Book People Unite!

Check out this great new song from Reading is Fundamental in support of reading. You may find many of your favorite characters.
Book People Unite!

To censor or not to censor, implications for parents

This is a great article for parents that discusses some of issues surrounding the censoring of books for your children. Hunger Games: How Controversial Books Build "Empathy Muscles'.

Reading Level Vs. Listening Level

What should my child be able to read by the end of Year 2? By the end of Year 6? Nowadays understanding the types of books that your child should be reading might be more than a bit confusing.

Books for readers are ‘levelled’ in a variety of ways to show what books would be best for your children at any given point as their reading ability grows. This is important because research shows that children should not be reading books that are too difficult. If children are to become fluent readers, they need repeated exposure to books they are able to read independently. If the text is more difficult, children will focus so much on word recognition that they will not have an opportunity to develop fluency. Also, when children struggle to decode books, their focus is upon the decoding and they often fail to comprehend the text that they are reading.

Teachers should send home books for your children that are at your child’s reading level. This is important for your child’s reading development. However, these books should not take the place of you reading aloud to your child. If you have children who are early readers, there is quite a difference between the books that they can read to you, and the books that you can read to them. Look at the example of a typical Year 2 text versus  a Year 4 text.

Children can listen and comprehend books that are two to three year levels above what they can independently read. The story Rapunzel not only introduces children to new vocabulary words, (how often do we use dearly, desperate and alarmed in everyday conversation?), but the sentence structure is more complex as well.

When your children are reading a book to you, it is important for the book to be at their independent reading level. Oftentimes the classroom teacher can help inform you of your child’s independent reading level. However, you should also read aloud to your children. This gives them access to high quality books that will further develop their vocabulary and love of reading.

May Teens - Moon Over Manifest

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Abilene Tucker has been sent to live with her father's old friend in Manifest, Kansas for the summer while he works a railroad job. Abilene is bored in the dried-up, worn-out old town until she discovers an old cigar box filled with mementos. Abilene and her friends end up on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, but Abilene sets caution aside to explore the mystery.

May - Knuffle Bunny

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

Our book for young children this May is an exciting adventure about Trixie's trip to the laundromat and the drama that ensues. The funny story coupled with Willem's innovative artwork will make this a bedtime favorite. Check out his website at Mo Willems

Encouraging Teenagers to Read

Maybe the teenagers in your life once loved reading before technology captured most of their attention, or maybe they have never enjoyed reading. However, we as adults know that reading is of tremendous importance in order for teens to succeed in life. Encouraging reading in teens may feel tricky, as forcing or demanding that they read is of little benefit.

So, how can you motivate your teen to pick up a book or a newspaper and read? One way to motivate teens is to make sure that you do not pressure them to read by nagging them or attempting to bribe them. Also, if they choose to read something you do not like, do not criticise their choice. If you have an issue with their choice, discuss the reasons why you have reservations, as opposed to disallowing the material. If you discover that your teenager is reading, don‟t make a big deal of it. They should not be reading for you, but because they enjoy it.

Information taken from Reading is Fundamental. For more information visit their website.

Wordless Books

The first selection for young children is The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney, which is a wordless book. Although this may seem to be a strange choice, as the Cayman Reads programme is promoting the reading of books; wordless picture books can be used to develop many important literacy skills such as book handling and the use of pictures as cues to tell a story.

Instead of being pushed along from page to page by the text, wordless picture books are different as they allow the readers to meander through the pages. Parents should take time to discuss the pictures, follow up on your child's observations, build vocabulary, make connections and ask questions.
Wordless books are great ways to build vocabulary through describing what is happening in the pictures with your child. Model this for your child before you expect the child to do it. For example, when looking at the title page of The Lion and the Mouse, it might sound something like this: “Look at those large animal prints. I wonder what kind of animal made them. It must be much bigger than the mouse. The mouse is quite small.”

Wordless books are also a great way to think more deeply about the characters and their actions. “What do you think the mouse is saying to the lion? I think he is saying "Please let me go?" Or maybe he is saying, "Hi Mr. Lion."

Demonstrate for your child that there is more than one response, but also support your child in the use of the picture cues. Encourage your child to predict what will happen next, and ponder what the characters may be thinking or why the characters acted in certain ways. “Why did the mouse run in the hole?”
At the end of the book you and your child can engage in a joint retelling of the story. This is a great time to practice prediction skills and words, such as “What happened after the owl chased the mouse?”

April Teens - The Invention of Hugo Cabret

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

This book choice for teens tells the story of Hugo, an orphan, clock keeper and thief, who lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station. Read this book to discover more about a mystery that includes a cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father.

April - The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

The April book for young children is The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. The wonderful wordless books is full of watercolor renderings of Aesop's famous fable.