This week -- May 12 through May 18 -- is Children's Book Week. It's a great time to pay a visit to the library and to local bookstores since they both generally have special activities for children to celebrate the occasion and to encourage children to read.

It's true that many gifted children don't need much encouragement to read because they are already avid readers. However, the fact that a child already loves to read shouldn't keep us from celebrating books. If your child already loves to read, use Children's Book Week as a time encourage other kinds of reading. For example, if your child loves to read non-fiction, encourage him or her to read fiction. If your child enjoys fiction, encourage him or her to read non-fiction or a different type of fiction.

Gifted kids tend to love mysteries, high fantasy, Chronicles of Narnia, for example, and biographies. Young gifted children also tend to love learning about subjects such as dinosaurs, presidents, and space. To give children more options for reading, parents can expose children to other topics and additional genres.

If you're plan to buy some books as part of your celebration of Children's Book Week, you might first want to check out the article on what to consider before you buy a book. You might also check out the excellent list of recommended books from GT-World.