Pinkalicous by Victoria Mann

This past weekend, my husband and I were able to getaway for an overnight trip.  We went to Naperville, IL and had a great time! One of the shops there in town is Anderson's Bookshop.  It is amazing!! They have a tremendous children's section and if I ever ran a book store I would want my children's section to be like theirs!! Very kid friendly and full of interesting books and book related toys.
This past Saturday, June 25th, Victoria Mann, the author of the Pinkalicious series, was there to read her newest book, Silverlicious.  What a treat!! It was so neat to get to hear the author read her own book and to see all the little girls so excitedly listening and following along in their own books.
After reading, she took the time to sign each of their books and was so very kind to the girls.  It was very exciting to me to see so many little girls excited about a book and meeting the author!! I didn't have my girls with me, but knew that my oldest, Kaitlyn, would have loved to have been there and hear the story.  I purchased two of her books that are written on the level of beginner readers and brought them home to Kaitlyn.  By the time she went to bed that evening, she was saying every thing was "Pinkalicious!" She loved the stories!!
These books are great for little girls and fun to read over and over! Try them out and I know your little girls will be saying they are "Pinkalicious!!" Happy Reading!!

 Victoria Mann reading her new "Silverlicious" book to the girls!

 Signing her books for each of the girls!  I stood and watched for just a few minutes and she was so kind to each girl and asked them questions about themselves!  Very nice lady!!

Carolyn Haywood

Carolyn Haywood is one of my very favorite authors.  Her books are all written on a 2nd-4th grade level.  They are clean and innocent.  Her Betsy books are about a little girl named Betsy and all her adventures from going to school for the first time to playing with her friends.  Her Eddie books are my very favorite!! They are out of print and I collect them from Antique stores. I have all of them, but two! Eddie is the youngest in a family of several boys and he gets into all kinds of scrapes, has many wonderful adventures, and collects valuable treasures that his family calls junk! Any boy would love to read about Eddie!! You can find these at your local library, find them online, or look for them at Antique stores.  The Betsy books have been printed again, but I don't care for them as much because the illustrations have been changed to look more modern. The story is still the same so if the new ones are the only ones you can find, still read them!!   These would be great read-aloud stories for your children this summer!  Happy Reading!!

Reluctant Readers

Do you have a reluctant reader in your family of little ones? Are you yourself a reluctant reader and want your children to acquire a love for reading? Here are a few tips for helping your child or even yourself become an Avid Reader instead of a Reluctant Reader.

1. Read, Read, Read! Now, that may sound incredulous since the problem is the person in question does not like to read.  To quote one of my literature heroes, Dr. Jim Trelease, "The more you read, the better you get at it, the better you get at it, the more you like it, the more you like it, the more you do it!" It's that way with anything in life.  The more you like something, the more you want to do it! I love to scrap book!! I am going to want to choose scrap booking over laundry any day. However, the more I do my laundry, the happier I am I did!! It's the same with reading.  The more you or your child reads the better you/he will become at it and will want to do it more often.
     Most of the time, the reason someone is a reluctant reader is because they struggle with reading.  The more you do something, the better you become at it! So, if you or your child is a reluctant reader, read, read, read!!
2. Find a book about something which interests the reader.  If your son is not enjoying reading, find a book about his favorite sport, cars, animals, or whatever else might interest him.  For a sport enthusiast, find him a biography about an athlete he enjoys.  If he likes horses, get him a Black Stallion book! There is a book for every interest!! Make the effort to steer your child towards books that interest him.  He will develop a love for reading faster if he is reading about something that is exciting to him.
3.  Insist that they read!!  Not too many children are excited about taking a bath, but we insist they do!  No too many children are excited about cleaning their room, but we insist that they do! Not too many children are excited about eating their vegetables, but we insist that they do! Ok, you get the point!! If a child is not excited about reading, insist that they do!! Make it fun for them.  Often, a parent will make a chart or set a goal for a child in order to motivate him to do the chores he is not excited about doing.  Well, we can do the same for reading!! Make a contest out of it! This summer, set a goal of a certain number of books for your child to read.  If they reach that goal, reward them with a trip to Dairy Queen or to their favorite toy store or park, etc.  Children will do that which is fun to them.  Make reading exciting, but also insist that they do it.  For older children, set aside a half hour or hour each day during the summer that is their time to sit quietly and read.  As parents, we all want what is best for our children. Reading is definitely best for them!!
4.  Read aloud to a reluctant reader.  Reading aloud is an advertisement for the fun of reading.  Make the book come alive and you will interest your child in that book.  Choose a book from a series and create a curiosity in your child to read more books and find out what happens to the characters.  Reading aloud is one of the greatest tools we have at our exposure for helping a reluctant reader to want to read, yet, so few of us utilize it.   Take the time to read aloud on a consistent basis and you will be amazed at the interest it will develop in your reluctant reader.
     One of our most important goals as a parent/teacher should be to help our children/students develop a love for reading.  I hope these few tips help you do just that! Happy Reading!!

Summer Reading

     With the school year coming to a close, I thought I would take the time to emphasize how VERY important it is that your children do not close their books at the end of the school year and not open another until September when school begins again.  A child who continues to read during the summer will retain much more of what he has learned during the school year as opposed to a child who does not read all summer.  His reading skills will either stay the same or be sharper rather than the student who does not read and falls a bit behind in his reading ability.
     Most public libraries have some sort of a reading program during the summer for children.  If your child is of school age, owning his own library card will motivate him to want to check out books.  It will make them feel grown up to have their own card.  Of course, you, as the parent, take responsibility for the card, but it gives them a sense of independence and makes reading that much more fun!
     If your local library does not have a summer reading program or one that you want to participate in, then make up one of your own.  My mom would take us to the library each week and give us a goal of a certain number of books to read that week.  The goal was appropriate for each of our ages.  If we met our goal then we got to do something as simple as go to Dairy Queen and play at the park.  Kids don't have to have huge rewards!! Little things make them happy and motivate them to do something they otherwise may not want to. 
     Summer is looked at as a time to relax and play and have fun.  Of course, that is all great!! It should also be a time to keep reading and exploring new books.  Weekly trips to the library during the summer are an excellent way to ensure that your child does not fall behind in his reading skills.  Just going to the library, however, does not mean your child will read.  Maybe set aside a certain time each day or three times a week, when your child knows that is the time he will read the books you checked out.  
     Help your child start school in September with either the same reading abilities or even stronger reading habits by visiting your local library!! Happy Reading!!

The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy

As an avid reader and great lover of children’s literature, I have read many books I consider to be great books.  However, every once in awhile, I will come across a book about which I cannot stop talking and I feel everyone should read.  Such is the case with The Chestry Oak.  My good friend, Mrs. Linda Stubblefield, and I often swap books.  Recently she gave me this book to read and I will forever be grateful to her for introducing me to such a wonderful piece of children’s literature.  The Chestry Oak, written by Kate Seredy, is the story of a young Hungarian prince, Michael, of the Chestry family during World War II. 

Every prince in the Chestry family, on his seventh birthday, plants an acorn from the great Chestry Oak that has stood in Chestry valley for as long as anyone can remember.   While out for a ride on his horse, Michael finds himself sitting under the Chestry Oak remembering the story of the great tree that had been told to him since he was old enough to understand.   While there, an acorn with two leaves attached to it drops in his lap.  Because of the war and frequent bomb raids, he places it in a special pouch that he wears around his neck in case something should ever happen to the Chestry Oak.  Nana, his beloved nurse, tells him the leaves may symbolize wings meaning he may have to plant his acorn somewhere other than Chestry Valley.

The rest of this masterpiece tells the incredible story of the journey Michael and his acorn, from his beloved Chestry Oak, are sent on due to the danger and devastation in Chestry Valley during World War II.  This book will keep you spell bound until the very end leaving you wishing it did not have to end!  This is a must read for everyone, parent and child alike.   Age 10+  Needs no proofreading

As a parent, if you are not excited about books then your children will not be either.  I do not have the tremendous love for Children’s literature that I do just by chance.  It is because I had a mother that was constantly searching for books she could encourage her daughters to read.  In order to get us excited about a certain book, she read many books and became excited first about the books she had read.   She read many, many books to us as a family.  It was very common place to see my mother reading a book.  She turned our entire family onto reading and we are all avid readers to this day.  My sisters and I are constantly calling one another to share the latest book we just read.   All of that is because I had a mother who thought it important enough to get excited about a book in order to teach her children to love reading.

Your children learn by example.  They will do what you do, not only what you say.  If they never see you engrossed in a book you just can’t put down, they will never experience that thrill for themselves.  If you have never experienced the thrill of a book you just cannot stop reading, try The Chestry Oak.  I promise you won’t be able to put it down.

When Should Reading Aloud Stop?

In my last post, I gave the illustration of when a baby is born the parents immediately begin talking to him even though he cannot understand what they are saying.  The baby feels a sense of security and soon learns to enjoy hearing the parent's voice.  The same, we said, is true with reading aloud. The earlier reading aloud is begun with a child the sooner they will develop a love for reading and books.

Now that we have established when reading aloud should begin, let's answer the question, "When is my child too old for me to read aloud to him?"  The answer, "NEVER!!!!!"   When a child learns to talk the parents do not stop talking to him because he can now talk on his own. No, in fact, the amount of talking becomes even greater because now the child can participate in the activity.  The child soon learns to enjoy talking with his parent and wants to do it all the time!! :)  The same is true with reading aloud. 

Just because your child or student knows how to read on his own does not mean that you should never read to him.  Reading aloud is an advertisement for the joy of reading.  A company does not stop advertising when people start buying its product. It continues to advertise to keep its product before the people.  If we, as parents or teachers, stop reading to our children because they can now do it on their own, there is a greater risk that they will not do it on their own.  They are not being reminded on a consistent basis that reading is fun.  Good books are not being brought to their attention by being read to them.

I've already stated in one of my posts that the evenings when my mom would get out a book and read to us were some of my favorite memories from growing up.  I remember one time, when I was in college, life got a bit hectic for me.  One evening, when I was feeling particularly stressed,  I got a book of short stories, took it to my mom and asked her to read to me.  She did and I felt much better after spending time listening to her read aloud. 

Could I have read those stories on my own? Of course!  However, because my mom had taken the time to read aloud to me all my life I felt it was the one thing that would put my world back in order!  A good book has always given me a cozy, peaceful feeling. Why? Because I associate it with those warm cozy evenings of sitting around listening to my mom read.

If you have little ones in your house, start reading to them on a consistent basis.  If you have older children in your house, keep reading to them and never stop until they are out of your home.  High School teacher, if your class permits, take the time to read to your students.  When I was a librarian for four years, my junior high and high school students would act as if they didn't care when I was reading to them, but when I didn't take the time to read, they let me know they wanted me to!! 

For those of you who may have grade school or older students or children in your home and you have not begun yet to read aloud to them, let me say, it is also NEVER too late to start!  Start it NOW and NEVER quit!! Happy Reading!!

Why Reading Aloud is Important

     For the most part, we all understand that reading to our children or students is very important and a key to their future success.  However, not many of us have ever had it all laid out for us as to why it is important.  Let me share with you some of the lessons I learned from Dr. Trelease, either through his book or directly from him during his lecture.  Today we will talk about the importance of reading to infants!

When a baby is born, we begin immediately to talk to the baby.  They can't understand anything we are saying, but that doesn't keep us from talking to them.  No mother has the attitude of, "I'm not going to talk to my child until he understands what I am saying." No, of course not. As soon as the baby is born the parents are cuddling with him and telling them how much they love him and have wanted him and are so excited he is finally here.  The baby doesn't understand, but immediately feels a sense of security.  From an early age the baby begins to recognize the mother's voice and is soothed by her words, even though he cannot understand what she is saying.

The same can be true for reading aloud.  From a very early age, a baby can benefit from being read aloud to.  It gives the baby the idea that reading is a fun part of his day because he enjoys hearing mommy's words and voice.  He enjoys cuddling with mommy and spending time with her.  He enjoys the sing-song rhythm of her voice as she reads the story.  He is captivated by the bright colors on each page.  From just a few months old he gets the idea that books and reading are a pleasant experience.  Future activities with reading will build upon this foundation of enjoying the time spent with books.

As you sit down with your infant and read to them, you may feel as though it is doing nothing for them and is a waste of time.  IT'S NOT!! They ARE benefiting from it greatly!!  Remember, in my last post I mentioned that studies have proven that by the age of eight months babies begin storing words, that they hear, in their memory.  So, the more words they hear the better of a vocabulary they will have in the future.  Also, and I believe this is the most important reason to read to an infant, they get the idea from day one, so to speak, that reading is FUN!! Children like to have fun and if reading is not presented as being fun from their early days, then it won't be to them.  It is our job as the parents and teachers to make sure they think a good book is fun and story time is greatly anticipated!!

In my next post, we will discuss at what age reading aloud should stop.  I'll give you three guesses as to when that is and the first two don't count!!! :)  Happy Reading!!