Making Lifelong Readers (3:41)

Experts say it’s vital that we allow children to choose what they want to read, but also to extend a wise and guiding hand. Young adult literature expert, Teri Lesesne, shares tips on how to guide our children to books that suit them. Obviously, her aim is to help them become independent, lifelong readers. Lesesne teaches classes in children's and young adult literature in the Department of Library Science at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. She is author of professional books and numerous articles in her field and has served on the selection committees of the National Book Award, the Walden Award, and the Printz award. Teri Lesesne is also author of Reading Ladders.

Expanding Your World (15:24)

Next, Rachel welcomes Brad Wilcox, a professor in the Department of Teacher Education at BYU, who discusses how literacy – across a broad spectrum from books and movies to comics and even cereal boxes - can expand our children’s world – literally taking them to faraway places without leaving home. He also talks about encouraging our children to write – and helping them to understand the difference between private and public writing. Wilcox has lived in Utah, Ethiopia, and Chile, serving as an advocate for children and learning wherever he has gone.

Classroom Reading (25:32)

We finish up the show today with teachers from Wasatch Elementary in Provo, Utah, sharing what they do in their classroom not only to encourage students to read but to help them to find joy in reading.