Lit for Kids—and Grown-Ups Too

Ruth Shagoury’s daughter, Meghan, gave her an unusual birthday present one year: the URL for a blog called Lit for Kids. “I’m always giving books to people,” Shagoury explains. “Meg said, ‘You should write a book about children’s literature.’ But new books come out constantly, so I couldn’t keep my manuscript current. A blog was the solution.”

Meghan, a Web consultant and mother of 4-year-old twins, Jacob and Molly, designed the site and taught Shagoury how to use it. Lit for Kids is for parents, teachers, kids, and anyone interested in children’s literature. Shagoury and her daughter are the main authors, with guest posts by colleagues and friends. New entries appear about twice a week, and the site has received more than 65,000 hits.

Lit for Kids promotes what Shagoury teaches: a rich literacy environment, creative solutions to reading problems (for example, graphic novels to support a fifth-grader’s comprehension), and shared reading experiences. One guest author blogged about her daughter’s yen to read the Twilight series; the next post was her 11-year-old daughter’s review of the first book.

Lit for Kids includes recommendations for the entire family, including adults. The “Book Flights” category is organized by topics such as ancient Egypt, mysteries, or animal stories. Each topic includes age-appropriate book recommendations and suggestions for discussion.

Lit for Kids is the natural outgrowth of a career spent enjoying books and observing how kids read. It allows everyone to benefit from Shagoury’s wisdom and enthusiasm. All you need is a Web browser, a library card, and perhaps a comfortable chair. With all the suggestions on Lit for Kids, you’ll definitely be doing more reading.

On the web: Lit for Kids