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In the beginning, when we talked as a team about what we wanted to share at Booklights, I knew wanted to do straight, short book reviews. It was a format I had used at my other blog, MotherReader, and I liked the structure it gave me in focusing my selections and my write-ups. It also seemed like the perfect fit alongside the broader posts that my colleagues contributed. They could get people thinking, and I'd come in with a few concrete selections. Also, I had to admit that the essay format was not my comfort zone, which tends more to throwing in phrases that I believe to be hip but are more likely so last year. Like that one. Fo'shizzle.
Anyway, with the closing of Booklights, I wanted to look back. While Jen was so sweet in identifying her favorite posts of all of us, I'm not that nice, and will only share mine. Actually it's less about me being ungenerous and more about me being lazy, but either way it leaves me linking to a few of my own favorite posts and self-quotes. Even though I just remarked on the practicality of my book review posts, they don't leave me with enough words of wisdom to sum up over a year of writing here at Booklights. That said, I at least have to mention my Thursday THIRTY: Summer Books, Tot to Tween, because I'm pretty proud of that contribution. But now I'll leave you with my words of wisdom...
1. Reading Resolutions, 12/09
On modeling reading:
I'm telling you to read during the day, perhaps in the actual presence of your child. I know it sounds crazy. But sometimes the dishes - and yes, even your kid - can wait.
2. Reading Help, 9/09
On teaching your child to read:
Other than potty training, I've found nothing that has tested my patience on a continual basis more than the beginning reading stage. There are wonderful successes, often followed by the third laborious rendering of the word then. (P.S. This impatience doesn't mean you're a bad parent.)
3. Summer Reading, Having a Blast, 6/09
On establishing reading time:
I am asked often enough how I find time to read. My answer is more like a mission statement: You don't find time to read, you make time to read.
And as I say goodbye to Booklights, I continue my theme with three quick, personal thanks: to Susan for getting me involved, to Jen for saying the right things, and to Gina for supporting us tirelessly. I'll miss our collaboration which gave us such a wonderful blog.
As one of the founding bloggers here at Booklights, I'm sorry to see the blog shutting down. I've been on hiatus from Booklights for the past 4 1/2 months (since my daughter was born 10 weeks early, and threw my schedule completely out of kilter), but the blog has remained dear to my heart. I've been grateful to Gina, Pam, Susan, and Terry for keeping things going in my absence, and I'm so sorry that external issues have caused us to have to close down the blog.
Booklights began as a place to celebrate children's books and help parents and other caregivers to get those books into the hands of kids. We've had a lot of fun posting over the past year and a half. We've talked about things like: libraries; summer reading; book awards' picture books, board books, and chapter books; outdoor reading; adventurous girls; reading levels; and creative literacy. We've enjoyed comments from parents, teachers, librarians, authors, and other children's literature and literacy fans. We've been highlighted on the PBS Facebook page from time to time, and we've shared many of our posts on Twitter. Most importantly, we've learned from one another, with many of our posts inspired by and adding to ideas that others initiated. (Image credit: photo by taliesin, made available for use at MorgueFile.)
Here are a few of my favorite posts from Booklights:
- My Tips for Growing Bookworms series
- My post about Social Reading
- My post on Books about Adventurous Girls
- Pam's Summer Reading, Having a Blast (and also an updated set of summer reading recommendations for 2010
- Pam's Favorite Funny Chapter Books
- Pam's Thursday Three series, especially this post about Thirty Summer Books, Tots to Teens
- Susan's post about The First Time someone reads a wonderful book
- Susan's Walk on the Wild Side (about the design of the classic picture book)
- Susan's various posts about Book-Themed Cakes
- Terry's recent two-part piece (one and two) about selecting early literacy games
- Terry's Bookworm Basics series, especially her launch post about Growing Readers of All Sizes this post about Summer Reading
Many thanks to all of you who have tuned in over the past 18 months. Special thanks to Gina, whose hard work and dedication got this blog going in the first place. And to my Booklights co-authors, I'll miss working with you on Booklights, but I know that we'll find other ways to work together. It's been a great ride!
As you may have seen, Gina announced last week that we're winding down here at Booklights. Susan has brought some cake, and I'll bring something to the bon voyage soon, but today I'm going to finish up talking about reading as a family.
As I mentioned last week, reading with your kids - even when there are many years between them - can be enjoyable for everyone to share together. Sometimes it may be about the book, but every time it is an opportunity to connect with your kids and connect them with each other!
In The Read Aloud Handbook, Jim Trelease emphasizes that as readers, we have a listening level and a reading level. In Hey! Listen to This! (an article on his website), he re-emphasizes this point.
"A consistent mistake made by parents and teachers is the assumption that a child's listening level is the same as his or her reading level. Until about eighth grade, that is far from true; early primary grade students listen many grades above their reading level. This means that early primary grade students are capable of hearing and understanding stories that are far more complicated than those they can read themselves."
What does that mean? Well, you don't have to read just simple picture books. Young audiences can be enticed to enjoy text-heavy picture books and chapter books alike. There are a number of genres that naturally lend themselves to reading to mixed-age audiences, including ...
Nonfiction. More specifically, nonfiction picture books. One of the best ways to hook kids of any age on reading is to give them some nonfiction books. The great thing about nonfiction picture books is that they have something for everyone. These are books that invite exploring, so whether you read all of the text or just talk about the illustrations, you're in for an enjoyable, shared read.
Poetry. Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein write poetry that is meant to be read aloud. Their poems are very "graphic," allowing readers to "see" what they describe, and they often have a nonsensical quality that strike kids' funny bones.
Humor. Despite the dictionary description, defining "funny" is a matter of personal taste. Still, a good laugh is something we all enjoy. As a parent, you understand the types of humor your kids enjoy ... and you can decide what types of things you want to share together.
Books with lots of dialogue. "Dialog books" aren't a specific genre, but a lot of short chapter books use conversation among the characters to tell the story. There are usually only a few characters (often school-aged kids and an adult or two) so it is an opportunity for everyone to take a role and read together.
These are by no means the only genres. On her website, storyteller Mary Hamilton offers a handy checklist that describes reading interests for various ages, from preschool through high school.
Before we go, we'd love to hear what books you like sharing with your kids. What books would you bring to our party?
image credits
Mom reading with kids: Family Story Minute by Sean Dreilinger on Flicker. Copyright. Some rights reserved.
Collage of nonfiction picture books: University of Maryland News photostream on Flickr. Copyright. Some rights reserved University of Maryland Press Releases.
Bookshelf with poetry books. Thingamababy Awesome Wall photostream on Flickr. Copyright. All rights reserved.
Roscoe Riley by Katherine Applegate. Book cover image by Mr. Biggs photostream on Flickr. Copyright. All rights reserved.
It's time to start our going away party here at Booklights. Time to reminisce and say goodbye. But, before we go any further, it's time to offer you a piece of cake.
One of the posts I enjoyed writing the most for Booklights, was this one about cakes based on children's books. I've searched long and hard to come up with more books good enough to eat.
I've got just the thing to start us off. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful cake.
No revolting recipes here. Look at this amazing Roald Dahl masterpiece by Cake Doctor Lise Bonin. It's five books in one cake!
Look how Lise manages to to capture the spirit and essence of The Cat and the Hat with this wonderfully chaotic cake.
Lise also made this incredible, edible version of the Wonderful World of Oz, complete with a blue gingham background. (I found all three of these cakes separately, and was amazed when they turned out to all be made by the same person!)
Speaking of The Wizard of Oz, here's the nicest Wicked Witch of the West I've ever seen. Check out the tutorial on the baker's website, it's amazing how much detail work went into this cake. All of that effort, and it was made for a school bake sale!
Here's a lovely, creative version of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. The poor tree has given all it can, and now it's going to be eaten!
I've saved the best for last. Here it is, the pièce de résistance.
Here's a look at every angle of this unbelievable cake, made for a Children's Care Awareness Expo, and large enough to feed 300 people!
Parting is such sweet sorrow... but hopefully this post has helped make it a little bit sweeter. And remember my motto: you can have your cake and read it too.
Now, will someone make a cake for me? =)
We've had a wonderful and wonderfully informative run at Booklights, and sadly, it's time for us to bring the blog to a close. Although we'll all miss getting our weekly dose of wisdom from Jen, Pam, Terry, and Susan (we're all pictured at right with Ann Neely), we'll still be talking shop at Twitter.com/Booklights and archiving and featuring posts right here on PBS Parents.
In the next several days, come here for some thoughts and goodbyes as we wind this down. And afterward, please explore other PBS Parents blog resources like the dynamic Supersisters and the ever-resourceful Craft Apparent with Vickie Howell.
And so you don't go through any serious book-love withdrawal, keep up with the bloggers individually:
* Jen Robinson's Book Page
* Pam Coughlan's MotherReader
* Terry Dougherty's The Reading Tub
* Susan Kusel's Wizards Wireless
This week Terry talked about reading aloud as a family, and I'd like to build on that concept with ideas for reading aloud to groups. With school starting, parents may find themselves presented with the opportunity to share books in the classroom as guest readers. It is something I've done in my kids' classrooms from preschool through fifth grade, and have always enjoyed. While parents are usually aware of reading with expression and showing the book to the students, there are other tips that can help you shine as a guest reader:
1. Try it out
Before reading a book aloud to a class, try it on your own child. As you read notice factors of the book that are relevant reading it aloud to a group. Is it appropriate in length and topic for the age group? Is it is keeping your child's interest? Are there any words or concepts that need explanation? Are there key parts where you might pause the story for impact or to ask questions? Are the illustrations big enough that they could be shown to a group? Are you comfortable reading it? Some of these questions seem obvious, and yet I've seen a teacher grab a book from a shelf to read it to the class with apparently no knowledge that it was about the death of a family pet. Oops! I've also had parents come into the library looking for a book to read to the class that same day, so I know that these are mistakes that people make. But you don't need to make them. Go in prepared and you'll feel better.
2. Plan the order
If you are reading multiple books, keep in mind the order in which you'll present them. Read longer books first while the kids are at their maximum attention. If you have a funny book, save it for last. If you are reading on a theme - like seasons or apples or ocean life - start with the more informational book, and progress to a more storylike title. Also, if the book is not working well, allow some abridgment. You can also allow for a break where the kids can talk about their favorite part, share a connection, or ask a question. Remember that kindergartners and first graders tend to be unclear about what constitutes a question, but will take any chance to raise their hands to share something.
3. Bring a back-up
You may arrive with your carefully chosen selection to find that the librarian has read that book the previous day - which the kids will be delighted to tell you. Always have an extra book that you can use instead or can toss in the mix if you have more time than you think. If you don't have enough books on the particular topic of the day, have a seasonal or a school story. I'm particular to A Fine, Fine School because it's a lightly funny book that translates to a variety of ages, but there are many other books that would work.
Most of all, have fun!
When it comes to sharing a book with young kids, reading aloud seems the natural thing to do. They can't read the words on the page, so you do it for them. Once young readers become independent, though, we sometimes forget that they still enjoy - and can also benefit from - listening to you read.
That said, picking the right book can get tricky. The 9-year-old doesn't want to hear "baby" books, and the preschooler isn't ready for some of the subjects nor can they sit still that long! Finding books that interest your 4-year-old AND your preteen may be easier than it sounds.
Don't give up on picture books. As Pam points out in her post Reading Aloud: Picture Books Rule! (MotherReader, March 2009) sometimes those pre-teen protests are a surface reaction. After the requisite "that's for babies" teens will still sit and listen to a picture book. They may even surprise themselves with how much they enjoy their little brother's reactions. The secret bonus: you are modeling reading for them so they can read to their brother later!
Chapter books need pictures, too. Illustrated chapter books are helpful because young audiences often need the images which engage their interest while you read pages with a lot more text. In general, the chapters in these books are short, making it easy to read in small spurts and over consecutive nights.
Mix up the formats. Sometimes you have enough time - and the kids' temperaments are in sync - to read something that each child likes, and you can share a picture book and a chapter or two from a longer story. On those days when your energy is low, just pick one. That quiet time reading will probably help you feel better!
Regularly sharing a book as a family will not only let you reconnect and renew a love of stories and books. Who knows, as everyone becomes readers, maybe everyone will want a turn!
Next week: Genres that are good choices for family read-alouds.
Image credit
Toes and a book: Public photo on Flicker.com. Copyright All rights reserved by Tina Cockburn Photography, tcockburn2002.
Picture Books in the library: Bozeman Public Library by JSemenza on Flicker. Copyright All rights reserved.
Know a child just starting to learn to read? How about one who is having trouble with the process or is discouraged? I've got the perfect book for them.
Tad Hills' wonderful new picture book How Rocket Learned to Read is just right for beginning readers, struggling readers, and picture book fans of all ages.
Beautiful, vibrant and silly paintings fill every inch of the book. Tad did countless sketches of his dog (who just happens to be named Rocket) 
and you can see the results throughout the book. There's Rocket in the snow, in the mud and taking a nap (not for long!) He seems ready to leap off the page and into your lap and along with his wonder and excitement about learning to read.
Rocket sets just the right tone for starting school. If anyone asks where you heard about the book.... just tell them a little bird told you.
Tad is also the author and illustrator of the Duck and Goose series, books that are well worth checking out.
All right, I acknowledge the fact the summer is ending and school is beginning. Yes, in many areas, school has already begun, but here in Virginia, we are putting our heads in the sand - preferably at the actual beach - and trying to ignore the whole thing. Admittedly, it's easier to believe summer is endless when it's ninety degrees outside, but for today I'll try to get into the mindset of a back-to-school mom with three titles:
Kindergarten Cat
by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Alice Busby
The kindergarteners come to school to find that there room has it's own cat - and what a smart kitty she is! She may not know her colors or numbers, but she listens to the teacher's lessons and responds. And boy, is she cute. While many books approach kindergarten with a list of all the things kids do, this slight story allows the reader to see what happens in a more natural way. The illustrations are engaging with a childlike feel, rich colors, and a diverse class. The rhyming couplets seem a bit strained, but it's unlikely to bother the target audience who will be thrilled with the idea of a cat in a classroom as even a remote possibility.
The Exceptionally, Extraordinarily, Ordinary, First Day of School
by Albert Lorenz
As the new student, John, describes his old school to his new librarian, everyone gets the idea that it may not have been the least bit ordinary. Particularly the readers who are treated to the pictures that accompany John's often ordinary descriptions. For instance, while he simply talks about his school being really old, we can see that it is a bizarre castle with talking ravens and hungry stone lions. There is also a sidebar with definitions and facts and related notes about items in the pictures.. The oddities, facts, and little jokes in the illustrations make this a fun book for older kids heading to school.
Junie B's Essential Survival Guide to School
by Barbara Park
While the Junie B. Jones books begin with her as a kindergartener, everyone knows that books titled just Junie B. indicate that she is in first grade - and so we find in this book of school tips. Fans of the series will enjoy the usual banter and antics of Junie B. (though superfans may miss the artwork of Denise Brunkus). The advice isn't all that vital, tending more toward, "Do NOT NOT NOT pour chocolate milk from your thermos on the head of the person in front of you!" But actually, that chapter summary of riding the bus is right on target, " Sit Still, Behave Yourself, And Be Glad You're Not Walking!" At the end of each chapter is a section for the reader to add his or her own thoughts or drawings on the topic - like favorite clothes to wear or funny ways to get to school. Overall, the book isn't - despite the title - an essential Junie B. purchase, but is a fun way to approach back-to-school with a light touch and a bit of learning. (Because the little parent secret of Junie B. is to see what NOT to do so as to learn and discuss what one SHOULD do.)
For more back-to-school books, look at this earlier Booklights post.
Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which the site MotherReader.com may receive a referral fee.
Oh, how I have procrastinated filling the early reader shelf! This is a very fluid period, not unlike your child's transition from crawling to pulling up to walking independently. Looking back, one probably came pretty quickly on the heels of the other. Finding easy readers that have longevity on your bookshelf can be a challenge.
In this phase of learning to read, children are moving beyond recognizing individual letters to combining them and learning words. Students move fairly quickly from books with one word per page to two or three sentences on a page. From there it transitions to short paragraphs and then short chapters.
Because kids will move through these books at a steady pace,quickly, variety is definitely an ally!Your local library and your child's school library have lots of excellent choices that will engage young readers.
So do you need an early reader bookshelf at home? Definitely! It is important for kids to own their own books and to have fun reading at their fingertips. If you still have them, pull out some of those toddler books that have pictures and simple words. They are established favorites, but now your daughter can read them and use them to build a word bank of sight words. Let her create picture/word cards that she can hang up or make her own book with.
You might pull out some favorite picture books, too. If you think your son has memorized the story, then ask him to point to each of the words as he reads. That will force him to look at the page and the content. You might also try reading the book from the last page to the first.
Dr. Seuss is the master of the easy reader classic, but there are other authors who ascribe to his philosophy of great books for new readers. Some of those books, like Mo Willems' Cat the Cat and Elephant and Piggy series have the "I Can Read" imprimatur on them. But some - like Duck! Rabbit! and Little Oink! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - don't scream "easy reader" but are delightful choices for new readers, too.
When searching for books that can double as read-along stories and developmental readers, look for simple illustrations and lots of white space on a page; short sentences; and/or rhyming text.
Although easy readers are not generally literary classics, Dr. Seuss has shown us that there are are always exceptions! Just like Hop on Pop and The Cat in the Hat, there are easy readers that we keep and enthusiastically wait to share with our grandchildren.
Check your bookshelf - you may already have some favorites!
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