Summer Reading

Oh, the quiet summer days for reading!  Read for the Heart by Sarah Clarkson.  This is a great resource for teachers and parents.  Here is her introduction:

Chapter 1  Reading to Live

  In a blue corner of my house, where the light slants down from the mountains, hangs a glossy painting of a little boy curled deep into a wide, white window seat.  In his lap is an immense picture book staring up at him in a rainbow of pictures and dancing words.  With the red of a fiery winter sunset streaming over the snow outside, he bends over the page, eyes bright, face flushed with the thrill of his story.

I love that picture.  It embraces the essence of reading-its hushed power and its subtle, soul-shaping delight.  In every line and hue, I see evidence of the way a great story wakens a child's heart.  The boy's face reflects the stirring of deep thought, the sturdy joy of newly imagined worlds, the thrill of the soul widened by beauty.  The heightened color of the sunset hints at the way the story is reshaping his eyes to better perceive the mystery of the world and his own unfolding tale.


This book is an easy summer read and will inspire you and your teaching of reading and writing.  She illustrates many examples of all the very good reasons to be a reader and writer.  In later pages, she writes brief descriptions of the great books and authors in children's literature.  Sections include the classics, fiction, fairy tales and fantasy, history, biography, spiritual, poetry, music, art and nature. Appendices include: Caldecott and Newbery Medalist books, Landmark History Books and The Trailblazer Series.  This is a wonderful resource!