Insightful Ways to Spark the Inner Reader in Your Toddler

Wanted to share this insightful read this morning with you all about tips on creating a "Little Reader" in your toddler.   Spark the light on your little one's imagination with these helpful pointers... :)

http://icanread.com/parentsfamilies/tipsandtricks.cfm

A Few Tales to Enjoy Before the End of Summer

Although the end of summer is approaching, here are a few tales to carry along in a beach bag or in the car, to soak up at a leisurely pace before we welcome the start of a new season.

Coral Reefs
     The wonders of science and nature have fascinated award-winning author Seymour Simon for most of his life.  A graduate of the prestigious Bronx High School of Science, and became a science teacher.  After teaching for 23 years, Simon began writing stories for children during the 1960s.  And, although he has retired from teaching, he hasn't completely left the classroom behind, as he is a frequent visitor to schools across the country.  Simon explains that he hasn't, "really given up teaching, and I suppose that I never will, not as long as I keep writing."  It is this focus on gearing his work for young students that has made Seymour Simon one of the most prolific writers of science/nature books for school-aged children, publishing an astonishing 250 books. 
    

     Simon's latest, Coral Reefs is filled with stunning photography throughout the over 30 page book. Cruising through the coral reefs around the world,  one cannot help to feel like they are a part of the adventure, swimming and snorkeling along under the sea while reading this story.  Simon gently explains to his young readers how they should marvel over the sea's beautiful reefs, plant and wildlife, while at the same time, emphasizing the importance of working together to save and retain this wondrous natural habitat.  I appreciated the fact that Simon included an informative glossary at the back of the book, so little budding naturalists will be able to have a greater understanding of what specific terms mean, and educators can utilize to reinforce a lesson on oceanography.

Coral Reefs
Written by Seymour Simon
Publisher:  Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Website:  www.harpercollinschildrens.com
ISBN: 978-0-06-191495-9
For ages: 6 to 10
Retails for: $17.99

At the Beach
     As I read through this delightful tale by author Elizabeth Spurr, I was taken back to my childhood growing up on the shores of the Long Island Sound.  The little boy in this story is enjoying a day by the water, and as I read the story and was charmed by Spurr's simple rhyming text, greatly enhanced by the charming illustrations by artist Manelle Oliphant, I quickly remembered the strong smell of the salt in the air drifting off of the waves; the feel of the warm sand through my toes as I dug deeper and deeper in the sand around me on a search for sea shells.  This sweet, short tale provides its readers with an abundance of opportunities to read the story with emotion and many ways to help their little ones focus in on the sounds of the words, to promote early literacy skills.

At the Beach
Written by Elizabeth Spurr & Illustrated by Manelle Oliphant
Publisher:  Peachtree Publishers (2013)
Website:  www.peachtree-online.com
ISBN:  978-1-56145-583-6
Retails for: $6.95
For ages: 2 and up

Water Water Everywhere

   We are surrounded by water everywhere around us, as the little boy in this short tale quickly learns.  Clouds are, "water that floats up high" while a small raindrop that brings a drink to his thirsty flower bed is, "water that falls from the sky".  Accentuated with sweetly simple illustrations by artist Kenneth Pollack, author Hal Schmid takes his young budding scientists in the making on a short yet insightful journey into the wonders of water, and ends it on a funny note, reminding us that sometimes, after quenching our thirst after all this talk of water, you just have to go! :)

Water Water Everywhere
Written by Hal Schmid & Illustrated by Kenneth Pollock
Publisher:  Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc.
Website:  www.RCOwen.com
ISBN: 1-57274-527-4
Retails for $3.62
For ages 4 and up
For ages:
 

 

    

Celebrate Those First Moments of Childhood: My Brave Year of Firsts, Tries, Sighs and High Fives by Jaime Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell

     Those special first moments of our childhood--the first haircut; first day at school; first (and last) time I ate peas; first friends made.  During my own experiences reading not only to my son but to my students, it's always been quite apparent to me that young children are almost always drawn to stories that have parallels to their own lives.  Stories that make them laugh at the similarities and yet, at the very same time, show them how we all learn from our experiences.

      My Brave Year of Firsts:  Tries, Sighs and High Fives marks the tenth collaboration of the New York Times bestselling duo of actress/author Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrator Laura Cornell. 
        Curtis adeptly and full of exuberance, spotlights so many of those special first moments during our youth that are filled with excitement, joy and yes, sometimes, are a bit intimidating. Our tale's lively heroine, Frankie learns to ride a bike, tie her shoes by herself, borrows her first book from the library, and, most importantly, sees that by conquering each of these momentous firsts, she is growing up into a brave young girl. My Brave Year of First:  Tries, Sighs and High Fives is a tale that is modern, fresh and the illustrations by Curtis' long-time collaborator, Laura Cornell sweetly and whimsically highlight and compliment Curtis' entertainingly enjoyable prose.

My Brave Year of Firsts:  Tries, Sighs and High Fives
Written by Jamie Lee Curtis & Illustrated by Laura Cornell
Publisher:  Joanna Cotler Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Website:  www.harpercollins.com
ISBN: 9780061441554
Accelerated Reader Book Level: 3.2
Retails: $16.99 (Hardcover)
For ages 4 thru 8
     

Chef and Author Jamie Oliver Fights Back Against His Struggle with Dyslexia and Reads His Very First Book

     The New York Times Best-Selling, Jamie's Kitchen, in a December 2010 interview with the London Telegraph, "because my daughter, Poppy, reads a book a day and she's eight.  A book a day, I'm talking a book half an inch thick.  And the terrible thing is, I've never read a book in my life, ever," admitted Jamie Oliver, the world-famous chef and author of over 17 cookbooks, including
       Jamie Oliver suffers from Dyslexia,  a common  learning disability that, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), afflicts up to 15 percent of people in the United States.  Adults and children diagnosed with dyslexia experience difficulty in reading, writing, spelling, math, and at times, playing music.  While there is no cure for dyslexia, with the help of a specialized educational program, many children and adults can go on to succeed despite this disability.
       And, at the age of 38, Jamie Oliver can finally say that he has become a reader, just like his little girl, and has completed reading his first book, Catching Fire, the sequel to the best-selling Hunger Games by author Suzanne Collins.  He admits to have, "loved getting lost in the story."
       Here's to you, Jamie Oliver!  May you continue to love the feeling of getting in lost in all the wonderful stories that await you.

     http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/10140536/Dyslexia-sufferer-Jamie-Oliver-reads-first-book-aged-38.html

New I Can Read Book Releases Just in Time for Summer

 



     "Reading is the single most important skill necessary for a happy, productive and successful life.  A child that is an excellent reader is a confident child, has a high level of self-esteem and is able to easily make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn," states research published by early childhood experts affiliated with The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) based out of Bethesda, Maryland.
     Numerous studies also point to the important role that family plays in a child's reading achievements.  Reading is Fundamental (RIF), the largest children's literacy nonprofit organization located in Washington, D.C., states that when reading is practiced in the home on a regular basis, families are ultimately facilitating their children to become, "better readers, better listeners and better students."  The RIF stresses that this special shared time spent together helps children not only to be able to learn how to, "build vocabulary and language skills, but are helping them gain knowledge about the world around them.
       From a new adventure with Flat Stanley to a beach side tale right in time for summer with that cool kitty, Pete the Cat, these new beginning books spotlighted below are a great stepping stone to help stimulate your little ones imagination, while at the same time, promote those vital early language, cognitive and comprehension skills that will put your children on the road to reading success!

Dixie and the Good Deeds (I Can Read! Beginning 1 Reading)

     This is the eighth book in the Dixie series of I Can Read! books featuring the lovably loyal, but mishap prone dog and her faithful human companion, Emma.  As our tale begins, as a part of her class assignment about helping the community, Emma has enthusiastically volunteered to help her town out with many events, and naturally, Dixie wants to come along and offer her help, too!  Emma soon discovers that she might have taken on way too many projects, as each good deed ends up in various states of, "Dixie" messes (including the time when, while cleaning up the kitchen after baking cookies for the library bake sale, Dixie reaches to put away the flour for Emma, only to end up with a nice white coating on her fur)!  As Emma works hard throughout the day to fulfill all of her promises, having her sweet dog along with her eventually does turn into a positive, as Dixie ends up putting her digging skills to good use in the park, helping Emma to be able to quickly plant flowers to make the park look lovely.  However, when she has to leave Dixie home when she goes to perform magic tricks at Hobble Hall, things quickly go from good to bad.  Will Dixie come to her rescue?

Dixie and the Good Deeds (I Can Read! Beginning 1 Reading)
(Beginning 1 Reading features simple sentences for eager new readers)
Written by Grace Gilman & Illustrated by Sarah McConnell
Publisher:  Harper (An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
Website:  www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Retails for $16.99
For ages 4-8
ISBN: 978-0-06-208657-0

Pete the Cat:  Pete at the Beach (I Can Read! Shared My First Reading)
     Taking advantage of a hot summer day (which seems very timely, with these days of record scorching temperatures across the nation), Pete the Cat, his brother Bob and their mother decide to escape to the beach to catch some cool waves and enjoy the calming sea breezes. When the trio arrives at the shore, Bob quickly grabs his surfboard and starts out towards the water.  But, Pete stays behind, and its very apparent that Pete is apprehensive about heading into the water.  But, later on a walk with his mother to look for seashells, Pete gets his toes wet and he quickly notices a huge difference in his temperature, which he likes, but he's still feeling nervous.  Will his mom and brother's gentle encouragement help Pete in letting go of his nerves? 

Pete the Cat:  Pete at the Beach (I Can Read!  Shared My First Reading)
(Shared My First Reading is ideal for sharing together with emergent readers)
Created by James Dean
Publisher:  Harper (An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
Website: www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Retails for $16.99
For ages 4-8
ISBN: 978-0-06-211073-2


Everything Goes:  Henry on Wheels (I Can Read!  Shared My First Reading)
      This short tale brought back fond memories from my childhood to the time cul-de-sac located on a dead end street!  Henry, quite like me over 30 years ago, is ready to explore his neighborhood when his mom gives him permission to ride around the block.  At first, Henry is naturally disappointed, but he keeps his promise to his mother.  Join along on the ride with Henry, as he discovers all of the intriguing things and people that make his block uniquely its own.

hen I first learned how to ride my bike on my own.  The new found freedom which arrived one Fall afternoon when my grandpa removed my training wheels from my shiny red Schwinn (which wouldn't be complete without my horn and tan straw basket to carry my stuffed animals in) when I could finally balance well enough on my own accord, led to exploring new horizons---namely riding up and down my block, a five home

Everything Goes:  Henry on Wheels (I Can Read!  Shared My First Reading)
(Shared My First Reading is ideal for sharing together with emergent readers)
Based on the Everything Goes books by Brian Biggs/Illustrations in the style of Brian Biggs by Simon Abbott/Text by B.B. Bourne
Publisher:  Harper (An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
Website:  www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Retails for $16.99
For ages 4-8
ISBN: 978-0-06-195823-6



Flat Stanley Goes Camping (I Can Read!  Reading 2 With Help)

     Originally written as a bedtime story for his two little boys, the late author Jeff Brown's Flat Stanley made its literary debut in 1964, featuring illustrations by artist Tomi Ungerer.  In this first story, Stanley Lampchop and his brother Arthur, are given a large bulletin board by their father to display their artwork and posters.  Mr. Lampchop places the bulletin board over Stanley's bed, where it stays until one night, the board falls from the wall, flattening poor, sleeping Stanley.  While Stanley thankfully survived the accident, his body's shape, however, does not, as he has become, well---flattened!  Stanley soon learns that his new, flat shape gives him powers that he never had before--he can now enter rooms by sliding under doors, etc..  His new altered state now enables him to travel to places far around the world in an envelope!  Many adventures featuring Flat Stanley were published after it's 1964 debut up until Mr. Brown's untimely death in December of 2009. 
     Now, Flat Stanley continues on with this new series of I Can Read Books, and in this third installment, Flat Stanley Goes Camping, our favorite, flexible boy still marvels over his physical abilities, but yet, there his still a big part of him that just wishes he could go back to when he was normal.  This is most especially evident after being laughed at while spending a day at the community pool.  This encounter hurts Stanley's feelings, and when his father takes the family on a spur-of-the-moment camping trip, poor Stanley's heart just isn't in it.  Sensing that something is wrong with her boy, Mrs. Lampchop suggests that Stanley and his brother go take a walk around to explore the campsite.  Stanley reluctantly heads off with Arthur, but when the boys encounter trouble of the small, furry yet incredibly stinky four-legged type, can Stanley's extraordinary shape help save the day?

Flat Stanley Goes Camping (I Can Read!  Reading 2 With Help)
Created by Jeff Brown/Written by Lori Haskins Houran & Illustrated by Macky Pamintuan
Publisher: Harper (An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
Website:  www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Retails for $16.99
For ages 4-8
ISBN: 978-0-06-143013-8

"The ABC of It: Why Children's Books Matter"...New Retrospective Exhibit at the New York Public Library

     "Behind every children's book is a vision of childhood:  a shared understanding of what growing up is all about."
     This is the theme of an extraordinarily insightful new retrospective exhibit, "The ABC of It:  Why Children's Books Matter" located in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at the New York Public Library.  This free exhibit shines a spotlight on more than 250 books, art pieces, memorabilia and other artifacts amassed over an 18 month period by children's book historian/exhibit curator Leonard S. Marcus.  The exhibit launched on June 21st and will run until March 23, 2014.  If you live in the New York tri-state area and/or planning to visit New York City, you must put this exhibit on your, "must see" lists!

      For further information on the exhibit, please take a look at this article from the June 20, 2013 edition of Publishers Weekly:           

 

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/57907-children-s-books-and-beyond-a-new-exhibit-draws-unexpected-connections.html

  

The Kids' Multicultural Cookbook (A Kids Can! Book)

     As the longtime senior editor at Disney's Family Fun magazine, author Deanna F. Cook's Family Fun Cookbook (published in 1996) was one of the first cookbooks that I purchased once my husband and I started our family.  Filled with easy, tasty dishes that even your pickiest eaters will enjoy, her cookbook has been a go-to favorite in our household for many nutritious, yummy meals that needed to be created in a time crunch.
   The Kids' Multicultural Cookbook (A Kids Can! Book), I was curious to see if Ms. Cook could capture my interest, as well as my family's taste buds (which have now matured over the passage of time) once again.  Ms. Cook knows all too well how making dinners more interesting and fun can be a frustrating challenge for just about any family.  And, introducing new, foreign flavors from different cultures from around the world can, let's face it, be a trip into some very shallow waters if your household is filled with picky eaters (like mine)!  Ms. Cook's new book will win your family over with the attention to detail in this authentic complication of recipes and facts.

  So naturally, when the kind folks at Ideals Publications sent her latest cookbook,
     Ms. Cook interviewed children from around the world to discover the types of foods they eat, and they, in turn, taught her how to make their favorite dishes.  The pictures of these children are shown throughout the book, and this is a sweet highlight.  Children of all ages can easily prepare most of the dishes featured in this book, but one of the most helpful details is that each recipe is rated for difficulty using the visual of spoons--one spoon signifies an easy dish to three spoons which signifies at least moderate to complete adult supervision.  While many of the foods are clever takes on familiar foods that only have a different name, there are other recipes that we were unfamiliar with, like Chapatis (an Indian flat bread that the people of India use to eat their food with).  This cookbook is chock filled with activities, trivia and games from several countries (which include Thailand, Switzerland, Italy and Israel to name a few).  We also enjoyed learning some unfamiliar facts about several of the countries (did you know that in many of the kitchens throughout Central America, people have chili pepper bushes growing right by their kitchen sinks?  This is because the chili pepper is a popular spice used throughout Central American households to kick their foods up a notch!).
     The Kids' Multicultural Cookbook (A Kids Can! Book) is great for children who are beginning to show an interest in cooking, as a lot of these recipes are easy and quick enough to be used in a classroom or school cooking club.  From an educator's perspective, I also think this would be an excellent resource to turn to for a fun lesson on multiculturalism, as the recipes are culturally oriented for many geographic regions.

The Kids' Multicultural Cookbook (A Kids Can! Book)
Written by Deanna F. Cook & Illustrated by Michael P. Kline
Publisher:  Williamson Books (an imprint of Ideals Publications, a Guideposts Company)-2008
Website:  www.idealsbooks.com
Retails for $12.99 (Softcover)
ISBN: 978-0-8249-6818-2
For ages 5 and up