Why Kids Should Be Allowed to Pick Their Own Books (and How to Explain This to Parents)

To register for this webinar please follow this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3108339585981877263?source=Michigan. Sessions are free and available only to members of the Michigan library community. Registrants will receive instructions and a link to attend the session directly from PCI after they register.

As emphasis on standardized testing and anxiety about cut-throat college admissions continue to mount, parents have become increasingly concerned about the "value" of their children's reading material.

Learn what the research says about the educational value of children choosing their own books (yes, even comic books!) and ways to gently communicate this information to parents.

Instructor: Susan Metallo has been championing stories since she began her career as a librarian and children’s storyteller over a decade ago. Completely helpless against a witty narrator or an atmospheric world, she spends most of her life immersed in books–whether her own or someone else’s–and that’s how she likes it. On those rare occasions that she extricates herself from fictional pursuits, you will probably find her surrounded by kitchen messes, crossword puzzles, or choir music. Susan lives in New Mexico with her husband, her children, and an 85-lb. bulldog who fervently believes she will fit on your lap.

PCI Webinars are recorded and available to members of the Michigan library community in the Library of Michigan's Niche Staff Skills Academy about a week after they air. New webinars will be in the New category for several weeks. You do not need to register for a webinar in order to view it later in the Staff Skills Academy.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Library of Michigan.