Nurturing a child’s taste in reading reaps rich rewards Although reading is one of my favorite activities, my son doesn’t seem to share that obsession. He’ll be 10 this fall, and it’s taken me a good decade to begin to fathom his likes and dislikes. He loves Harry Potter and any good fiction that I read aloud but seldom picks up novels on his own. At first I thought this might be a problem, but now I’m coming to realize that he’s simply a nonfiction kind of a guy. He practically grabs each Sports Illustrated for Kids issue as it comes out of the mailbox, and this summer he’s devouring a series of books focusing on our 50 states. He loves to spread several of them out on the floor and compare geographical statistics. Looking into the population of Boise is hardly my cup of tea, but the important thing is, it’s his.

Discovering and developing a child’s taste in books requires some crafty strategizing by parents and teachers. A new trio of books focusing on kids and reading, each with a slightly different slant, can help in this pursuit. All three have given me plenty of hints, suggestions and reassurances about enticing my son with books as well as nurturing the literary likes and dislikes of his twin preschool sisters.

The smallest book in the bunch, Raising a Reader: A Mother’s Tale of Desperation and Delight by Jennie Nash is filled with the author’s own experiences with kids and books. A writer and mother of two girls, Nash has structured her book in short chapters, peppering each with sidebar suggestions and reading lists that have titles like “What Carlyn Turned to After Harry Potter” and “Books I Wish I Could Convince My Kids to Read.” Reading this book is like sitting down to an intimate lunch with a fun, passionate friend who loves both literature and children. Nash offers great suggestions like snuggling up in bed with kids and reading silently together along with interesting anecdotes, like how she once got so angry at her toddler’s mistreatment of books that she took them all away. Her writing is breezy and entertaining, so you’ll go through her tales in no time.

Next, pick up Under the Chinaberry Tree: Books and Inspirations for Mindful Parenting (Broadway, $14.95, 288 pages, ISBN 0767912020). Authors Ann Ruethling and Patti Pitcher have distilled multitudes of motherly wisdom into this wonderful volume. The perfect baby gift for a first-time parent, Under the Chinaberry Tree is divided into themed chapters, each of which begins with personal anecdotes and insights, then moves on to discussions of various books relevant to the theme. A chapter titled “Dailiness: Making It Through the Day” contains a useful list that has nothing to do with reading, “Tips for having enough energy to survive daily life with small children,” while the last chapter, “Surrendering the Day,” concludes with a list of beloved bedtime books. In between are all manner of wonderful discussions and reviews, with chapter headings such as “Smiles, Giggles and Belly Busters,” “Learning to Be Human” and “Growing Pains.” Unfamiliar choices as well as classics like Goodnight Moon and Make Way for Ducklings are included in the volume. If you’re in need of a book on a particular subject, or simply a list of wonderful, magical titles, you’re guaranteed to find them here. (The one major drawback is that the book focuses on titles for younger children, the 8 and under crowd). Keep Under the Chinaberry Tree close by it’s like having a children’s librarian at home.

By far the most comprehensive and multidisciplinary book in the trio, How to Get Your Child to Love Reading: For Ravenous and Reluctant Readers Alike Activities, Ideas, Inspiration, and Suggestions for Exploring Everything in the World through Books (Algonquin, $18.95, 500 pages, ISBN 1565123085) by EsmŽ Raji Codell is an invaluable reference volume for parents and teachers. Author of Educating EsmŽ: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year, Codell also runs a wonderful children’s literature web site called PlanetEsme.com. Bursting with ideas, books, connections and interconnections, not just for the younger set but for young adults as well, she’s like Mrs. Frizzle of the Magic School Bus Series. Divided into subject categories, with chapters on math and science books, travel, history and social studies titles (there’s even a chapter relating books to radio, TV and the movies), the volume offers more than just reviews and reading lists. Coddell includes tips on reading aloud, on helping kids overcome learning anxieties and on nurturing a child’s reading interests. There are plenty of hands-on activities and ideas to inspire kids to read and write. Whether you’re a teacher, homeschooler or innovative parent looking for fun, educational ideas, this book is an absolute must. There are no longwinded discussions here, just loads of creative, simply-put ideas. Coddell also lists 3,000 teacher-approved titles and answers inquiries in a special Q&andA column. No matter what kind of book your child likes, no matter what subject he or she wants to pursue, How to Get Your Child to Love Reading is bound to provide inspiration. Alice Cary writes from Groton, Massachusetts.

<b>Life lessons for Father’s Day</b> <b>Big Shoes: In Celebration of Dads and Fatherhood</b> by Al Roker and Friends offers a charming compilation of memories and observations from celebrities, writers, athletes and more. Contribu-tors from Jimmy Buffet to Nina Totenberg share their experiences of their fathers and their thoughts on the importance and meaning of fatherhood. There are a few weak notes, but the majority of the stories are both warm and heartwarming, while others touch the soul with a bittersweet grace. <i>Howard Shirley is a son and a father.</i>

Take charge with advice geared to help you survive raising children Snakes, public speaking, flying, death: many people cite one of these as their greatest fear, but obviously parenting was not listed among the choices on their questionnaires. Nothing could be more intimidating, more hair-raising than the prospect of being handed a helpless infant and expected to nurture it into a capable adult. Cynthia L. Copeland understands the daunting quality of the task at hand. Her light-hearted yet heart-lifting book, The Diaper Diaries: The Real Poop on a New Mom’s First Year (Workman, $8.95, 256 pages, ISBN 0761128603) is for moms, by a mom and at under $10, it’s a bargain. Armed with this book and what this mother of three identifies as the essential ingredient for surviving motherhood a healthy sense of humor first-timers can face everything from discomfiting body changes to the breast vs. bottle dilemma.

Along with dirty-diaper disasters, laughter-inducing sections include “Projecting the Future,” which compares a proud mother’s wishful thinking about her baby’s traits to their more likely outcomes. When your baby “is not afraid of getting shots at the pediatrician’s office,” she writes, you are apt to envision the child becoming a world-famous humanitarian like Dr. Jonas Salk. But Coleman injects her own needle of reality, humorously predicting that the child will more likely become a tattoo artist in Atlantic City.

Mingled with her “been there, done that, and you can too” humor (and smile-invoking illustrations) is some sage advice. Copeland suggests using an empty box, the ground or “indestructible daddy” to entertain baby, rather than store-bought, expensive paraphernalia. And she wisely warns new moms about the “All-Baby, All-the-Time” trap. “Sweet newborns turn into cranky two-year-olds who become close to intolerable 13-year-olds,” she cautions. “But your husband will always be the same good guy who thinks you have a cute butt and makes the world’s best lasagna.” No matter how well you survive that first year, however, issues of discipline will surface along with your child’s first utterance of defiance. (Typically, the word “NO.”) No More Misbehavin’: 38 Difficult Behaviors and How to Stop Them, by Michele Borba Ed.

D., offers an in-depth examination of 38 specific behaviors, from shyness to stealing, and step-by-step instructions on how to modify them. Each chapter contains strategies and tips, a behavior makeover plan, and a place to record your family’s progress. If you are the mother of a daughter approaching her teens, you’ll appreciate a new book written specifically for this troublesome stage, When We’re in Public, Pretend You Don’t Know Me: Surviving Your Daughter’s Adolescence so You Don’t Look Like an Idiot and She Still Talks to You (Warner, $12.95, 208 pages, ISBN 0446679518) by Susan Borowitz. The author acknowledges that the friction that develops between mothers and their maturing daughters is a natural outgrowth of the daughter’s need to create her own identity. The trick for mothers is to stay connected during this tumultuous time, and Borowitz offers a wealth of ways to keep the lines of communication open. “Kids are at their most vulnerable when they go to bed and therefore are much more inclined to be open with you,” she writes, explaining that her nighttime talks with her own teenage daughter proved among the most “fruitful and connecting” during those difficult years. Finally, we’ll close with a book we hope you don’t need, but if the “D” word has crept into your life, this volume may be the most important one in our lineup. What About the Kids? Raising Your Children Before, During, and After Divorce (Hyperion, $23.95, 400 pages, ISBN 0786868651), by Judith S. Wallerstein and Sandra Blakeslee, is a comprehensive guide for helping ease the effects of divorce. Wallerstein is the author of The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce, a bestseller that delved into the long-term effects of divorce on children. In What About the Kids? she addresses the problems that occur at different stages of the breakup and different ages of the affected children. Wallerstein doesn’t flinch in tackling painful subjects, offering advice from her many years of counseling families. “Parenting is always a hazardous undertaking,” she writes. “Much of the time it’s like climbing a mountain trail that disappears and reappears, making you wonder if you’re still headed for the top or if you’re stranded on a cliff. But parenting in a divorced or remarried family is harder it’s like climbing that same trail in a blizzard, blinded by emotions and events out of your control.” Parenting may be the most frightening, difficult thing you ever do, but you should be able to survive it and live to enjoy the fruits of your labor with guidance from these parenting veterans. Linda Stankard, a writer in New York, is a survivor of parenting.