Book Hoarding...

I used to be that student that loved getting my hands on a new book in the classroom.  Did I always jump to reading it right away?  No, but that was before I learned how amazing books could be and where they would take my imagination.  Now, I jump right into the new books the second I have a chance!  Have you ever had a student like this?

Well, this year I have one.  This student loves to get her hands on the new books the second I introduce them to the classroom library.  The only trouble is, she then holds onto them in her desk (sometimes 3 or 4 books at a time).  Now, I know where to search for the books first when a student is looking for a particular title, but even with 8 days of school left this year, I am trying to figure out how to help this student get into her books, read them, and share them with her classmates.  I certainly don't want to discourage her desire and excitement with new books, but I don't want these books sitting, hidden in a desk for weeks at a time also.

I have called this "curable virus," book hoarding in a way because my kids LOVE the books in our classroom, but sometimes, they just love to keep them in their desks and not read them.  At home, I still have a tendancy to make piles of books around my house that I am looking forward to reading.  Maybe they are getting that from me???  One thing that I can't complain about is that my students love getting their hands on new books to read.  They talk about the books with one another and I have been finding the books being passed around.  My current "book hoarder," now sits surrounded by students who share their books with one another, talk about what they are reading, and just can't put books down.  I have even started my "Trailer Tuesdays" giving students time to share what they have recently read with the entire class.  I am hoping with these subtle attempts, she will learn the excitement of diving into the books rather than looking at her pile of future adventures!