Teach them to search for books

Today was one of those, "hey this would be a great teachable moment" in my afternoon class. One of my boys, R, was finished reading "The Gollywhopper Games" which he devoured. It's a long one, and the content is more rigorous.

So I wanted to keep him going. We first checked out the Texas Bluebonnet Nominees, which is always a good place to start.

He wasn't sure about any of them without holding them in his hand and being able to check them out.

I remembered another book, Pond Scum, that Matt read about the same time as he read "The Gollywhopper Games." R seemed interested, but disappointment took over as I pulled the book out of the bin. The book jacket was missing.

I guess I have taught my kids well. They know that before picking a book, it is crucial to read the "Blurb" on the back or the Inside jacket flap. He wasn't going to bite without that bit to, as I tell them, "get their minds ready to read that book."

My mind raced. Hmm...thank goodness for technology and amazon.com.

I called up the book in a search and showed him how you can click on some of the books and they will give you a "peak inside" the book. You can even see the book jacket -- both flaps!

I also told him that if there is no search inside part, you can scroll down to get a summary and a few reviews.

See if that works with your child!