is not only great fun, there are huge benefits for your child’s development too.

Children learn about rhythm and rhyme and language through those interactions and while reading to your very small child is a given, as they can’t yet read for themselves, I’m a strong believer that even when your child becomes an independent reader, you should continue sharing stories together. Being able to talk about what your child is reading is a fabulous way to keep them engaged.

Reading a book together can lead to your own adventures – if the setting is somewhere you can visit with your child or perhaps there are opportunities to cook foods that the characters enjoy, or play games from the book, it’s fun to use stories to stimulate experiential activities.Kensy Max BOW

Regular visits to the library or bookshop to give your child the chance to choose books that appeal to them is really important and you can also take advice from the experts – teachers, librarians, fabulous websites like Children’s Books Daily, Your Kids Next Read and So, What are you Reading? have an abundance of resources to help you find books your child will enjoy.

Series are great as children often get hooked and want to read every single book. Don’t be concerned if your child reads the same things over and over – there are ways to gently prod them towards different material and as long as they’re reading, that’s the main thing.

When I was a girl I loved to read books that were full of mystery and adventure which is exactly the type of stories I now write. Children want to be able to imagine themselves in the story – and particularly in this modern day when they’re generally not as free range as my generation in the seventies and eighties, they can have the most extraordinary escapades from the safety of the couch! Empowering the reader by giving the characters in the stories plenty of challenges and adventures is really important to me as a writer.

Reading makes kids smarter, more socially aware and empathetic. Research undertaken by the OECD tells us that reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator in a child’s future educational success – so whichever strategies you employ – just try to ensure that reading for pleasure is part of your child’s daily routine.

About the Author:

Jacqueline Harvey’s bestselling Alice-Miranda series began as an idea for a picture book but it soon became apparent that this perpetually positive seven-and-a-quarter-year-old had a lot more to say.

The series has been sold to the United States, United Kingdom, Indonesia and Turkey and has been shortlisted for children’s book awards in Australia.

Jacqueline has spent most of her working life teaching in girls’ boarding schools and has been a Deputy Head and Director of Development. She is passionate about improving educational outcomes for Indigenous students.

Jacqueline lives in Sydney with her husband Ian and is currently working on more Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose and Kensy and Max adventures.

 

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    Jacqueline Harvey
    About the author

    Jacqueline Harvey

    Jacqueline Harvey worked in schools for many years but has had a passion for storytelling since she was a child. She is the author of the popular Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose and Kensy and Max series, which have sold over one million copies in Australia alone. Her books have received numerous short-listings and awards while her picture book, The Sound of the Sea, was a CBCA Honour Book. Jacqueline speaks to thousands of young people at schools and festivals around the world, and says the characters in her books are often made up of the best bits of children she’s met over the years. While she is not a twin, like Kensy and Max she does have excellent powers of observation and has always thought she’d make a great spy. Jacqueline lives in Sydney and is currently working on more Kensy and Max adventures, and some exciting new projects too. 

    Books by Jacqueline Harvey

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