Dear Readers,
Reading a book with a grandchild is one of life’s greatest pleasures! At least it is in my life. When Emily selects a book and asks “Mimi, will you read this to me?”, my heart sings. I’m overwhelmed with love when she climbs into my lap and snuggles against me, ready for the story to begin. The intimacy continues as we experience and enjoy the story together.
I have also found that some books are better written for and received by toddlers than others. There are so many children’s books available that it is difficult to know what’s worthwhile and what isn’t.
My daughter-in-law introduced me to a book that is an excellent guide for choosing children’s books. It is the “Read-Aloud Handbook” by Jim Trelease. It contains a list of books called the “Treasury of Read-Alouds” which includes the title, author, number of pages, publisher, year published and the age group the book is suitable for. A one paragraph synopsis of the story is also included. This treasury categorizes the books into wordless books, predictable books, poetry and fairy and folk tales.
A predictable book is one in which a certain phrase or sentence is repeated enough as to become predictable for the young reader. A good example is “The Very Busy Spider” by Eric Carle. The sentence “The spider didn’t answer. She was very busy spinning her web”, appears on every other page.
The handbook gives answers to questions such as “What is the purpose of fairy tales?”, “Why do they want to read the same book over and over?”, “Won’t a video do my child as much good as a picture book?”, and when it’s obvious you’ve made a poor choice of a book, “Is it okay to abandon it or parts of it and move on?”. The author’s answers utilize the results of various studies conducted on children and reading and his own personal experience.
Before purchasing books for Christmas gift-giving, why not check out this handbook for suitable ideas? After all, reading aloud is a win-win situation for both the reader and the child being read to. In addition, this activity creates loving memories that last a lifetime.
Keep smilin’!