Annie’s family members give her gifts based on what they think she should be. On Career Day, she reveals her true goal of wanting to become an astronaut.
Read and Succeed
Use these tools to build in more reading fun at home.
Explore
Family Reading Time
Watch the video for tips on supporting your young reader!
Take the Family Quiz
Take the quiz and get tips personalized for your life!
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1. How does reading currently feel in your family?
Your Family is Ready to Gear Up
Your family is juggling a lot. Though it can be stressful to find time for it all, you’re making it work. Your family is ready for an organized reading journey! Here’s how your family can gear up.
Tips
- Plan the habit. Try taking a few minutes tonight to plan in advance for how you will slot reading time into your schedule.
- Include a book in your child’s bedtime routine. Read aloud to your child, or remind them to read a few pages of their book before bed.
- Schedule a library visit in advance for when you’re already out and about. (PS: Many libraries no longer charge fines for overdue books.)
- If you take a train or bus with your child, or wait at a laundromat, bring a book as a fun distraction.
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Prioritize choice. Empower your child to choose their own
books, which is proven to increase reading motivation. Ideas:
- Have your child browse the library shelves and/or share their interests with a librarian.
- Children also enjoy rereading old favorites, which builds comfort, understanding, and vocabulary.
Your Family is Ready to Power Up
Your family are adventurous readers! You read all sorts of stories and texts. This is a great way for your child or children to build background knowledge and vocabulary, so they can continue to succeed as they grow. Here’s how your family can power up.
Tips
- Grow vocabulary. Try modeling for your children the habit of looking up unfamiliar words in the dictionary.
- Read together. Your child benefits from independent reading as well as reading with you. Take turns reading to each other, and discuss books.
- Level up. Encourage your child to complete a “reading challenge” in which they try to meet a goal, such as a number of books read or a checklist of a variety of types of books. You can find reading challenge options online or at your library or school.
Your Family is Ready to Level Up
Your family is ready to thrive as readers. Learning to read takes time. Your support makes a real difference in your child’s reading journey! Here’s how your family can level up.
Tips
- Be positive. Celebrate every step forward your child makes.
- Read together. Take turns reading to each other. Make it cozy and fun—snuggle under the covers or make a blanket fort.
- Support. Talk honestly with your child about reading struggles and why it’s worth continuing. Ask them to brainstorm the benefits.
- Empower. Let your child choose their own books and see you doing the same.
- Practice phonics. Ask your child's teacher how you can support specific reading skills at home.
Family Book Talk
Use the Ask and Share questions to discuss these books with your child.
Self-Awareness
Astronaut Annie
Hey, Wall: A Story of Art and Community
An old, neglected wall takes up one block in Ángel’s neighborhood. With the help of his neighbors, he designs a mural that celebrates what makes his community special.
Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl
Jasmine decides to learn to play the drum for her school’s talent show. She discovers it’s going to take courage, hard work, and lots of practice!
All for One
Dominguita discovers that someone is trying to ruin a friend’s quinceañera. With inspiration from The Three Musketeers, she works to save the special day.
Simon B. Rhymin'
Simon dreams of hip-hop glory. Just one problem—he’s struggling to find his voice. With a little nudge, Simon uses his talent to bring his community together.
Family Book Talk
Use the Ask and Share questions to discuss these books with your child.
Challenges and Solutions
Mia Mayhem vs. the Super Bully
Mia is excited about her first class at superhero school. But a bully accuses Mia of not belonging, causing her to lose her powers and to snap at her friends.
Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol: The Haunted House Next Door
Desmond is ready to tackle the supernatural mystery next door with a little help from his new best friend and Ghost Patrol partner, Andres Miedoso!
Power Forward
Zayd wants to be on the basketball team, but his parents think violin lessons are more important. After he makes a big mistake, he learns to stand up for what he really wants.
Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos
The famous painter Frida Kahlo has many pets throughout her life that inspire her art. When she faces challenges, her animals and her painting help her to persevere!
Big Foot and Little Foot
Hugo is a Sasquatch longing for adventure. Boone is a boy longing to see a Sasquatch. Here they explore each other’s worlds, and learn they may not be so different.
Family Book Talk
Use the Ask and Share questions to discuss these books with your child.
Exploring With STEM
The DATA Set: A Case of the Clones
Olive’s friends aren’t acting like themselves at all. It turns out Dr. Bunsen has cloned her friends! How will these science-minded kids solve this problem?
The Astronaut With a Song for the Stars: The Story of Dr. Ellen Ochoa
Follow along with the real-life story of Dr. Ellen Ochoa as she works hard to become an astronaut, creates inventions, and even plays her flute in space!
Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code
Grace Hopper used her curiosity and new ideas to revolutionize computer science in the very early days of computers. It took math, perseverance, daring, and even doodling!
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
With only a pile of books and scraps from the junkyard, fourteen-year-old William builds a windmill, bringing electricity and irrigation to his village and its crops.
Kids Who Are Changing the World
Find out how kids are helping the environment, inventing medical devices, aiding the homeless, and designing apps so kids won’t have to eat alone at lunch!
Family Reading Tips
Here are some easy, powerful ways to support your child with their reading!
Ask Questions About the Book
- Start conversations by asking open-ended questions rather than questions that have yes or no answers.
- Ask, “How would you feel if you were the main character in this situation, and why?”
- Take turns sharing your thoughts and ideas, too.
- It is important for readers to visualize what they are reading.
- While reading, ask your child to close their eyes and imagine what is happening.
- Ask them to describe what they “see.” After reading, invite your child to draw what they saw!
- Children should be able to give examples from the book to answer a question or to explain an opinion. As you read together:
- Ask your child to describe what a particular character is like.
- Then, ask them to point to specific examples in the book.
Build Skills at Home
- Make books easy to reach and reread at home. Rereading books:
- helps children to understand a book more deeply
- increases vocabulary, and
- adds comfort and ease to reading.
- Try to build in 20 minutes of reading with your child each day. Find a comfy spot, and enjoy this time together!
- Encourage your child to bring along a book anytime! Short moments between running errands or traveling from place to place can add up to a lot of reading.
Encourage and Connect
- When children can see themselves in a story, they connect more deeply to it.
- Look for positive qualities (like bravery and teamwork) while reading or discussing books with your child.
- Remind them of times where they—or you—showed the same qualities.
- When your child is reading:
- Ask questions about their book so they know you are interested.
- Celebrate their efforts! Offer a quick high five or join them in a celebratory dance at the end of a book.
- When reading is challenging for your child:
- Share your own struggles. Talk about a time when you faced challenges.
- Let them know that mistakes are okay, and that this is how we learn.
- Build their confidence by talking about what they have already learned.
- Offer a trip to the library to find books that interest them
Reading Milestones
- If you want more information on how to support your child as a reader, reach out to their teacher. You can ask:
- Is my child reading on grade level?
- What books would be a good fit for my child?
- Is there anything specific we should be working on at home?
- Fourth-grade readers are practicing “reading to learn”—gaining information and striving for deep understanding of what they read. Have your child read aloud to you. This encourages them to practice these skills while also showing you their progress.