A glimpse of our Friday morning. Counting with 10 Little Ninjas, a new, stealthy take on this familiar beloved rhyme. Vending capsules from the Shop Sweet Lulu. 10 Little Ninjas was written by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Nate Wragg and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Did anyone ever read the Aldo series growing up? While it’s not technically old enough to be considered “classic," I thought I’d share something I read as a kid for this week’s #classicchapterbooks. I loved reading Beverly Cleary and when I had gone through all of her books, I scoured the racks at the library for more books about ordinary kids (although Aldo Sossi is a little on the quirky side). I loved realistic fiction and it’s funny, that’s what my daughter is into now, too. So I snagged a copy of this for her, hoping that she’ll take a liking to it as well. Be sure to check out what @the.book.report is sharing this afternoon.
Meet the Walnut Animal Society. Their mission is “to create and to always remain curious.” Henry, the founding member, is an inventor and tinkerer who one day loses something. He loses an idea! After searching high and low and without any luck, he decides to go for a walk with Eleanor. They meander through the forest and with night donning and Henry about to lose hope, he runs into some unlikely friends who play a part in helping him solve his problem.
Henry's Bright Idea was written by Lauren Bradshaw of Walnut Animal Society, illustrated by Wednesday Kirwan and published by Cameron Books.
A story cloaked in frigid white snow but warmed by sweet, unexpected friendship. Philip C. Stead’s book dedication is so fitting — “To anyone who is having a bad day.” There’s a quiet, contemplative quality to his illustrations and a great vastness in his snowy landscapes that envelops the reader as they’re pulled into the narrative. You can almost hear the hushed silence of the snow and the soft crunching of footsteps in it. The thoughtful writing will sink in and settle into your soul after a good few readings.
Samson in the Snow was written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead, and published by Roaring Brook Press.
A few months ago, we at #littlelitbookseries shared quotes from The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease and further reflections on the subject of reading aloud and its incredible importance in our children's lives. You can find the post here on Little Lit Book Series' blog. You can read more about Jim Trelease's work as well as more recent articles on his website. Here was my contribution to the post:
Today we’re sharing the benefits of reading aloud in a special post for #littlelitbookseries. Reading aloud to your kids is one of the most important things that you’ll do for their learning and education. Everyone will be sharing different quotes from The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. It’s our hope that you’ll realize the amazing things you’re doing for your children as you read aloud to them, and that those reasons will compel to do it on a regular basis, amidst today’s busyness and crowded schedules.
In the following excerpt from The Read-Aloud Handbook, Jim Trelease discusses the four characteristics of a home environment that supports a successful reader.
"The research, as well as studies done of pupils who respond to initial classroom instruction without difficulty, indicates four factors are present in the home environment of every early reader:
1. The child is read to on a regular basis. This is the factor most often cited among early readers. In Dolores Durkin’s 1966 study, all of the early readers had been read to regularly. In addition, the parents were avid readers and led by example.
2. A wide variety of printed material—books, magazines, newspapers, comics—is available in the home. Nearly thirty years after Durkin’s study, NAEP studies reported that the more printed materials found in a child’s home, the higher the student’s writing, reading, and math skills…
3. Paper and pencil are readily available for the child.
4. The people in the child’s home stimulate the child’s interest in reading and writing by answering endless questions, praising the child’s efforts at reading and writing, taking the child to the library frequently, buying books, writing stories that the child dictates, and displaying his paperwork in a prominent place in the home."
We have a special #littlelitbookseries post in store for you all today—the read-aloud edition. We wanted to share why it’s so vital to read aloud to your children every day and we’re including quotes from Jim Trelease’s excellent work, The Read-Aloud Handbook. If you haven’t read it already, we highly recommend it as he shares incredibly valuable information about how to help our children excel in school, and in life. He talks about all aspects of reading aloud, its countless benefits, the research supporting it and how to effectively read aloud with every age group. He also provides a wide selection of books that make wonderful read-alouds in the last section of his book entitled “Treasury of Read-Alouds.” The Read-Aloud Handbook is one of the most important books about education that I have ever read and I think every family should have a copy of it. The following is an excerpt from the book.
“Parker tells anxious parents who ask about improving their child’s SAT scores, ‘The best SAT preparation course in the world is to read to your child in bed when they’re little. Eventually, if that’s a wonderful experience for them, they’ll start to read themselves.’ Parker told me he’s never met a student with high verbal SAT scores who wasn’t a passionate reader, and nearly always they recall being read to. An ACT or SAT prep course can’t package that passion, but parents like Susan and Tad Williams have done it and so can you.” Quote from Tom Parker, the former admissions director for Williams College, now at Amherst College, two of the nation’s prestigious small colleges.
Now on to sharing one of my favorite read-alouds. Even though Miss Nelson has been around for four decades, she never goes out of style. Miss Nelson stories make terrific read-alouds—probably some of the most entertaining ones out there.