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1. I don't need to read to my baby/toddler.FalseThe foundations of learning to read begins from the moment a baby can hear sounds. People talking, music playing, and the rhythms and repetitions in stories and nursery rhymes. It makes sense then to talk, sing, read and play with our babies, at such a crucial time in their brain development. 2. Children don't need to learn how to read until they
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By: Zoe,
on 2/6/2011
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I’ve been itching to review The Beasties by Jenny Nimmo, illustrated by Gwen Millward ever since we discovered it at the start of the year. It’s one of those books that we’ve renewed the maximum times possible from the library because we just can’t let it go.
Photo: betsssssy
Daisy has moved house and is finding it hard to fall asleep in her new room. She lies awake listening to unfamiliar noises.
What was that?
Daisy’s heart went pit-a-pat.
Was it a truck in the street?
No.
It sounded like…
… a story!
From out of the darkness a growly voice tells Daisy an exciting story about a faraway king and his ring.
Daisy wondered about that ring.
Was it gold or silver
or studded with jewels?
She wondered
and wondered until
she fell asleep.
The next night again there are again strange noises Daisy is not yet used to. But this time a clickety voice cuts through the darkness to tell a captivating story about a beautiful bird. Before Daisy knows it she’s transported, and happily dreaming.
The third night it’s a musical voice with a sing-song story that lulls Daisy to sleep, but on the fourth night everything is silent. Daisy can’t sleep and longs for a story.
And then there is the faintest of growls. Daisy summons up all her courage and looks under her bed and almost screams – there are The Beasties.
But the Beasties are so very small and so very friendly and it turns out that they are the secretive storytellers who have been visiting Daisy each night, leaving treasures under her bed to inspire stories.
Photo: wildxplorer
And when Daisy asks for another story, Floot (the Beastie with the musical voice) insists that Daisy tell her own story and hands her a shell. At first Daisy doesn’t know what to do but she thinks hard, and slowly begins to weave a story around the shell. As her story ends Daisy smiles, hugs the shell tight and drifts off to sleep imagining herself in her own story.
The Beasties sneak out of Daisy’s room knowing her bed won’t seem so big and her room won’t seem so strange now she can tell her own stories. Their work is done.
A book about how stories can comfort, reassure us and makes us feel at home – this is a fabulous read. Perfect for bedtime, ideal if coming to terms with moving house or rooms, I love how the story acknowledges worries, but turns them round. The girls love joining in with the repeated refrain “What was that? Daisy’s heart went pit-a-pat” and they adore the pictures of trinkets and knick-knacks littering the floor under Daisy’s bed – they know this sort of treasure only too well as it’s exactly the stuff they are always collecting; a feather from here, a round stone from there, a button, a ribbon, a broken earring.
Everyone remembers his or her first time, right? That magical moment when the squiggles on the page crystalize into words, and a new world, a world of reading, unfolds.
Mine occurred in the second half of first grade. In those long ago days, children weren't pressured into reading while still in diapers. We listened to picture books in kindergarten, but we didn't have readers of our own. There wasn't time. Kindergarten lasted half a day. Was this good or bad? I don't know. But my daughter, who went to preschool and full-day kindergarden where reading was very definitely taught, learned to read at exactly the same age as I did: six-and-a-half.
Still, even in those more forgiving days, I was among the last in my class to learn to read. What was wrong? Our house was full of enticing books; my mother, a bookworm, read aloud to me and my sisters every night; the children's room at the library was as familiar to me as the back of my hand. Whatever the reason, the squiggles on the page stayed squiggles.
Then, on an otherwise ordinary day, the amazing happened. I was looking at the page and reading aloud--as I often did; I was able to memorize the words from listening to my mother and parrot them back to her--when something shifted and the squiggles changed into words that held meaning. (How I wish I could remember the book, but I can't.) "You're reading!" my mother exclaimed. I was? At first, it didn't seem possible, but as I continued to stumble over the words, my confidence grew. And after that day, I joined the ranks of my classmates. I was a reader.
What about you? Do you remember your first time?
Word play is something we all enjoy in our home – whether it is J making up rhyming nonsense words or me making a terrible joke based around the multiple meanings of a given word (what my husband calls “a Zoe joke”). Unsurprisingly, books that play on words are also favourites, and a recent discovery for us that we’ve really enjoyed is Word Builder by Ann Whitford Paul, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus.
Photo: extranoise
With just a single sentence or phrase per page, accompanied by outsized illustrations on a grand scale Word Builder instructs its reader on the steps needed to construct first words and sentences before moving on to paragraphs and chapters, ultimately leading to the creation of a whole book.
Begin your new construction
with twenty-six letters.
Hammer a through z into words.
Pile your words like blocks
into sentence towers -
measure some tall,
saw others short.
This is no dry reference book, but instead something like a poem. The use of the imperative gives the text and immediacy; the reader/listener is directly addressed, making it seem like the story has been written for them alone – a great device for engaging little people in the perhaps otherwise somewhat (potentially) dull subject of composition.
The large scale illustrations showing the construction process, with giant letters mortared and buttressed together, all overseen by a young yellow-helmeted boy are exciting; the sometimes unexpected perspectives on the building process are thrilling. All in all, an interesting example of a picture book great for those already at school rather than pre-schoolers, a super book for those interested in words, for children beginning to write and for anyone who loves a good digger, crane or bulldozer!
Having read Word Builder we set straight to constructing some sentences, paragraphs and word cities of our own. Inspired by this post from Letter Soup, and this post from Filth Wizardry I picked up a bag of construction blocks from a charity shop. M and I prepared stickers with various words on them: M chose many of the words herself and then I wrote them on the stickers before both girls stuck them on the blocks ready to start building with.
As the building blocks we had came in a lot of different colours I chose to use one colour for e
If like me you grew up (mostly) in the UK in the 70s and 80s and you’re asked to think of a famous witch from the canon of children’s literature, I’m fairly confident the name Meg would be one of the first to trip off your tongue.
Back in 1972 Meg and Mog arrived on the scene (in a flash of lightning, out of a cauldron, the wonderful result of a spell gone not quite according to plan, I like to think), the creation of Helen Nicoll and Jan Pieńkowski and they’ve been delighting children ever since. I loved their books when I was little and now my children share my laughter when we read the stories of crazy japes and spells gone wrong which come together to form the Meg and Mog series.
With Halloween not far off the timing couldn’t have been better for the release of the first new Meg and Mog book in four years. Meg Goes to Bed is a worthy addition to the collection. Although the story is perhaps not quite as satisfying as Meg at Sea, Mog’s Missing or Meg’s Car, many features that you would want to find in a quintessential Meg and Mog story are here to delight in.
There is an apparently simple scenario – Meg, Mog and Owl are hungry – but yet disaster still manages to strike. There’s a classically illustrated recipe for a spell, followed by the inevitably unintended results when the magic words are incanted. Meg’s catch phrase (“Oh dear, oh dear“), Mog and Owl’s nigh on obligatory crash landing and the idea that hard work and perseverance rather than the swish of a magic wand will get you what you need all add up to making this a book that my children were thrilled to read and that I was very pleased to add to our collection.
Pieńkowski’s bold, graphic design influenced illustrations, with their bright, sheer palette and tone are dramatic and exciting. In Meg Goes to Bed the articulation of the familiar characters, Meg, Mog and Owl is slightly less smooth than in earlier Meg and Mog books, but then I would not expect characters which have been drawn for almost 40 years to be identical today with their first incarnations. Indeed when I asked Jan about this as part of an interview I held with him (which will be published on Monday) he had this to say: “Change is inevitable… The Great Masters have “an Old Style”, perhaps humble illustrators are allowed to have one too!“.
An additional joy of reading Meg Goes to Bed was that it made a great early reader for M – in fact she has taken great pride in reading it to J. As M said, it’s a “real” book (rather than one written as an early reader), with engaging, familiar illustrations. Seeing M’s happiness at being able to read a brand new story from a s
[In fishing for words I seem to have caught rather a lot - this is quite a long post so please enjoy with a nice cup of tea or coffee!]
Photo: kasperbs
M has been learning to read at school since November. It’s been a delight and a source of amazement to me to see her skill unfold and now with just a week left till the summer holidays begin I’ve been looking for different ways to support her reading whilst school’s out. She’s not what I would call an enthusiastic reader at the moment – yes, she loves to listen to stories and can spend a long time taking in every detail of illustrations, but reading by herself hasn’t yet become something she does for the sheer pleasure of it.
I’ve wondered if this might be partly because she’s had such a rich diet of books already – fantastic picture books with great stories and delicious illustrations, or audiobooks and bedtime chapter books with engaging stories of real literary merit that whisk her away to wonderful worlds where she can spend hours and hours, and swapping all of this for simple, cheaply illustrated early readers is asking a lot.
I know that I find it hard to go from The Secret Garden (our current bedtime book), How to train your dragon and all the other stories in that series (M’s favourite audiobooks at the moment) and picture books like One Smart Fish, The Tale of the Firebird or Nothing to Do to things like Ron Rabbit’s Big Day (even if it is written by Julia Donaldson) or A Cat in the Tree.
So with the summer holidays almost upon us I’ve been looking for ways to keep her reading and to bolster her enjoyment. One complaint she explicitly makes about the books she brings home from school is their length. So in thinking how to overcome the lack of motivation when it comes to reading I’ve been looking at … dictionaries.
Perhaps not the most obvious choice when it comes to texts for early readers, especially as I wasn’t looking at them to boost her vocabulary, or to help with her spelling (although this may come later on) but rather as a source of short texts that we could dip in an out of, perhaps a few times a day, rather than sitting down for a “long” reading session (almost an impossibility with a younger sibling around anyway!)
Adventures in Cartooning Activity Book, by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost (First Second, 2010).
Adventures in Cartooning, published last year, introduced young illustrators to an un-named knight and his trusty steed, Edward. The first book didn't have much story, qua story--it was clearly a book designed to build cartooning confidence, which it did with much delightful humor. Although this sequel sounds like it should have less story, in as much as it is an "activity book," the activity sections are embedded into a coherent cartoon narrative, that tells of an adventure the young knight (and Edward) find in their own castle one rainy day (there are robots! a cookie monster! a giant!). Even once all the pages of activities are filled, this is a book that will be read again and again. It is the just the sort of fun, easy reader to give to your 1st or 2nd grader.
The tips for cartooning are both useful and clearly presented, and the knowledge gained is not only applicable to creating comics, but also to reading them (the types of speech balloons, for instance, are all explained, and neither my house guests, my children, or I knew that a dashed line balloon meant a whisper).
Of all the books that I brought back from ALA, this is the one that brought most happiness home with it. For the past few days, my seven year old has spent hours (literally) absorbed by this slim yet tightly packed paperback (63 pages of the book proper, then several pages of blank comic boxes to draw in). By extension, I love it too, but even if I hadn't had a seven year old to hand it over to, I would be writing a glowing review of it for its own sake...(well, actually, in large measure for Edward's sake, because he is my favorite graphic novel horse ever).
The foundation for learning to read begins way earlier than most people realize. It's not just learning the ABC song, and it's not just learning to recognize letters. It starts way back when you hold your baby on your lap and read the first little board book out loud. Babies learn that books have pages that turn, and pictures that are different on each page, and that when you use this book, you always hear this story, but when you hear that book, you hear that story. Next comes print awareness, knowing that print has meaning, and the same print always has the same meaning. They may recognize the word "McDonald's" even though they don't understand how to sound out the letters.
I think many children can begin to read on their own well before kindergarten. Of course, it's also like learning to ride a bike - for some it just clicks way before others. But there's no need to wait for kindergarten to start teaching your child the basics, just like you don't need to wait 'til the magic age of five, or six to try to teach your child to ride a bike.
One of the best ways (in my phonics-biased opinion) is to get a very simple alphabet book, one that shows just the letter, a picture, and maybe the word. And make sure the word represents the main sound of the letter, not something like "owl" for "O". (My one big complaint about my blue alphabet rugs.) Read the book aloud by saying "A says a like apple. B says b like ball. C says c like cow." Read it over and over and over. I found a great alphabet book like that when Lauren was about 15 months old. She fixated on that book, and I didn't really understand why until I saw her looking at a book (not the alphabet book) and pointing at a word, saying "f". I looked at her book, and sure enough, she was pointing at the letter f. I quizzed her and she knew lots of letters. She knew the whole alphabet by the time she was 17 months old, and I definitely credit that alphabet book. Something just clicked with her, like a child learning to ride a bike at 4. I do believe, though, that kids are capable of getting started way before kindergarten, even before preschool. You are your child's first and best teacher!
Toon Books are among the loveliest early readers I know off. These graphic novels for the very young reader are, in general, smart, funny, and engaging, and I just had the pleasure of reading two recent titles.
Zig and Wikki, in Something Ate My Homework (by Nadja Spigleman and Trade Loeffler) tells of two alien kids who take a wrong turn in their space ship, and find themselves on earth. Zig had been hoping to arrive at his grandmother's house, where he planned to snag on of her puffle pups (his homework assignment, which is already late, was to find a class pet). Perhaps, think Zig and Wikki, Earth will have something to offer...but can two small aliens capture a fly? or a dragonfly? or a toad? Definitely Not a raccoon...
Interspersed with tidbits of nature lore (I didn't know that toads ate their own skins) it's a fun alien adventure that ends happily...(sample pages here)
Benny and Penny in The Toy Breaker (by Geoffrey Hayes) brings back the engaging mouse siblings for another backyard tale. When Cousin Bo comes over, Benny and Penny hurry to hide their toys, and, even more importantly, their treasure map. Because Cousin Bo is a Toy Breaker! But with Bo around, how can Benny and Penny find the loot? And will Penny's poor Monkey, ripped by the careless paws of Bo, recover?
When Bo gets into trouble of his own, he (somewhat miraculously) becomes a nicer mouse, and all ends well. A pleasant story of the perils of group play. (sample pages here)
But, although these are both books that I enthusiastically placed in the eager hands of my six year old, and he enjoyed them a lot, neither of these knocked Stinky, by Eleanor Davis, off its place as my family's favorite Toon Book of all...
(review copies received from the publisher)
The Adventures of Benny, by Steve Shreve (Marshall Cavendish, 2009, 159 pages, ages 7-10)
First, the description. In the five stories that make up this book, a boy named Benny has various fantastical adventures, encountering Big Foot, a mummy named King Butt, a giant squid, the Booger-man, and some nervous monkeys. The stories are relaxed, over-the-top, and occasionally gross; they also are very easy to read, with relatively few words per page and lots of illustrations (you can get an idea of the book here at its website).
"They started back toward the door, but it was too late--they heard a noise outside.
"Now what?" asked Benny, "King Butt has caught up to us!"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that," said Uncle Howard. "The snakes will probably finish us off long before he gets in." (page 55)
Second, the personal experience part.
Is your emergent boy reader uninterested in the Magic Treehouse books? Obsessed with Diary of a Wimpy Kid (but too young for it, really)? The Adventures of Benny is an easy to read, copiously illustrated, kind of gross, chuckle producing, alternative. The short chapters, each of which stands on its on, make the book particularly friendly for the young reader.
Is your nine year old boy reader driving you absolutely mad by refusing to read any of the books you carefully find for him, after hours of blog reading to find possibilities, chats with the librarian, etc etc? Leave The Adventures of Benny casually draped on the sofa, and he will read it eagerly. In about ten minutes flat too, proving that he can read after all, which you might have been wondering.
If you are an adult reader, reading The Adventures of Benny with an eye toward a blog review, you might not find it a life-changing experience, and you might find smelly socks, farts, eating snakes, etc . don't in fact make you chuckle. But you might also acknowledge that the stories and pictures are not without amusing charm, and the reactions of your children will dispose you fondly toward the book. And it was a nice touch to name the Egyptologist uncle "Howard" (as in Howard Carter, of King Tut fame).
The Adventures of Benny is on the short-list of the Children's Choice Book Awards (chosen by kids), in the 5th and 6th category.
Here's the full list for those grades:
The Adventures of Benny by Steve Shreve (Marshall Cavendish)
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster)
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca (Atheneum/Richard Jackson/Simon & Schuster)
Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood by Tony Lee, Sam Hart, and Artur Fujita (Candlewick)
Zoobreak by Gordon Korman (Scholastic Press)
The link above shows all the lists. Kids can vote for their favorite until May 3, at libraries, book stores, schools, and at BookWeekOnline.com.
(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)
By: Terry Doherty,
on 3/12/2010
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Is it Friday already? Wow, what a week! Today at Jen Robinson's Book Page, Jen is wrapping up the week with a look at how we take the next step. She and her guests are offering answers and ideas to some of the toughest questions we have as adults ... mostly parents, but not always. We have a few questions left ourselves, so here goes ...
- Is there a book from your childhood that you didn't like "back then," but that you've since re-read and liked? What was it about the book that you didn't like before?
- Do you have a favorite chapter book for reading with kids of different ages (e.g., 4, 9, 13)?
- What book(s) has your child recommended to you that you loved?
Just a reminder for new visitors. Here's how it works ...
1. Select the question or questions that resonate with you.
2. Find an old post or write a new one that answers the question. [Be sure to grab the Share a Story button from the sidebar to include in your new post!]
3. Come back here and link your post either via the inLinxz box or as a comment.
We'll be adding links for this question through tomorrow (Saturday). If you haven't had a chance to link up through the inlinkz box, don't fret ... the comments will remain open for 30 days, so if something strikes you next week, we'd love to hear from you then.
By:
Laura Renner,
on 3/6/2010
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Language Magazine’s Editorial in the January 2010 issue focused on the importance of enjoying reading in order to develop literacy skills. I really liked the editor’s viewpoint and got permission to reprint the article here for you. If you’d like more information on or to subscribe to Language Magazine: The Journal of Communication and Education, please visit their website, www.languagemagazine.com.
Language and literacy are the tools with which knowledge is built. Without their acquisition, no child has the chance to become an astronaut, a scientist, a doctor, a movie star, or even a musician. Without aspirations, children cannot flourish and life loses some of its magic. Yet, we continue to deny so many of our children the opportunity to develop their own language and literacy skills by refusing them access to books that are suitable for them and might even excite them.
According to a newly released study (see News, p. 10 by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), in more than 90 percent of school libraries, books in languages other than English account for less than five percent of the collection and, in nearly 60 percent of school libraries, they account for less than one percent. While nearly 14 percent of responding schools reported that at least 25 percent of their students were English Language Learners (ELLs) and a quarter of all respondents rated free-choice reading as the most effective ELL initiative.
Now, I can already hear the English-only brigade proclaiming that all books in school libraries in America should be in English because that’s the language spoken here, but even the most hardened English-only advocate must appreciate that children will never become literate in any language if they don’t enjoy reading. And reading in a second language is hard work at first —imagine being obliged to pick up War and Peace every night for your bedtime read.
Librarians consider “school-wide reading initiatives that encourage free choice reading” to be the most effective teaching strategy for ELLs. Many teachers and experts agree (see Opinion, p.26). Restocking our school and public libraries with books that will interest today’s kids is a relatively low cost policy with no drawbacks and an enormous upside. Not only is it a long term investment which will serve children for many years to come, but, for those who are counting, nearly all the money will end up with American publishers (yes, there are many American publishers of books in languages other than English) so the investment will satisfy stimulus package requirements.
Britain’s Cambridge University recently released the results of a three-year study (see News p.11) into elementary education, which warns “that prescribed pedagogy combined with high stakes testing and the national curriculum amounted to a ‘state theory of learning.’ Prepackaged, government approved lessons are not good for a democracy, nor for children’s education…Pupils do not learn to think for themselves if their teachers are expected to do as they are told.” This completely contradicts the blindly accepted notion that more standards and testing make better schools —the basis for the federal education funding.
Another $250 million was allocated to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teaching earlier this month. About the same amount of funding would buy an appropriate library book for every child in public school across the nation. Instead of pinning all its hopes of school reform success on standards, assessment, and incentive schemes, the government, like all wise investors, should spread its bets.
By:
Laura Renner,
on 12/14/2009
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Iguanas in the Snow and Other Winter Poems/Iguanas en la nieve y otros poemas de invierno is an absolute delight. Parents, do not be intimidated by the word poem in the title! What Francisco X. Alarcón gives us with this picture book is an introduction to image. The poems, short and simple, will teach your children to grow with an acute appetite for sensory details. This collection, like the others in its series, is very visual and while it explores much associated with winter it also touches on many important themes our children face each day such as identity, community and cultural awareness.
The illustrations, by Maya Christina Gonzalez, are vivid and play a large role in the overall joy that is found in this book. Gonzalez does an excellent job complimenting each poem and her artwork is colorful and alive.
Suited perfectly for children in grades 3-5, this book will help children begin to build their creative process using small detail. Because the poems are observations, young readers will be able to identify similar visual details during their own day-to-day experiences. While in nature, walking to school, or even while spending time with family at home, they may begin to notice detail in a new way, an important skill for all children. This book, and the others in this seasonal series provide an excellent tool for building sensory skills.
Furthermore, if your child is a young student of Spanish, this book is effective in isolating a few words at a time, so the Spanish does not become overwhelming. Because the poems are short, they can be broken up into daily lessons. It is a perfect and joyful book for any age to read.
–Jacey
For this book and the others in its series (Spring, Summer and Fall), click here. Get it in time for Christmas!
We wanted to share with you one of Jacey’s favorite poems from the book, perfect for the season! Happy Holidays!
Nochebuena Christmas Eve
me encanta I love
el sabroso the delicious
olor aroma
de tamales of tamales
cociéndose simmering
al vapor in their steam
toda mi familia my family
a mi alrededor all around me
cantando singing
las alegres the joyful
canciones de songs of
Las Posadas Las Posadas
Agnes and the Giant, by Anne Adeney, illustrated Daniel Postgate (Franklin Watts, 2009, 31pp). Here's a great learning-to-read adventure from the UK, one of the Hopscotch series of books that tell the stories of Britain in easy reader form.
Sometimes it takes a brave and clever girl to stop a rampaging giant. Bolster is just such a giant, terrorizing the countryside of Cornwall, always on the lookout for a tasty child to eat for his supper. Knight after knight has tried to slay him, to no avail.
So little Agnes takes matters into her own hands.
"Where's Bolster, the cowardly giant?" she shouted. "I hear even a sheep is cleverer than him."
Bolster roared with rage.
"I can beat anyone and do anything!" (pp 16-17)
So Agnes challenges him to fill a small pool with his blood, and Bolster is sure it will be but the work of minutes. Little does he know that Agnes has tricked him! The pool is actually joined to the sea by a cleft in the rock cliffs, and Bolster grows weaker and weaker as his blood pours into the ocean...and at last, he tumbles off the side himself, leaving the rocks stained red.
And if you go to the Cornish town of St. Agnes, and walk along the seaside, you can still see those red rocks today.
It's a fun and interesting story for the kid who's just becoming an independent reader, and who wants a touch of fantastical gore to spice things up! It hasn't been published in the US yet, as far as I can see, but it's available here at a reasonable price.
Disclaimer: my copy of the book was sent to me by the author, who I am very proud to say is my sister-in-law!
By:
Laura Renner,
on 10/19/2009
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By:
Laura Renner,
on 10/13/2009
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By:
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on 9/25/2009
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We decided to post this thank you letter not to boast, but because the author, a teacher in a public school, offers a first-hand view of what we at bububooks strongly believe. We like to say, “L is for literacy, not language.” This is why we advocate for English Language Learner programs in our schools. Please read this teacher’s note below for a perspective on what non-native English speakers face while trying to grow up.
This thank you letter comes from Donorschoose.org. This website connects teachers in public schools who need funding for specific projects and willing donors. Check it out at www.donorschoose.org!
Dear Laura,
Thank you so much for your generous donations. Reading is so important, and is essential in becoming successful in today’s society. Many of my English language learners are not thought of as the bright kids that they truly are because they struggle with reading. I have learned through my classes that most of my students can read and write in Spanish (their native language). The importance of reading–in any language–is immeasurable!
With the ability to read (in any language) comes vocabulary development; fluency; comprehension; and critical thinking skills, such as, prediction and sequencing. Reading in Spanish will help students transfer their knowledge, and learn more readily in English. Research has shown that students who continue to read and write in their native language, will find it much easier to learn to read and write in a new language.
These bilingual books will help my students this year–and in coming years–by allowing them to continue to read and learn in their native language, while acquiring new English skills. The books will also allow parents who feel “left out” the opportunity to engage in their children’s’ education and help them to develop a love of learning.
Once again, thank you for your generosity and compassion towards my students and me!
With gratitude,
Ms. R.
Thanks for reading. To see the specific project, visit http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=314515&pmaId=409319&pmaHash=-973939887&utm_source=dc&utm_campaign=ity&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Project#bus
Have a great weekend and feel free to share projects you’ve donated to on DonorsChoose.org!
By: jeff,
on 9/16/2009
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The MJM Books Blog: Featuring all kinds of info you never knew you needed!
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Su Chin at ParentReviewers.com gave us a glowing review the other day that made us very proud. What is most important for us is not that parents think the book is cute and that using recycled paper is neat; it is whether the kids find magic in their books and whether we are “Making Reading Fun”.
The concept behind personalized children’s books is not a new one. Kids are just crazy about themselves. They think they are just awesome, which is why a book about someone else (like Cinderella or Jack and Jill) is simply not as interesting as one that is about THEM.
When we go one step further and add illustrations of the child, they are “hooked” and suddenly kids who can’t sit still or think that books aren’t as interesting as TV get excited about the wonderful world of reading.
Most touching to us have been testimonials about children who are just learning to read finding the motivation to learn and to be able to “read it all by myself” because of their importance to the story.
So why choose a Personalized Kids Book? Children can relate more readily to them and that can help you convince your budding reader that there are amazing things to be found in books. Sure it’s bit of a trick, like adding chickpeas to your muffin recipe, but it’s good for them!!!
…
This is a cross-post with Scrub-a-Dub-Tub blog.
It's hard to believe that it's already been three months since the
first issue of Literacy Lava hit the virtual newsstands. In my
first post, I wondered aloud how Susan Stephenson stopped time. Now, it seems that time is flying ... the second issue of
Literacy Lava is about to arrive.
While I may be able to take the heat, my refrigerator apparently found the kitchen too hot! So while I was dealing with all that yesterday, I fell behind Susan and the
Literacy Lava crew in telling you about the upcoming edition. That's okay ... we still have a few more days until the new copy arrives on 1 September 2009.
Like the first issue, you will find lots of practical, fun ideas for engaging kids with books and raising readers. One of the things I love about the magazine - and particularly this month's collection of articles - is that there are lots of ideas that aren't just about sitting and reading a book. I don't want to give anything away, so for now, I'll let you *hear* what Susan has to say about the new edition.
Making literacy part of our everyday family life is often just a matter of remembering. We need to make sure our kids see that reading, writing, and communicating are important to us, and give them lots of opportunities to participate too.
Literacy Lava 2 is a free magazine that will bring you ideas: for motivating reluctant readers, for literacy on the go, for developing the imagination muscle, for linking math and literacy, for having a pirate party and a book picnic, for rhymes, games, activities and more!
Brought to you by bloggers and writers who are passionate about children's literature and literacy, Literacy Lava 2 is erupting with no- or low-cost activities parents can do with kids to promote literacy.
By:
Laura Renner,
on 8/14/2009
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As school swings into session, we thought we should continue the learning to read checklists. Below you’ll find Part 3 in our series. Your child should develop the following skills throughout her kindergarten year. Keep in mind, she won’t have these skills right away, but usually develops them by the end of kindergarten. Be sure to talk with your child’s teacher for more details or if you have any questions while your child enters the magical world of reading!
√ My child listens carefully to books read aloud.
√ My child knows the shapes and names for the letters of the alpahbet and writes many uppercase and lowercase letters on his own.
√ My child knows that spoken words are made of separate sounds.
√ My child recognizes and makes rhymes, can tell when words begin with the same sound, and can put together, or blend, spoken sounds.
√ My child can sound out some letters.
√ My child knows that the order of letters in a written word stands for the order of sounds in a spoken word.
√ My child knows some common words such as a, the, I, and you, on sight.
√ My child knows how to hold a book, and follows print from left to right and from top to bottom of a page when she is read to in English.
√ My child asks and answers questions about stories and uses what she already knows to understand a story.
√ My child knows the parts of a book and understands that authors write words and text and illustrators create pictures.
√ My child knows that in most books the main message is in the print, not the pictures.
√ My child predicts what will happen in a story and retells or acts out stories.
√ My child knows the difference between “made up” fiction and “real” nonfiction books and the difference between stories and poems.
√ My child uses what he knows about letters and sounds to write words.
√ My child writes some letters and words as they are said to her and begins to spell some words correctly.
√ My child writes his own first and last name and the first names of some friends and family.
√ My child plays with words and uses new words in her own speech.
√ My child knows and uses words that are important to school work, such as the names for colors, shapes, and numbers.
√ My child knows and uses words from daily life, such as street names and the names for community workers–teacher, mail carrier, etc.
This information is provided by the National Institute for Literacy. For more, please visit www.nifl.gov/nifl/publications.html.
By:
Laura Renner,
on 8/10/2009
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Hello there! This blog posting serves as a ‘prequel’ of sorts to the last blog posting and focuses on getting your toddler (2 or 3 years old) ready to read. Below is a checklist for you as you help your toddler grow with strong reading skills. And REMEMBER: you can follow this checklist in the language YOU feel most comfortable! Literacy skills transfer across languages, so be sure to expose your children to your native language.
√ I read with my child every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
√ I encourage my child to bring his favorite books to me so that we can read together.
√ I point to pictures and name them out loud, and encourage my child to point to pictures while we read.
√ I watch to see if my child sometimes makes eye contact with me when I read aloud. That tells me she is paying attention to me and the story.
√ I talk with my child throughout the day about things we are doing and things that are happening around us.
√ I try to be patient when my child wants to read the same book over and over again.
√ I encourage my child to “play” with books—pick them up, flip them from front to back, and turn the pages.
√ Sometimes I listen when my child “pretends,” to read a book—he holds the book, goes from page to page, and says words, even though they’re not the words on the page.
√ I give my child paper and crayons so she can scribble, make pictures, and pretend to write.
This checklist was taken from the National Institute of Literacy. More information can be found at www.nifl.gov/nifl/publications.html. Happy reading!
There's a great new collaborative blog on the block ...
Booklights by PBS Parents is a new children's book blog that showcases the talents and kidlit insights of Pam Coughlan (MotherReader), Susan Kusel (Wizards Wireless), and Jen Robinson (Jen Robinson's Book Page). The team will be working with Gina Montefusco from PBS - and various guest contributors - to share a love of reading. From Gina's post ...
Parents can come to Booklights to get book ideas for kids of all ages, "Show and Tale" time, and interviews and literacy news. But most of all, Booklights is about getting kids to love reading, to experience the joy of finding a book that's so good that dinner can wait, TV time can wait, and sleep can wait.
First, read
Pam,
Susan, and
Jen's introductions. Then, go read their favorite picture books (
Jen,
Susan,
Pam). Can't you just picture them sitting under their covers with a flashlight reading?! Congratulations, ladies.
By: ReadingTub,
on 4/21/2009
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Share a Story - Shape a Future
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Last week, we talked about some of the Reading Tips we gathered during Share a Story-Shape a Future 2009. This week, I’ve rounded up the resources and ideas related to reading aloud.
Reading aloud is crucial to our development as readers and communicators. As Donalyn Miller pointed out in her post, you’re never to old to enjoy having a story read aloud. Still not sure? Then visit The Reading Zone, where you can follow along as Sarah shares the reactions and excitement of her middle school students.
These are posts from the week, as well as links and posts mentioned in the comments. Sarah wrote a post in early April about her process for reading aloud. Although it wasn’t directly part of Share a Story, it goes to the heart of what we hope this event will do. So we’ve included it below.
Understanding Read Aloud with Young Children
Thoughts and Tips for Reading Aloud with Independent Readers
Read Aloud Resources for Adults
Next Week: Books and Booklists. There were so many recommendations, we’re going to break this into a series.
By: ReadingTub,
on 4/16/2009
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In today's edition, I've pulled together the full week's agenda in one post. It is still sorted by day, but it includes all of the hyperlinks from the main posts, as well as other bloggers who added to the discussion.
Thanks to the outstanding work and dedication of our bloggers, this is an incredible resource as a place to start thinking about ways to engage kids in writing. To make it even handier, we have created a downloadable version, too.
Event Takeaways
Day 1: Raising Readershost: Terry Doherty @
Scrub-a-Dub-TubDay 2: Selecting Reading Materialhosted by Sarah Mulhern at
The Reading ZoneDay 3: Reading Aloud - It's Fun, It's Easyhosted by Susan Stephenson at the
Book Chook blog
Day 5: Share a Story-Shape a Future: What the Future Holdshosted by Elizabeth O. Dulemba at
Dulemba.comMy thanks (again) to everyone who participated in Share a Story-Shape a Future 2009!
One of the most commented upon aspects of this year’s Literacy Blog Tour was the collection of reading tips and ideas. In this post we’ve pulled together blog posts, references to websites, and some creative ideas offered by participants and their visitors. There were tons of ideas, but the list below focuses on ways to help you “sneak” reading into your day.
We welcome more ideas, so if you leave a link in the comments, I’ll come back and add it here.
2:00PM: updated to fix the list snafu
Websites with Reading Ideas
Reading Tips – a one-page set of easy-to-use ideas courtesy of Reach Out and Read
14 Fantastic Hints on Reading Aloud by Mem Fox – a post by Susan Stephenson (The Book Chook)
20 Ways to Incorporate Literacy Into Your Own Kids' Lives - Valerie Baartz (The Almost Librarian) offered these in an interview at The Book Chook.
Tif Talks Books has posts about Sorting and Roaming Around the Known – Tif says these are two tools she learned about in a Parents as Teachers workshop.
Ideas for Mixing Reading into Your Day
Bathtub Fun - One of our favorite "pre-reading" activities was playing with foam letters in the bathtub. William would line them up from A to Z and then hide his eyes. I would remove a letter and he would try to guess which one was missing. Sometimes instead of removing a letter I would rearrange them. As he got older, we would spell words for each other and then read them. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Letter Art - Kids love to make art using all kinds of media. I invested in alphabet rubber stamps so that William's art could be adorned with letters and words. In the beginning, the artwork contained his just his name stamped on the page. Then, the objects in the scenes were labeled. Now, the art is fully described or sometimes forms the pages of a story. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Write Stories - When you find a book or character your child loves, try to imagine together what the next adventure might be. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Sign Poetry - Travel is actually a very good time to practice reading skills. We keep a pen and paper in the car and often play a game where we collect words and phrases for poetry. We read and write (not me silly, I’m driving!) words we find on signs, billboards, bumper stickers, license plates, etc. Once we have a decent list, we make up silly poems using the words. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Never Leave Home Without It - Anytime we leave the house for errands we carry a bag that holds plain paper, crayons or colored pencils, and a few books that William has selected. Now the mantra before heading out is "Go to the bathroom and then grab a book." There always seems to be time to read in the car, the doctor's office, the restaurant, you name it. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Light Up the Night - Buy your child a flashlight or book light and let him/her read under the covers. William will actually go to bed early if I tell him he can have time reading AFTER lights out. Reading undercover is fun and helps build independence. (Tricia Stohr-Hunt, post at The Miss Rumphius Effect)
Make a List - Keep a running list of favorite books or authors in a spreadsheet or table or use an online service like Goodreads.com. Before you head out to the library or to the bookstore, bring a print out. This list lays out your groundwork. You have information to provide those librarians when they ask what you've liked in the past and you've got solid sources to go back to in case you aren't able to find anything new during that trip. (recommended by Valerie Baartz)
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Renee,<br /><br />I adored your quiz!! Great questions, smart answers!<br /><br />Thanks for spreading this important message.<br /><br />Read Aloud Dad
Thanks Read Aloud Dad for your comment and visiting my blog. It's lovely to meet you! I've been researching about the benefits of storytelling and reading aloud to children and I've learnt many things myself. It's so wonderful that you're reading aloud to your kids every night. I hope many more Dad's share this magical experience with their kids. <br /><br />Cheers<br /><
Great article, Renee, and so important!
Thanks Book Chook. It's wonderful that people are recognising that reading aloud isn't a chore, but an essential component to a child's language and literacy skills.