How to Raise a Reader

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As someone who works in a bookstore, I thought I knew everything possible about how to nurture the love of reading in a child. But this joyful guide, organized by age group and packed with practical advice, had a lot to teach me. Big bonus: the book recommendations are ample and spot-on. Recommended By Renee P., Powells.com

An indispensable guide to welcoming children — from babies to teens — to a lifelong love of reading, written by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo, editors of The New York Times Book Review.

Do you remember your first visit to where the wild things are? How about curling up for hours on end to discover the secret of the Sorcerer's Stone? Combining clear, practical advice with inspiration, wisdom, tips, and curated reading lists, How to Raise a Reader shows you how to instill the joy and time-stopping pleasure of reading.

Divided into four sections, from baby through teen, and each illustrated by a different artist, this book offers something useful on every page, whether it's how to develop rituals around reading or build a family library, or ways to engage a reluctant reader. A fifth section, "More Books to Love: By Theme and Reading Level," is chockful of expert recommendations. Throughout, the authors debunk common myths, assuage parental fears, and deliver invaluable lessons in a positive and easy-to-act-on way.

"A riot of quirkiness and eccentricity, and the mood of the book, which shifts from droll humor to melancholy to gentle vulnerability, is unclassifiable — and just right." Kirkus

"Savvy counsel and starter lists for fretting parents. New York Times Book Review editor Paul (My Life With Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues, 2017, etc.) and Russo, the children's book editor for that publication, provide standard-issue but deftly noninvasive strategies for making books and reading integral elements in children's lives." Kirkus Reviews

"Paul and Russo, respectively editor and children's book editor of the New York Times Book Review, bring parental and editorial knowledge to this practical, reassuring guide to encouraging children to read." Publishers Weekly

Pamela Paul is the editor of The New York Times Book Review and oversees books coverage at The New York Times, which she joined in 2011 as the children's books editor. She is also the host of the weekly Book Review podcast for The Times. She is the author and editor of five books: My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues, The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony, Pornified, Parenting, Inc., and By the Book. She is a former columnist for The Economist, Worth, and The New York Times Styles section. Her work has also appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Slate, Vogue, Psychology Today, Brown Alumni Magazine and other national publications.

Maria Russo is the children’s books editor of The New York Times Books Review. She has been a writer and editor at the Los Angeles Times, The New York Observer, and Salon, and holds a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey with her husband and three children. 
 
Dan Yaccarino is the author of Five Little Pumpkins and many other children’s books; creator of the Parents’ Choice Award-winning animated TV series Oswald—chosen by Time as one of the top 6 shows to watch on cable—and the Emmy-winning Willa’s Wild Life. His awards include the Bologna Ragazzi, The New York Times Top 10 Best Illustrated, and an ALA Notable award.