Books, magazines, poetry, comic books, articles, blogs, newspapers ��� writing can take many forms. Although reading is often viewed as an enjoyable pastime, to beginning readers sometimes reading can seem like a daunting task or chore. Reading does not have to be difficult for a child; it can be a fun escape into his or her imagination. The following is a list of resources for parents, teachers, students, and children to help make reading an enjoyable experience for all.

How to Improve Reading Skills and Engage Children in Reading

• Help My Child Read Reading Resources ��� U.S. Department of Education�۪s editor�۪s list of resources to help parents engage their kids in reading.
• PBS Kids: Raising Readers ��� Word games and reading games to help get children interested in language arts recommended for children from age three to six.
• FunBrain Kids Center ��� Provides links to word games that help children practice grammar, homonym recognition, spelling, and other reading and writing skills.
• Guys Read ��� Recent studies show that boys are falling far behind girls in reading skills and scoring less on standardized reading tests. This site is full of resources dedicated to helping bridge the gap between boys and girls in reading classes.
• Reading Aloud to Your Children Resources and Links ��� A PDF of resources by the Idaho Libraries to help parents teach children how to enjoy reading time.

Choosing What to Read

• Juvenile Series and Sequels ��� Mid-Continent Public Library�۪s listing of book series divided into reading ages for beginning readers to high schoolers.
• Kids�۪ Webrary ��� Morton Grove Public Library�۪s Webrary booklists for kids divided by book topic.
• Kids Reads ��� A website filled with resources to help children find which book they would like to read next.
• Kid Links ��� Hennepin County Library�۪s books and reading links for kids categorized by subject.
• Choices Reading Lists ��� The International Reading Association�۪s list of children�۪s choices, teachers�۪ choices, and young adults�۪ choices of top books as chosen by each group.
• Booklists for Kids ��� The Santa Clara County Library�۪s booklists for kids separated by grade for first grade to junior high.
• Top 100 Books ��� List of one hundred books for children as compiled by National Education Association in 1999 and separated into age group categories.

Famous Children�۪s Book Authors

• Eric Carle ��� Famous for beginning readers�۪ illustrated books such as, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle�۪s website contains information on all his books, as well as descriptions and pictures about his illustrating style.
• Dr. Seuss ��� Best known by the pseudonym Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel created some of the most beloved of all children�۪s book characters including the Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. This whimsical site includes games for kids as well as classroom resources for educators teaching Dr. Seuss�۪s stories.
• Jack Prelutsky ��� This comedic poet�۪s site includes some of his most loved poems for children, as well as a section for adults for poetry activities.
• Shel Silverstein ��� Children�۪s poet Shel Silverstein is well-known for his poetry collections including Falling Up, A Light in the Attic, and Where the Sidewalk Ends. This poet�۪s page includes audible poems with animations.
• R.L. Stine ��� Popular scary story writer R.L Stine has gained a huge following of children readers with his series Goosebumps. R.L. Stine�۪s site includes listing of books in all of his series, a writing guide for teachers for use in the classroom, and spooky games for kids.
• Judy Blume ��� Judy Blume is best known for writing books for adolescents such as, Are You There God? It�۪s Me, Margaret and The Fudge Books series, but she has also penned some picture books like Freckle Juice. Blume�۪s site has pages to her personal views on writing in general, her books, and censorship of books.
• Beverly Cleary ��� Beverly Cleary has created a wonderful list of children�۪s characters including Ramona and her sister Beezus, Henry and his dog, Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse. These characters and many more have their own biographies on Cleary�۪s website.
• Jeff Kinney ��� Author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Jeff Kinney�۪s website has tons of information about the book series as well as the movie series based on the book.

Children�۪s Stories Online

• Children�۪s Storybooks Online: Illustrated Stories for Children of All Ages ��� Storybooks for young children, older children, and young adults.
• Storyplace: The Children�۪s Digital Library ��� Charlotte Mecklenburg Library�۪s collection of online stories for pre-school and elementary school children.
• The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales Online ��� An interactive way to read some selected fairy tales written by the famous Grimm brothers.
• Children�۪s Classics ��� Children�۪s classics for younger children and older kids.
• Storyline Online ��� The Screen Actors Guild Foundation�۪s streaming video program in which children can watch famous actors, such as James Earl Jones and Betty White, read popular children�۪s books aloud.
• Bedtime Stories and Poems ��� A great collection of short stories and poems to get children in the mood for bedtime while learning to enjoy reading.
• Poetry 4 Kids ��� An excellent site to help get kids interested in poetry. Kenn Nesbitt writes funny poems for children on this site for them to read by themselves or aloud with a friend or family member.
• Aesop�۪s Fables ��� A project from the University of Massachusetts in which students re-wrote some of Aesop�۪s fables in a modern day setting. Children can enjoy reading both old and new versions of the fables with illustrations.
• The Children�۪s Poetry Archive ��� Poetry for children with an internal search engine that finds poems by theme, author, or title.
• American Folklore ��� This site contains retellings of myths, tall tales, scary stories, and other classic stories commonly passed around through oral tradition in America.

Writing Your Own Stories

• Parts of Speech Help ��� A children�۪s guide to nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and exclamations with examples of each.
• Rhyming Dictionary ��� Type a word into this dictionary, and it will find all of its rhyming counterparts. This is a helpful tool for kids beginning to write their own rhyming poetry.
• Writing Prompts and Journal Topics ��� A list of writing prompts for elementary children to write for a journal topic in class, for writing practice, or for fun in their spare time.
• Poetry for Kids ��� Resources for children who are beginning to write their own poetry.
• Writers Digest List of Writing Prompts ��� A detailed list of writing prompts for older children who have had some experience writing their own material.