For the Love of Reading

In For the Love of Reading, David Bouchard teams up with literacy experts Anne Letain, Sally Bender and Lucie Poulin-Mackey to create lists of books to inspire you. Whether you are a parent, a teacher, an administrator, an auntie, a grandpa or Mom's best friend, here you will find books and ideas for all the children in your life.

School Library Journal

The introduction to this guide presents a convincing case that in order to build lifelong readers, the adults in the lives of young people must first read themselves. This concept is then followed by advice and recommendations for parents, teachers, and librarians in chapters divided by age groups up to and through teen readers. For example, in the first chapter entitled "Pre-conception to Two," the author writes, "This list is for you, as an educator or as a parent. These are all books that you should read and own. You will want to share these books with [other adults]-.And sharing is a passion right at the heart of reading." Since this is a Canadian publication, books in French are included; Canadian titles are noted with an icon of a maple leaf. The chapters are written in a lively, opinionated way. This style is echoed in the "Dos and Don'ts" section. Annotated lists of seasonal books and resources for adults are also included. While many of the books may not be readily available in the U.S., the information and approach are interesting, making this a useful though nonessential addition to most collections.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

British Columbia's best-selling author and most sought-after public speaker has presented to hundreds of thousands of educators, parents and students the world over. This former teacher and principal of 28 years champions literacy. His message is spelled out in his best selling books The Gift of Reading and For the Love of Reading.

"The greatest gift we can give our children is the gift of reading and there is no magic in giving it. There is no toy or program that will do the job for us. It takes time, commitment and most of all, fire. We cannot hope to light a fire in the hearts of others without a fire burning in our own. Light and stoke yours, then spread the flame fast and furious. Let literacy be your legacy."

Bouchard outlines individual roles and responsibilities in ascertaining that all children are given the gift of reading. He inspires like none other and leaves his listeners with a concrete plan and the rejuvenation needed to face literacy issues head on.

Born and raised on the Canadian prairie, the author of over twenty five best selling books now lives in British Columbia with his wife Vicki and their combined family of seven.

David Bouchard's books have won several prestigious awards, among them: the Governor General's Award for The Song Within My Heart in 2004 and the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry award for Voices from the Wild in 1997. If You're not from the Prairie is listed on MacLean's list of the Top Twenty Children's books in the history of Canada.

You can access his web page at www.davidbouchard.com.

Sally Bender is a teacher-librarian who writes a book review column for the Brandon Sun. She brought the children's book section to her local teachers' supply store, Total Teacher, where she worked for several years.

Lucie Poulin-Mackey has been a teacher for almost twenty years. Lucie is now a literacy specialist for her French school board.