Learning to Choose

Often the difference between a successful and unsuccessful reader is that the former is simply better at finding enjoyable books to read. The capacity to select appealing reading is not developed in classrooms where the decision about what book to read is made by someone other than the reader: the teacher, the curriculum planner, the person who buys material for the stock cupboard. We can learn much from avid readers, the truly successful choosers, and a summer reading program offers one vehicle for students to practice choosing titles for themselves. What really matters is that this question of making a productive selection should not remain invisible in the classroom.