We have around 10,000 books in our school library. When students visit, I let them choose which books to checkout. I believe that the library is one place students can make their own choice...and I believe that we learn from a book even if we can't read all the words in it.
With this in mind, parents sometimes are surprised by the books their kids borrow--especially books their kindergarten kids choose. But something about this book called to the student, and that's the magic to discover. Many a great conversation about books has started with "Why did you choose this book?" Maybe a friend or teacher suggested it; maybe it has a cool picture on the cover; maybe it was the fattest book they could find, and fat books are cool. "But what if my kid doesn't like the book when they get it home?" No problem! They can return the book the next day and make another choice. To paraphrase Thomas Edison, 'there are no bad books, just books I don't like.' Knowing this truth helps us find good fit books that we will like to read.
So if your kid brings home a book that seems unusual, ask what they like about it; find out what called to them.
