Thursday, July 21, 2011

Books for young boys 1st-3rd grade

 Recently, a mother asked me to recommend some books for her 1st grade son.  After sharing them with her, I thought I would share them with all of you as well.  It is important to get our children reading at an early age. We all know that! Sometimes, it is harder to get our boys to read at this age because they are always on the move.  Getting them the right books that will captivate their attention is important!  Here are just a few that I thought of quickly.  Feel free to add your own recommendations in a comment!

Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Billy and Blaze by CW Anderson
Make Way for the Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
The Fire Cat by Esther Averill
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel  by Virginia Lee Burton
Cowboy Sam and Big Bill by Edna Walker Chandler
Flip by Wesley Dennis
Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty
Indian Two Feet and His Eagle Feather by Margaret Friskey
Dan Frontier by William Hurley  (These books are out of print, as far as I know, and would need to be found at the library.)

Many of these books are books within a series.  For instance, Billy and Blaze by CW Anderson is only one of many books about Billy and Blaze.  Again, feel free to recommend others in the comments below.  These are only a very few of what is out there!  Happy Reading!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Flora's Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall

Kaitlyn, my three year old, and I have been reading books furiously from the library as part of the summer reading program.  We have read many books that are new to us.  One book we found, Flora's Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall, caught my attention!

It is the adorable story of how a little girl is annoyed by her little brother and has many offers from different parts of nature to get rid of him.  After he has spilled her paints and gotten her in trouble, she is tempted to do just that, get rid of him!!  At each offer, she contemplates whether she wants to keep him or let him go.  In the end she decides he is worth keeping and takes him back home to mother.  It is the cutest little story and very well written.  Kaitlyn asked for it to be read over and over again!



Check this book out! Your little ones will enjoy reading it, especially on those days when their siblings seem to be extra annoying!! Happy Reading!!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Summer Reading Library Program

Last week, I signed Kaitlyn, my three year old, up for the Lake County Public Library Summer Reading Program.  For every 10 books I read to her or she listens to, she gets to pick a prize.  Most of the prizes are what I call little trinket toys, but some of the choices are for a free kids meal at a local restaurant or free ice cream.  She has been very excited about getting her prize and we have gone about three times a week so far. 

While the little toys are soon forgotten and the ice cream is quickly gone, the benefits from being in the reading contest are much more lasting. Let me share a few of them with you.

1.  It is just another way to make reading fun.  While she was already enjoying reading library books and hearing a good story, she has been even more excited about it the past couple weeks.  It is exciting to accomplish a goal, pick a prize, and enjoy it however long it may last!  The purpose of picking a prize is not so she can get some little trinket toy or enjoy ice cream that we probably would have bought her anyways! It's too give reading another reason to be something she enjoys doing.  Now, of course, she will not get a prize for the rest of her life every time she reads 10 books! Wouldn't that be nice?!  She will, however, walk away from this summer with a greater love for reading and books.  Why? Because a library took the time to put together a reading program to entice kids to read more!

2.  She is being introduced to more types of books.  Reading 10 books a day causes you to read all kinds of good books.  Usually, you go to the library about once a week and read the same few books over and over until you have them memorized.  Now, we are going almost every day and getting new books each time we go.  We are having fun finding new books and trying ones we have never heard of before.  Some, well, let's just say, they need a bit more creative writing!!, but others are great and we have enjoyed discovering them!!

3.   As much as I have always tried to read to her, we are taking the time to read even more now that we are in the reading program.  It just stands to reason that if you are in a contest, you are going to work harder at what you are trying to accomplish.  We are strengthening a habit we already had.  After the contest is over, we probably won't read 10 books everyday and then go to the library and get 10 new ones everyday!! However, we probably will read more than we already were and will make more visits to the library then we already were making!  A reading program is a great tool to either begin a new habit of reading with your child or a great tool to strengthen the habit of reading with them.

So, if you are in the Northwest Indiana area, sign up for the reading program. It's not too late!!  If you live out of area, find out if your library has a similar program.  If not, be creative and make one up for your own family.  It doesn't take a lot of money to entice your child to do something.  Go to the Dollar store and make your own prize bucket from which they can choose.  You'll be surprised at the increased reading habits your child has created by the end of the summer!