Children's Services

If you're seeking children's books that honor and celebrate African-American history, Oakland Public Library has what you need! The following staff recommendations are perfect to share with your kiddos year-round, and especially in observance of African-American History Month. We hope you enjoy our suggestions; let us know in the comments if we missed any of your favorites!

Picture Books

Q:  You say it's okay to read aloud to my daughter even though she's 9 years old and she thinks everyone in her class is ahead of her, BUT I'm still worried that it's becoming a crutch for her to avoid learning to read on her own. Are you sure I'm not sabotaging her work or impeding her progress by continuing to read aloud to her?

A:  Yes, I'm sure. From my experience – talking to kids, parents, and teachers for the past 18 years, and reading studies on literacy, the only potential down-side of reading aloud to your daughter is that she may do worse on spelling tests. The up-sides, on the other hand, are many:

• She can relax and enjoy the story. (Enjoying reading is crucial.

Regardless of where and when you grew up, rhymes are a part of childhood.  In the United States, Mother Goose rhymes are the most common but all rhymes are great fun to read with your very young child.  Not only are they silly, but they have a definite beat. That rhythm is an important way to show your child how to hear individual sounds in words.  Hearing the sounds in rhymes will help your child hear the sounds in words when reading them.  You can increase the fun time together and the impact of the rhythm by bouncing or moving along with the rhymes. Where can you find them?  Why, the library, of course!  Oakland libraries have rhymes from all around the world; some locations even have separate nursery rhyme sections.  Come in and check them out!

Baker, Keith.                 Cabrera, Jane                    Orozco, Jose Luis
Big Fat Hen.               Old Mother Hubbard.        Diez

The Reluctant Reader. Part 1.

Q: My son is 8 years old and he hates reading. It's like torture to get him to sit still for the 20 minutes each day his teacher requires. I'm at my wit's end. I'm worried about him, and I know he's feeling stressed about it, too. What can I do?

A: It's not time to panic. I've met plenty of kids who say they don't like to read, and who avoid reading at all costs, and yet they grow up to be readers. Parents don’t always know that each person starts reading in their own good time. Statistically, this often happens sometime around or before 3rd grade, but it's not universally true that by 3rd grade everyone reads on their own. Plenty of bright children become readers later than anyone expected.

The single best predictor of whether or not a child will