"The most important thing is to read, to engage directly with literature, to immerse oneself in the living text before you, rather than fixating on ideas and critical commentary."
Jorge Luis Borges 

We know that adult readers often set aside a moment of their day to read a book. In fact, a good book is a form of leisure—or even a way to find peace from the stresses of daily life—during those times when we have nothing to do on the weekend or during vacation. And throughout our lives, we come across books that speak directly to our personal longings and reflections.

Before social media became a part of our daily lives, audiovisual media (TV, movies, radio, magazines, etc.) already served as a more accessible form of entertainment, offering content that was easy to understand but, in most cases, less rich than that found in books. And even today, with rare exceptions, the media’s message reaches the viewer ready-made.

On the contrary, when reading a book, the reader in a sense rewrites it by expanding the story in their imagination and creating the setting based on their memory, life experiences, and knowledge of the world. That is why we can view a literary work as a living text, capable of being understood in many ways and recreated through each person’s perspective. With every new work they read, readers enrich their repertoire and expand their personal universe. Furthermore, they prepare themselves to understand and face life’s situations in light of what the characters in the stories experience.

Does literature teach us anything? What does it teach us?

To answer the two questions above, it is first necessary to introduce children to literature, with a focus on developing their reading habits. It is up to adults, both at home and at school, to contribute to this by exposing children to a variety of text genres, such as nursery rhymes, informational texts, fables, poems, short stories, fictional narratives, etc.

In other words, literature can (and should) be a part of a child’s life from infancy onward. For children, reading literature with an adult (teachers, parents, or guardians) not only fosters moments of calm and curiosity but also serves a dual purpose: building their repertoire of stories and, through conversation about what has been read, opening up the possibility of discussing issues and topics that are rarely brought up spontaneously during childhood and adolescence, both at home and at school.

Incorporating literature into a person’s education is a thoughtful and aesthetic way to educate and cultivate a love of reading. And that love is fostered through regular exposure to the written word, high-quality illustrations, beautiful graphic design, a well-crafted plot, and a coherent presentation of events.  

Literature reveals the many facets of human life—people’s joys, needs, desires, and feelings—as well as their daily lives, work, love, and death... And the avid reader, in turn, expands their vocabulary, has their creativity and imagination stimulated, improves their ability to concentrate, and learns to express themselves more richly, among other benefits.

Book Selection Strategies

Given that the starting point is the work of reading, the first stage in developing a reader begins with the selection of a book by the editorial team at publishers of children’s and young adult literature, as they commit to publishing works of quality and depth. Enriching the aesthetic of literary production gives children and young people the opportunity to access the very best in creative writing, both from their own country and from others. An example of this can be found in the literature catalog of Via Lúdica Publishing House which, together with Cantilena Editora, offers literary experiences that enchant and inspire readers to explore new worlds through reading.

The reading mediator, on the other hand, should think through and plan in advance the discussion of the story to be read, focus on carefully selecting what will be presented to the students, and, when planning the reading, consider the many aspects that can be explored in each work. There are specific times to read certain titles.  

When considering the criteria for selecting and the strategies for presenting literary works, the teacher should focus on pedagogical intent in order to choose the most appropriate title based on the grade level of the class, a genre or theme that supports the study of specific content, and a text of high quality in terms of style and appropriateness. Finally, teachers should seek out a work whose graphic design draws the reader’s eye to the harmony between colors and typography. In all situations, teachers should strive to ensure the quality of the material being read.

After selecting the title, the next step is to prepare the class for reading: What goals should students have when reading a particular genre, what prior knowledge do they have about the text’s content (knowing what is necessary to learn more from the text), and what predictions can they make about it before reading? However, the greatest effort and the bulk of the student’s comprehension activity occur during reading, when the child is expected to master reading strategies through shared or independent reading.

Finally, after reading—based on how the teacher leads the discussion and chooses the questions to ask—the student reader will be able to use strategies that often emerge during the reading process itself, such as identifying the main idea of the text, writing a summary, and formulating and answering questions. It is during this part of the conversation about what has been read that the child develops active listening skills and practices reasoning.

Through guided, consistent, and systematic reading, students learn to perceive the book as an object and develop reading habits. This enables them to create and use their own criteria for choosing what to read, such as selecting a book based on its title, cover, interior illustrations, or even by reading the beginning or end of the story, among other factors. 

On the website of Via Lúdica Publishing, in addition to reviews and descriptions of all the titles in the catalog, there are reading guides in the In the Classroom, featuring suggestions for activities before, during, and after reading that teachers can use with their students. Here are a few examples:

The story of Little Red Riding Hood, retold through children’s hand gestures, comes to life, transforming reading into a physical experience. It is perfect for readers ages 4 and up, and the reading guide offers plenty of inspiration for teachers.

*Doris’s Adorable Rebels*, which tells the story of the daily life of a crocodile mother facing the challenge of caring for her 26 hatchlings—whose names range from Antônioto Zeca, each with a unique personality—includes a reading guide for classes with students ages 6 and up. Also aimed at this same age group, the book *Sinto Saudade* addresses grief both from the perspective of someone experiencing the reality of a loved one who has left for another place without saying goodbye, and from the need to find a place where one can come to terms with that person’s absence.

Finally, for children ages 8 and up, the story of the adopted child , *The Girl with Four Names*, highlights how affection can be shared in various ways and offers a very thought-provoking reading guide for use with students.

We believe that children’s books serve as a gateway to reading for children, and in this context, literature introduces them to the joy of life through words.

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• See Jorge Luis Borges, *Oral*, Buenos Aires, 1979, p. 22.
• Letter from the Holy Father Francis on the Role of Literature in Education, St. John Lateran, 12th Year of His Pontificate, Rome, July 17, 2024.
• Solé, Isabel. Reading Strategies, Artmed Publishing, 6th edition, Porto Alegre, 1998, chapters 5, 6, and 7. 

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**This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bett Brasil.