Here's the thing. . .
but it isn't my only book - OKAY!
Kangaroo Clues
is the first book I had published.
It is one of 6 rhyming picture books (on CD or download), that tell
about animals from the US and Australia -
fun and educational!
and
thrill of thrills,
Zebee, (courtesy of Joy Delgado) has invited Old Man Kanga
into
with all his Aussie animal friends.
There's a Review, + dishing the dirt about my book's illustrator.
(HINT: no English - no computer!)
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Go Visit with
Zebee
at the Zooprise Party - Fiesta Zoorpresa
and dish with Zeebe about Kangaroo Clues - and my amazing illustrator!!
This delightful site, hosted by Zebee, is a "must visit!"
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Autographed CDs of this 6 book series are
available from my BOOKS page.
(Downloads too!)
(Comments Welcome)
My WEBSITE <> <> "MUSINGS"
Everyday my seven year old must read for 10 minutes. The school says so. Some days it is not easy, and lord knows I don't want to force him to read at knifepoint. So here, for what it's worth, is a tip, which I think is rather a nice one, and which I've never heard anyone else mention it: on nights when I think it might be a struggle, I communicate only in written notes. One can still be sarcastic through facial expressions. And it gets him to read. (Here is the math I use, although I personally was always much better at reading: 3 short notes = 1 minute of reading, so after 30 notes we can stop).
This can also be made into a game--anyone remember the wonderful treasure hunt in Spiderweb for Two, by Elizabeth Enright, where written clue led to written clue over the course of the year? Notes about treasure always get read, and there can be as many clues as you want, ranging from the simple "look under your beg" to the dangerous "look in your closet" (he keeps his rock collection on the floor of it).
Over at Reading Rockets there's a request for suggestions on books to read aloud to two girls who have achieved Reading-ness, and don't particularly have any interest in being read to. I can't think of any books in particular, but I do have a thought. Reading out loud doesn’t have to happen on a sofa--we used to be read to while we colored, painted, sewed...although none of use ever did complicated models meant for much older children, like Petrova did in Ballet Shoes when they were all being read to. So maybe if the new book to be read aloud was begun with a new quite activity, it would give it impetus... (and if the girls in question haven't read Ballet Shoes, maybe that would be a good one....)
Once I Ate a Pie--13 Dogs Tell All, by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, illustrated by Kay Schneider (2006, Joanna Cotler Books)
If you have a picture book age child, say 3-7, who loves dogs and is learning to read, this is the book for you. Even kids like mine, who aren't crazy about dogs, loved the sweet puppies, the "Good" Dogs, the "Bad" Dogs (like the pie eater), and the sleepy older dogs featured in this book. Each of the 13 dogs featured has its own picture and its own poem. The pictures are enough to melt the non-doggiest heart. The poems are little vignettes of the dogs' behaviour, rellying on typeface, font, and layout rather than rhyme and rhythm to set them apart from prose. Without being able to do these things in blooger, it's hard to convey the full charm of these poem-lets, but here's an example:
Wupsi
My name is Wupsi, but they call me “cute.”
“Who’s cute?” they ask, smiling.
I cover my eyes with my paws and
pretend to sleep.
“Who’s cute?” they call again.
I run to them. I can’t help it.
I am cute.
And he is, as is this book! Which makes it a good one, I think, for people interested in poetry for the uncertain reader.
(When googling for a picture, I found that
Mother Reader had also reviewed this book for Poetry Friday, way back when in August of 2006. She thought it was awfully cute too).
This week's Poetry Friday Roundup is at
AmoXcalli!
It was a slightly sticky week reading-wise for my 7 year old son--he just didn't want to read any of the chapter books I offered him. So I turned to poetry, specifically the animal poems of Douglas Florian, with the happy result that he read.
Poems are more friendly to read than the densely filled pages of chapter books--less intimidating visually, and once you've read a poem, you have clearly accomplished something. Florian's poems in particular, I think, are great for the reluctant reader. They are funny. They are informative. They have a fairly straightforward vocabulary. And I like his whimsically varied illustrations.
Here are a few poems that struck my fancy:
The Cheetah (from bow wow meow meow it's rhyming cats and dogs, 2003, Harcourt)
The cheetah is fleet.
The cheetah is fast.
Its four furry feet
Have already passed.
The Dachshund (also from bow wow meow meow)
Short up front
And short behind
But so long in-between.
The fleas all ride
Upon my side
In my s t r e t c h limousine.
The Diamondback Rattlesnake (from lizards, frogs, and polliwogs, 2001, Harcourt)
Fork in front,
Rattle behind.
The lump in the middle?
Don't pay any mind.
Scales up high,
Scales down low.
The lump in the middle?
You don't want to know.
Diamonds above,
Diamonds below.
The lump in the middle?
A rabbit too slow.
All three of these are pretty easy, quick, and funny to read--great confidence boosters.
My son also decided to bring home from the library Shel Silverstein's Falling Up --apparently the boy who is the Alpha Reader in my son's class has been reading it (having finished Eragon Harry Potter Cornelia Funke etc). Silverstein's poems, thought, aren't as uniformly easy readerish as Florian's; likewise Jack Prelutsky.
Any recommendations for other poets or books we could look for that still unfluent reader who likes science might be able to read easily?
And as a total aside, Shel Silverstein has a new edition of an old out of print book coming out this March-- Don't Bump the Glump which looks rather interesting.
The Poetry Friday round up is at Karen Edmisten's place today!
Over at Jen Robinson's Book Page, there's a great post up on helping kids learn to read--lots of ideas from parents (including moi), teachers, and writers. Another point has just occurred to me, and I think it's important enough that it deserves a post of it's own.
So often it seems like reading level is used as a measure in intelligence--"Oh, you're reading War and Peace and you're only 8! How smart you must be!" If you aren't reading "big books" at that age, it might then seem as though you are stupid. My second grader isn't stupid (ask him to explain String Theory, and he'll do fine), but there are many, many kids who are reading books considerably harder than the Magic Treehouse books he's plodding through. So I've made a point of explaining to him that each person's brain develops at its own pace, and in some people, different parts develop faster--some kids talk before they walk, some walk before they talk. I tell him he has a very well-developed math brain, and a great kindness brain (except for whacking his little brother), and tell him that in a few more years, when his brain has developed a bit more, no one will be able to guess that his classmates had ever read harder books than he was reading. I often remind him of what he was reading in past years, so he can fully realize he's making progress. Three December 31sts in a row, he's read A Fly Went By, by Mike McClintock. The first time through, it took three painful days. Next year, 25 minutes, reading out loud. This year, about 20, read to himself. So he can really see he's getting there.
Otherwise, I think it would be so easy for him to just think "I'm a bad reader." A self-fulfilling prophecy if there ever was one.
Thanks for your comment over at Sound It Out, and for the introduction to your blog! I'll be back!
Hi,
I grew up as a reluctant reader. Now I write action-adventures & mysteries, especially for boys 8 and up, that kids hate to put down. My web site is at http://www.maxbooks.9k.com and my Books for Boys blog is at http://booksandboys.blogspot.com
Ranked by Accelerated Reader
Thank you,
Max Elliot Anderson
That's interesting, Charlotte. I haven't seen that suggestion anywhere else, either. But I loved Spiderweb for Two. Did you know that there's going to be a new paperback reissue of the whole Melendy family series this year? Anyway, glad that the notes are working for your son.
Charlotte, I think you're onto something with the notes. That's a good idea. I was thinking of y'all last week when I was in the school library. Have you guys ever tried riddles? "Snakey Riddles," by Katy Hall and Lisa Eisenberg looked fun.
Calvin & Hobbes was the secret to my son's independent reading. And that came toward the end of 2nd grade. Garfield and Peanuts are other ones.
That's great news about the Melendy books, Jen! They deserve to last.
"Snakey Riddles" and its ilk might well appeal, Susan -- thanks! And it is good to know that we are not alone. We have a few months of second grade left...
And as for Max--give it a rest, why don't you. You're not winning any friends.