Learning to read, reading to learn, and reading for leisure

Term 2, 2020… it’s here, and all of us are now learning how to work from home. Whether it’s adults trying to run a business from home, a teenager cooking dinner as part of their NCEA class, or (like my friend’s five year old) using Zoom to meet their classmates on their first day of school, this term looks a bit different to what we’re used to.

School-age children

Whatever ‘learning from home’ looks like in your house, library staff want to make sure that your children have lots of eBooks available to read for leisure and learning. We have put together some lists to make it easy for you to find some awesome books for you and your tamariki to read together, or for them to read by themselves.

• If you love action, adventure, and mysteries, Erin’s got this list of action-packed eAudiobooks just for you!
• Do you like Tintin, Baby Mouse, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Check out Adam’s recommended downloadable graphic novels
• Our selectors have curated a list of eBooks specifically for beginner readers on OverDrive.

Of course it’s not just the school kids who are at home. If you’ve got younger children around, we’ve also got you covered. Check out these fantastic lists for preschoolers that Erin’s put together:

Preschoolers

• Have you made a cardboard box aeroplane for your three year old? Or made a masking tape road on the lounge floor for your four year old? Then you might both like our Things That Go list
• If you’re sad about not being able to come to the library for stories, here are some favourite Wā Kōrero Storytimes books that you can download and read at home instead!
• Does your child always want a story just as you’re trying to cook tea? Download an eAudiobook and they can listen to the story all by themselves.

Exploring the world from home

Finally, if you would like to explore the big wide world without leaving your kitchen table, have a look at these eresources:

• National Geographic Virtual Library - “If you're a fan of nature like me this is fantastic way of celebrating it. From articles, photos, videos, maps and even this little cutie:

There's also a National Geographic Kids e-resource for any tamariki in your bubble!” (Jennifer)

• New Zealand Geographic Archive - “NZ Geographic also has a nice site for kids at home, interesting for grown-ups too. Each day a new story - today's is about moa tracks at Kyeburn.” (Lynne)

Have a look at some of these next time it’s ‘school time’ in your whare, and happy exploring!