Questions You Can Answer. Yes. You.
First off, I was looking through my drafted posts and found one titled “My contribution to World Peace.” There was no actual text, just that title. Too bad I’ve forgotten my brilliant plan for curing the world’s ills.
Anyway, forgotten genius aside, I’m going home for Christmas.
And while I’m in Las Vegas, I’m giving an hour-ish long presentation for young parents about reading with your children.
So, obviously, I’m turning to the Internet. Tell my your favorite children’s books (picture or chapter) and any fabulous tips you have for sharing books with small people.
I haven’t read the other comments, so hope I’m not contradicting or duplicating.
Practically from the moment my babies were born my husband and I started with simple nursery rhymes, prayers, songs, and just plain talking to them. I also started reading to them as I was nursing. When they got to the point of grabbing the book to look, we starting looking at picture books together. I’d point and say the picture name and give the color and sound. Pretty soon the baby would point and “say”.
My babies had cloth books that they could have in their crib to “read” by themselves, too. Later, they had the tough card board books.
The story books were all different kinds – nursery rhyme books, Mother Goose, simple fables, some of the old Golden Books, child friendly Bible stories, Dr. Suess, Beatrix Potter, picture books, children’s poetry, etc.
As the children got older, they could choose which book they wanted read to them. My son almost always chose Richard Scarry books, and my daughter almost always chose Berenstain Bears books. (My granddaughter liked Sesame Street books.)
The children would sometimes want to “read” their favorite books to us. It is important not to show impatience or correct them (unless they’re not being nice). They often want the same book read over and over. I can see no harm in this at all (other than driving us nuts – lol).
I think it is important that the children see adults treat books with great respect and that children see adults enjoy reading instead of watching TV. They notice!
Having a magazine (like Highlights) and a book come in the mail for the child once a month is a good incentive to read. (This is something that grandparents can do for a birthday or Christmas. It fits and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune!) Keep the books! Have bookshelves for your children. This tells the child that the books are important.
If you must clear out clutter, toys take up more room than books. If you must get rid of books, ask your child if he or she would give his or her books to the children who don’t have any books to read (white lie?). If you sell them in your yard sale, you are telling the child that the books aren’t important.
Schedule regular trips to the library. (Our local library has a special reading program for little ones.) If the child is in daycare, please make sure the daycare has a reading time.
Some children like books with “busy” pictures. Others like books with simple ones. If the child isn’t interested in one kind, try another.
I was a reading aide for several years. I noticed that the first graders will try to read anything. The advanced first graders and the second graders liked The Magic Tree House Mysteries. The 3rd and 4th graders liked Hank the Cow Dog series, Gary Paulsen stories, The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and abridged classics. (While I’m not a big fan of students taking Accelerated Reading tests instead of writing book reports, the Accelerated Reading Program is for most students an incentive to read.)
One last comment. According to our eye doctor: if the child gets headaches, doesn’t want to read (fusses or fights about it), has difficulty learning to read, and/or even fights about going to school, have the child’s eyes checked for far-sightedness or for double vision. This is generally more common in boys than girls because boys eyes often don’t develop as early as girls. Males can be in their early twenties before this problem corrects itself. Girls either don’t have the problem or usually “outgrow” it before reaching puberty. The parent will probably have to ask specifically for this, because the eye doctor is “programmed” to check to see if the child can see the writing on the chalk board. (Again, this is according to our eye doctor.)
Sorry you can’t remember your contribution to world peace, but a smile is always good. So, here is a smile for you tonight 🙂 (I know, I’m a nerd.)
The Barking Mouseby Antonio Sacre and Alfredo Aguirre , and the Baby BeeBee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie and Steven Kellogg, my kindergartners love them both.
Consider Love by Sandra Boynton.
The Giving Tree
Amelia Bedelia
Um, this is slightly awkward because you have no clue who I am, but I’m a friend of Becca’s who recently found and happens to really like your blog. And only in a mildly stalkerish sort of way. In any case, since no one else has mentioned it, I have to say that Ernie’s Big Mess was by far and away my favorite childhood book. I had my mom read it to me approximately 14 times each night.
I love books by Don and Audrey wood, especially Quick as a Cricket and The Big Hungry Bear. The latter always kept my attention even as a baby (according to my parents) because it lends itself so well to sound effects and voices. Dr. Seuss has been mentioned many times, and those books lend themselves well to playing as you read, so the kids learn how super wicked fun and awesome reading is.
Ooooh, pick me, pick me! You don’t know me, but I LOVE reading your blog, and I LOVE little kids books! Some of my favorites are: “King Bidgood’s in the bathtub” (for the illustrations), “Bad Case of Stripes” (for the moral and you can also count and do colors and shapes with the stripes and patterns), and “Whitefish Will Rides Again” for the darlingly descriptive language and fun read-aloud-ability. Also, one thing some mom’s around here do to get cheaper books is get a copy of a book order from a friend’s older child’s teacher and have a bunch of people order from it. (As you know) they often have paperback copies of hardback books and other ways to make them cheaper. Have so much fun and be sure to let us know which ones you share!
Well, I can tell you Rebecca’s favorite book. She will be two in January. The book is called “Q is for Duck.” Why? Because ducks quack, of course! Every day, I get a blue book shoved in my face accompanied by “Q Duck, Mommy! Q Duck!” I don’t know how young you meant when you said children’s book, but if you’re searching for an alphabet picture book, have I got the one for you.
On an interesting sidenote, she also loved “I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie,” a Thanksgiving rendition of the children’s song. Every time I finish reading/singing the book, she claps and says, “yay!” Oh, she’s so proud of Mommy.
I’d like a copy of this speech.
Very cool!
Janssen-
You should write to my mother… she has done several classes and talks on this very subject and has a lot of great material. Plus she has a lot of personal experience… as you does your mother. 😉
Of course my personal favorite from my childhood is, “My mother didn’t kiss me goodnight.” Never read it? You should. It’s one of those old dusty ones with the bright orange 80s covers that sat on the back shelf in the library but was well, well loved by one little girl anyway. My mother must have checked it out once a week for years. After I left home (of course) she bought it and it now sits on our bookshelf at home. 🙂