"The most important thing is to read, to come into direct contact 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 in their day to read a book. In fact, a good book is a form of leisure—or even a respite 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 took over 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, media messages are delivered to the viewer in a ready-made form.

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 the guidance of 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 conversations about what they’ve read, opening up opportunities to discuss issues and topics that are rarely brought up spontaneously during childhood and adolescence, both at home and at school.

Making literature a part of a person’s upbringing is a sensitive and aesthetic way to educate and foster a love of reading. And that love is cultivated through regular exposure to the written word, high-quality illustrations, beautiful graphic design, a compelling plot, and a coherent presentation of events.  

Literature reveals the many facets of human beings—their 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 work on reading, the first stage in developing readers begins with the selection of works by the editorial teams at children’s and young adult publishing houses , 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 works, the teacher should focus on pedagogical intent in order to choose the most appropriate title based on the grade level of the class, the genre or theme that addresses the specific content being taught, and a text of high quality in terms of style and appropriateness. Finally, teachers should seek out a book 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 reading material.

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 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 House, 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’s 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 groups of children 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 the absence of that person can be accepted.

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 many different 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.

Share on social media:

• 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. 

*Content is the sole responsibility of the advertiser.
**This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bett Brasil.