Getting Your Child Hooked on Reading: Eight Literary Works to Start

By Byron Jonas

Literature is an essential part of every child's formation. It is a vital educational tool with endless lessons to teach. Through literature, we come to know people, places and ideas without ever leaving the comfort of our sofas or beds. Getting a child to read, however, is not always the simplest task. That said, it is still extremely important. Through literature, children get to know the world.

Take a look at this list of eight books every child, including yours, must read before adulthood:

1. Dr. Seuss Green Eggs & Ham This piece of children's literature is considered a classic for a reason. Children love it, laughing at its silly rhymes and following its repetition. Parents also enjoy it for its cultural familiarity. Green Eggs & Ham is also an early introduction to the world of poetry, its rhyme and rhythm entrancing.

2. Mother Goose Fairytales Though these stories were written centuries ago, they have a timeless nature that is all but impossible to explain. These stories of animals and giants and princes are met with as much enjoyment now as they were years ago. Moreover, the lessons they teach are ones that remain of the highest importance.

3. Robert Munsch Love You Forever This short story deals with a very real subject - that of the changing relationship between parent and child and the eventual interchange of the role of caregiver. It teaches an important life lesson that may not fully get through to your child now, but that he or she will surely come to appreciate later on in life.

4. J.K. Rowling Harry Potter A worldwide sensation, the books of the Harry Potter series are sure to please and engage your child just like it has so many others throughout the world. These books are a great tool for getting children hooked on literature.

5. William Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet Shakespeare is arguably the most important figure in English-language literature - his work is probably the single most influential factor in the stories we tell today. Romeo & Juliet is the perfect way to introduce a child to this famous literary figure.

6. J.D. Salinger The Catcher in the Rye Though this novella deals with very adult topics, it does so in a way that is quite adolescent. Its casual language and sarcastic tone is sure to appeal to children while instilling important life lessons.

7. Homer The Iliad and The Odyssey These two fundamental pieces of world literature are key to the understanding of writing and storytelling at their very beginnings. Though these epic poems can prove quite dense, like the works of Shakespeare, they form a vital part of the genealogical line that is world literature.

8. Emily Bronte Wuthering Heights This classic novel is important not only for its story but also for the gender of its author. Women are often left off of the list of classic authors and their works left off of reading lists. The engaging story of this novel, however, is one that stands on its own and cannot be ignored. - 30224

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