Deconstructing Penguins: Parents, Kids, and the Bond of Reading

I originally bought this book for myself. I read a selection from it to my daughter to help her understand what to put in a book report, and she loved it and begged for more. Reading it together has been fun, inspiring and rewarding; my daughter has really grasped the concepts covered in the book and been able to apply them to other books she's reading, and to her writing as well. When I first read the book I couldn't imagine how I would share it with my daughter. It seemed odd to read a book about a book club, but thanks to the way it's written, it turned out to be really a lot of fun. The authors pose a question, then share the responses of the other book club members, and then my daughter would respond with her own ideas--without the pressure of worrying what other kids might think. It's been like getting to sit in on the coziest, most convenient literature class you could imagine.

I have been a fan of the Goldstones since reading their books on book-collecting, e.g. Used and Rare, Slightly Chipped etc. This book is different, it is about how to approach book discussions for both young and old. I am the parent of a two year old girl, and books are a big part of our lives [I am a book collector myself]...although this book may still be too advanced to put into practice with my little one, it really gives me great ideas on how to go about discussing books in a more interesting manner, and sets me up with great guidelines for beginning a parent/child book discussion group a couple of years down the road. I look forward to more enlightening works by the Goldstones.

As a fourth grade teacher I am dismayed by how many students are already disengaged by reading. A wonderful supplement toreadings about literature circles, this book changed the way I ran book clubs. It reminded me of the engaging mystery of quality literature - and the reminding is helping me bring that wonder to my students. A great inspiration and model for parent-child bookclubs, but also a model for all teachers that I have not found anywhere else.

"Deconstructing Penguins" empowers parents to believe they can have real debates about literature with their children right now, even as early as second grade! This is very exciting stuff. I can't wait to revisit some of the classic titles on the authors' reading list, such as Babe and Charlotte's Web, from a totally different perspective. For anyone who wants to start a parent-child reading group, this book is a god-send. Moreover, "Penguins" presents the most cogent approach to reading groups for adults or kids. In the years I've participated in book groups, including Great Books, I've always felt something was lacking from the discussion despite lots of bright people asking bright questions. After reading "Penguins," I now know what was missing: a unifying theme or framework for analyzing the book's true meaning. "Penguins" gives you that framework and a whole lot more. The authors show they understand great literature, as well as the minds of children. If only more libraries could be as leading edge as the authors' library in Westport, Conn.!!

I cannot recommend Deconstructing Penguins highly enough. I am a mother of three children and Penguins is the first teaching/parenting book I've seen that has offered me such fun and easy tools with which to analyze and share literature as a family. The Goldstones' conviction that even young children are quite capable of and even excited about discussing serious ideas through critical reading is refreshing and right on the money. Children relish meaty moral conundrums. They love to have long discussions on ethics with their peers and parents or teachers (particularly when those discussions pertain to fictional characters rather than to themselves). The Goldstones' book looks at plot, setting, antagonist and protagonist in a way that will have most parents thinking "I had no idea it was so simple," and most teachers and librarians thanking their lucky stars.