"Every child can read...if you let them." This is the title of one of Penny Kittle's chapters in Book Love, and I think it is so true! So oftens, teachers tell students what we want them to read, what they can't read, and how much to read, but do we ever just let them read? Unfortunately, the answer is to that question is no in too many classrooms across the country. Penny Kittle points out that the ever increasing demands of standardized testing and upcoming Common Core standards cause teachers to feel as though teaching the assigned literature is the best way to meet all these standards. One question Penny asks to those teachers is: isn't reading more books well, better than learning just a few through the eyes of a teacher? She believes so, and it became her ultimate mission is to guide as many students into their lifelong love affair with books as possible. To do this, she's sharing all she believes and has learned with other teachers and many are nodding their heads in agreement.
So where do school librarians come in to all of this? Well, if teachers want to develop "book love" in their students, then school librarians are in the perfect position to help them. Why? School librarians love books! School librarians who keep their libraries full of a variety of text and love many books in that collection can help students find that perfect fit, especially when it takes multiple tries. School librarians can talk to kids about the books they're reading, creating even more enthusiasm for books. Finally, when students start to love books and grow as independent readers, school librarians can listen to students and find out what books would be good additions to the school's bookshelves. Creating "book love" in children is going to take work, but with passionate and knowledgeable teachers and librarians working together and using Penny Kittle's strategies, I think it's within every school's reach.
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