How to find a book that your child will enjoy

One possible reason that your child is reluctant to read could be because they haven't found their genre yet. I have worked with many children who say they don't enjoy reading. However, all you need is to ask the right questions and do a little digging, and eventually, they will find a book they love. Ask yourself these questions:

1. What is my child's favourite TV show? There are plenty of books out there that are based on children's TV shows. Is your child a Peppa Pig fan? Then find Peppa Pig books. Do they love the Octonauts? Then find them Octonaut books.

They might enjoy books based on movies that they love. For example, they might like superhero movies such as batman or spiderman. The books don't have to be fiction; they may enjoy non-fiction books as well. There are plenty of books out there based on TV Shows/movies that are non-fiction, and for a variety of different reading levels.

2. What is their favourite hobby or sport? Find a book based on their hobbies. Do they love playing football? Do they love space? There's a good selection of fictional and non-fiction books based on hobbies and sports. Take a look at my selection of books here. Do they love video games? There are many books based around video games. Take a look at my list of Minecraft books - both fiction and non-fiction.

3. What is their favourite animal or creature? If they love a certain animal (or all animals!), find books related to that animal. They could also be fictional creatures such as dragons or unicorns. Again, the books could be fiction or non-fiction. There's so much to choose from! I have chosen some great books that I know kids love. Take a look here.

4. What is their favourite subject at school? If they are passionate about a particular subject at school, such as history or science, there are plenty of great non-fiction books to choose from. They may also enjoy historical fiction books or science fiction books. Click here to see my favourites.

5. Has there been a book that they have enjoyed reading or hearing read to them? If so, find them books by that same author as they may enjoy the way the book has been written.

More top tips:

• They don't have to be able to read these books; you can read to them.

• It doesn't matter if they only want the same type of book. As long as they are getting joy out of it, then that's what counts.

• If the book is too easy for them to read, or it's lower than their age group, it doesn't matter. If it brings them joy - go for it!

• It doesn't always have to be books - comic books are great also. My kids really enjoyed The Phoenix comic and The Beano.

• Take books with you wherever you go. Activity books are great for when you're out and about.

• Let your kids see you reading and enjoying a book.

Case Study: Let me tell you about a child I used to support in school. He struggled with school and learning, and he was further behind with his reading than his peers. He was one of my 'daily readers' because he struggled and didn't read at home. He hated reading to me, and quite often, it was a struggle to get him to read just for 5 minutes. One day, he was feeling particularly sad, so we walked around the playground and chatted. I asked him what he did at the weekend, and he said he watched a superhero movie and that he really enjoyed it. After some further questioning, I found out that he was a huge superhero fan, and his favourite was Iron Man. So we went to the library together and found lots of superhero books. Some were below his reading level, some just right, and some above. Some were non-fiction, and some were fiction. It didn't matter. He loved them all, even the ones he couldn't read, as he also just loved to look at the pictures. Now he read to me daily without complaining because he was reading about something he was passionate about. And it didn't stop there. He drew pictures from the books, he started writing his own stories, and he started asking his mum to get him some books, and he would bring them in and show them to me. Then he discovered Star Wars! so we repeated the process with Star Wars books. I'm pretty sure he will go into the film industry one day.

If you purchase a book from my bookshop, I receive a small amount, and some money goes towards independent bookshops. https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/getkidsreading

Top Tip!

Ask your child questions about the books they are reading, and about the ones you are reading to them to check their understanding. I can't stress enough how important this is for children. How can they find joy in reading if they don't understand what they are reading? I have created affordable guided reading ebooks for popular children's books (such as 'An Unofficial Guide to the book: The 13-Storey Treehouse which is just £6) to help you with this. In these ebooks, I have created comprehension questions to ask your child while they are reading to you, or while you are reading to them. I have also included example answers for you to give as well. Please go to my shop to see my resources.