In the Stacks with NW Kid Chaser

Reading Toys...

12/10/2014

Three cheers for these wonderful books. I found them just inside the entrance at Target and immediately recognized them as GOLD!

A key piece of raising 'readers' is access to reading material...
Which means making books part of every part of the day for toddlers. These beauties serve two purposes - book and toy.
Get them at a store near you -- before I buy them all up!

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In the Book...

7/7/2012

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Mo Willems does it again with this cute book:

I'm not sure why it's funny to have the characters
in a book REALIZE they are in a book -- but it is.

My youngest son and I used to read Elephant and Piggie
books together - but now he breezes through them alone.
This one reminds me of one of my favorite books as a child.
It's a character-trapped-in-the-book classic!

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Fox ...

6/25/2012

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Here’s another series of books for
readers practicing their craft.

Appropriate for 1st and 2nd graders, James Marshall’s Fox character has countless adventures.

Truth be told: I wasn't a fan of Fox after reading the first book. Fox can have a bit of an attitude; He’s not always nice to his younger sibling; He sometimes back-talks his mom. However, in the end (after reading several in the series), I came to understand that the situations in which Fox finds himself are comical; his sister is a bit sly herself; and Mom’s directions are always followed.

Each book of the series usually contains 3 chapters. The chapters can be read separately or together as a set (which subtly weave together a larger story). For instructional purposes, these books are also a great way to draw attention to contractions and quotations marks.

My youngest son and I took turns using voices to read the words said by each character. Here’s a listen:

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Droon and the magical stairsteps to Chapter Books!

5/6/2012

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       Last year (after a gracious and generous gift from family friends) my sons became the proud owners of more than 30 Secrets of Droon books! This series became a literary obsession for my youngest son. Book after book, he seemed to never tire of the characters and their ongoing magical adventures. Finally, this week, I checked out the last few books from our public library. It feels a bit like a rite of passage to finally complete the full series.

     When we first began reading these books – my youngest son couldn’t independently read the text (which is leveled at approximately 2nd or 3rd grade). He waited patiently for me to sit with him or begged his brother to indulge him by reading aloud. In a pinch, I was even known to hand the nine year-old a buck as a bribe to read aloud to his sibling while I cooked-up dinner.

      Little by little, as my youngest has gained new reading skills, he has independently checked in with these books to see if he can conquer them alone. The series became his great motivator: his personal goal was to read a Droon book on his own before the summer after 1st grade.

I think he’ll just make it!

         I often recommend the series to other families who are looking for something to hook their young reader. Third and fourth grade boys can sit down with these gems and equally enjoy the fantasy Tony Abbot weaves together. Straight forward and high interest: These ain’t no baby-books! I have seen children up to age 10 enjoy this series.

      When I explain the Secrets of Droon series to other Moms, I always disclose two main points:
1) Droon is like ‘Harry Potter’- but for the younger set.
Three young children find themselves in a magical world of adventure, danger, and mystery! There are good wizards and bad wizards. There is a magical door between our world and theirs. You root for the hero and wonder how they’ll ever defeat the enemy.

2) Droon is not great literature.
So many twists, turns, characters, subplots, secrets, reveals, and dream sequences -- I can barely keep up. However, the kid-friendly suspense does hook young readers like nobody’s business.

    Of course, with this series (as with all chapter books), I involved my boy in the ‘reading’ from the very start. Below are a few of the pre-reader activities that I used as soon as we began to enjoy this series. Activities like this can help develop the ‘reading readiness’ skills that will provide a foundation for later success.

1) Explore the Title Page.
Toddlers: Point to the title as you read it aloud. Talk about how the Title Page is similar to the book’s front cover.

Preschoolers: Point to the name of the author while you say it aloud and show your child a picture of the author (if it is available on the inside of the back cover.) If there is a series logo, draw attention this mark and ask about it each time you read one of the books included. Just as a child can ‘read’ the golden arches of McDonald’s – they can recognize the symbol designate to a book series.

Beginning Readers: Now include your child in the reading of the title. They should be able to begin read small words like... the, it, and, or on. You can also model ‘sounding out’ any words that follow simple phonetic rules. As your child’s skills progress, have them take charge of reading the title aloud in full before you begin reading the story. In addition, ask your child to predict what the title and the picture on the front cover might be revealing about the story inside.

2) Investigate the Table of Contents.
Toddlers: Point to the title of each chapter as you read them aloud. Count (aloud) the number of chapters and note how you can find the page on which each begins.

Preschoolers:Ask your child to count the number of chapters that are in the book. Point to a chapter – read its title out loud – and ask your child to say the number of the page where it will begin. Do this for several of the chapters (in no particular order).

Beginning Readers: Now include your child in the reading of the titles. Without pointing at a particular chapter, just read aloud its name and ask your child to identify its page number start. As your child becomes more familiar with this task, turn these questions around and say a page number before asking them to find the corresponding chapter’s title. Ask your child to predict what may happen in the book based on the all the chapter title names.

3) Starting Each Chapter
Toddlers: Ask your child to identify the number printed at the start of the chapter. You could also point to the page number and read that number aloud to them. Point to the chapter title as you read it aloud.

Preschoolers: Ask your child to identify the page number. Turn back to the Table of Contents and show them where this information is noted. Ask them how many chapter have been read before this one and how many will follow.

Beginning Readers: Slowly release responsibility of reading the chapter number and titles to your child. This will soon become automatic. When ready, ask them to start also taking responsibility for the first sentence. This gradual shift is key when your child has enough skill to read the words, but not enough practice to read the text fast enough to enjoy the plot. The act of reading the chapter’s title and first sentence involves them, but doesn’t overwhelm them. They can enjoy the story line, but also become aware of their own progress and growing ability to tackle the words on the printed page.

      Finally, here’s a video of my son and I talking though many of these same activities. After talking through these activities with my son (month after month), he’s an old pro. It’s proof positive that every bit of reading practice squeezed-in, can help prepare a child for the independent reading that lies ahead.

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Little Bear...

4/8/2012

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Here's another great series for readers
just starting to get their sea legs:

Little Bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik are not for beginning readers who are looking to reinforce basic vocabulary. Instead, these delightful books (filled with dialogue) help basic readers who are developing their inflection and fluency.

In the video here, you'll see my son read one short chapter in this book. Notice his self-corrections, the repetition of phrases and his eagerness to find the rhythm and meaning of the conversation between the animals. These are advanced reading strategies - all within an age appropriate genre that seems to tickle his funny bone.

I am always fascinated when I hear my boy read. His progress pleases me. He's done the hard work to make all those letters, and dots and dashes, come together to tell a story. With Little Bear on the page --- that's a story we can all understand and enjoy together.

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Scarry Stories...

1/9/2012

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I love the Richard Scarry picture word-books
for toddlers who are developing their vocabulary.

Now, I’m a fan of the Richard Scarry beginning readers too!

My son easily reads Levels 1 and 2.
I love to hear his inflection as he tackles the text.

Here’s a peek:

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Rhyme and Read...

12/23/2011

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I am always on the lookout for new books
with which we can flex growing reading-muscles.
Oh, the variety needed to entice
beginning readers to continue their hard work!

Here’s a recent discovery:

These old time favorites have been reprinted so that they may be enjoyed by another generation of readers.

Each book features varying options for beginning readers and can serve students of all skills (and attention spans).

    At first glance, I read the text of these books and only required my youngest son to read the large word printed
in the right margin. These words all follow the
same sound pattern and ensured a high rate of success.

    At our next reading, he was in charge of both
the text and the large word in the margin.
I was responsible for the speech bubbles on each page (different voices for different characters – of course).

    Now, my dear reader breezes through the whole thing on his very own. It’s as they say: “Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!”

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Go, Dog, Go!

12/6/2011

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Here’s a classic tale for beginning readers.
It include rhymes, repetition, and simple decoding.

My boy recently brought it home from school…
and proceeded to read it to me with a British accent.

Every day is a new adventure!

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21st Century Comic Books...

11/28/2011

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The comic books of my childhood...

are far different from the comic books of today!

The 'comics' have given way to 'graphic novels' which include not only the old time classics, but also history reference books, popular fiction, and condensed chapter books. This ever-expanding genre of books provide a great way to ease older struggling-readers into the joy of reading. The content is age appropriate, but the number of words is decreased and picture-clues help with every single line! It's a recipe for success and an effective stepping stone to the expanded book titles that await them.

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NW Kid Chaser

Reading Toys...

In the Book...

Fox ...

Droon and the magical stairsteps to Chapter Books!

Little Bear...

More Begninning Readers...

Scarry Stories...

Rhyme and Read...

Go, Dog, Go!

21st Century Comic Books...

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