Curiosity Challenge: Reading List

Here’s some books that have been on my radar for awhile and I’d really like to get to this year. Most of them are directly related to my Curiosity Challenge.

Proust and the Squid, by Maryanne Wolf
I have tried three times to finish this book. THREE TIMES. I love it, but it’s a really hard read for me. I have made it through the first section, now I need to read the second half which discusses dyslexia.

The Gift of Dyslexia, by Ronald D. Davis
Recommended by my boss, who has a Master’s in literacy, when I asked her for something to read on dyslexia.

Becoming Literate: The Construction of Inner Control, by Marie M. Clay
Another recommendation from my boss, this one when I asked for help knowing when a child is ready to shift from pre-reading activities to beginning reading activities.

Reality is Broken, by Jane McGonigal.
About gamers and gaming culture, and how we might be able to use a gaming mentality to change the world for the better. I want to use it to think about problem-solving at work.

Tools for Matching Readers to Texts, by Heidi Mesmer.
Recommended reading for the ALSC online class I took last fall. It’s very academic, but it has an appendix on Reading Counts and Accelerated Reader, so I’m motivated to read the whole thing for context.

Solving the Reading Riddle: The Librarian’s Guide to Reading Instruction, by Rita Soltan.
This is another one from my class, and managed to read most of it during class. Time to finish!

Mind in the Making, by Ellen Galinsky
Ellen Galinsky discusses seven life skills children must master for successful life-long learning. We had a colleague of hers come and speak at my library’s all-staff training day last fall, and I even won a copy of the book in a raffle! Must. Actually. Read. It.

Without a Net: Librarians Bridging the Technical Divide, by Jessamyn West.
Jessamyn explores the digital divide but also provides really hands-on plans for teaching basic tech skills.

Workplace Learning and Leadership: A Handbook for Library and Non-Profit Trainers, by Lori Reed and Paul Signorelli.
An ALA book I found while noodling around looking for lesson plan resources.

The Bilingual Family: A Handbook for Parents, by Edith Harding-Esch and Philip Riley.
I found this one exploring resources at my own library. It looks pretty cool–it talks about language development, and culture, explores different ways to be bilingual, talks about factors that might influence your decision to raise a bilingual child, and shares “case studies” of bilingual families.

Art and Creative Development for Young Children, by J Englebright Fox and Robert Schirrmacher.
Another one found noodling around, but this covers developmental stages, process v. product, how to respond to children’s art, special needs…looks good!

From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development.
The grandaddy brick of a book that has all of the brain research stuff about why early literacy is so critical. If I can make it through this one, I will buy everyone a beer!

Have you read any of these? What do you recommend? What’s on YOUR list?