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| Getting hooked on books (photo courtesy of author) |
When choosing a book to read to your child, the most important quality is that you like it, as your enthusiasm will transfer to your child. Reading any book with your child is an important act of education. Most picture books have engrossing, funny, or endearing stories, drawing the child in, building his attention span, and making him fall in love with books. This is an early literacy skill called print motivation—the act of becoming interested in and enjoying books, and understanding how they are used (read from front to back, handled carefully etc.) (http://www.hclib.org/, 2011; Snow, 2007). Many picture books do not belong to any particular category, but simply feature a funny, endearing, or exciting story, and engaging illustrations. Sharing books like these with your child is very important. However, there are also certain categories that it is worth becoming familiar with, as each boasts qualities that will impart other specific early literacy skills to your child. In the following categories, we will discuss the early literacy skills phonological awareness, vocabulary, letter knowledge, and narrative skills.
RHYMING BOOKS
Why you should read them: These are important for phonological awareness (http://www.clel.org/, 2011), which is the understanding that words are made up of distinct sounds. Although simple rhyming is a common way to teach phonological awareness, alliteration (two or more words in a row starting with the same letter), onomatopoeia (words that recreate a sound, like "baa baa black sheep"), or word play (silly or nonsense combinations of words, such as "mousie blousie!" or "you silly willie!"), also make children pay close attention to syllables and sounds (http://www.hclib.org/, 2011). These word tools are commonly found in rhyming books.Examples: Each Peach Pear Plum (Allan Ahlberg),The Going to Bed Book (Sandra Boynton), Madeline (Ludwig Bemelmans), Jamberry (Bruce Degan), Green Eggs and Ham (and other rhyming books by Dr. Seuss), Dinosaur Roar (Paul Stickland).
How to use them: After the child has heard the book a few times and is familiar with it, the adult can try pausing before the last word in each line to let the child supply it. You will be surprised how quickly children catch on to the rhyme and rhythm, and anticipate the words!
ALPHABET, COUNTING, AND WORD BOOKS (AKA CONCEPT BOOKS)
Why you should read them: There are multitudes of creative alphabet, counting, and word books that build vocabulary in a fresh and fun way, with interesting, entertaining illustrations. Building vocabulary is important for literacy because reading a word is much easier if the child is familiar with it (http://www.clel.org/. Word books usually feature one or more word per page, alongside a photo or illustration of the object, person, or action, for direct vocabulary building. Alphabet books also develop letter knowledge, which consists of understanding that letters are distinct from each other, a critical skill for breaking words down into letters (http://www.clel.org/.
Examples: 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo (Eric Carle), Cowboy ABC (Chris Demarest), Baby Faces (DK Publishing), Eating the Alphabet (Lois Ehlert), Alphabet Under Construction (Denise Fleming), Sam’s First Word Book (Yves Got), White on Black (Tana Hoben), 1-2-3: A Child's First Counting Book (Alison Jay), Counting Kisses (Karen Katz), Peek-a-Who? (Nina Laden), A Was Once an Apple Pie (Edward Lear), Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Bill Martin, Jr.), Big Little (Leslie Patricelli), Curious George's ABCs (H.A. Rey), Dr. Seuss's ABCs (Dr. Seuss), Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten (Joseph Slate), The Big Storm: A Very Soggy Counting Book (Nancy Tafuri)
How to use them: Read the book with your child, pointing to the object and explaining what it is called or what letter is starts with. For alphabet books, emphasize the first letter (“M-m-m moo”). For counting books, count the objects together, pointing to each object as you say the number. When appropriate, engage in dialogic reading, the practice of turning reading a book into a dialogue between adult and child. Discuss other words that start with a certain letter, or objects similar to the one featured ("Look at that milk. What do we have in our fridge?").
NONFICTION BOOKS
Why you should read them: Nonfiction is another way of developing a child’s vocabulary and critical thinking skills.
Examples: Dinosaurs Travel (Laura Krasny Brown), How a House Is Built (Gail Gibbons), What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? (Steve Jenkins), 1+1=5 and Other Unlikely Additions (David LaRochelle), Bread, Bread, Bread (Ann Morris), My Doctor (Harlow Rockwell), Just One Bite (Lola Schaefer)
How to use them: Nonfiction is especially suitable for dialogic reading. As you move through the material, stop and discuss each topic as opportunities arise, giving the child a chance to ask and answer questions. Let the conversation meander and bring you to new subjects. For example, a book about dinosaurs may lead you to a discussion about geology or the passage of time. Encouraging the child to discuss and use critical thinking skills is more important that finishing the book, so do not hush them in an attempt to move on.
WORDLESS BOOKS
Why you should read them: Books with pictures, but no words, provide an excellent jumping-off point for dialogic reading. The child will hone his narrative skills as the adult lets him guess what’s going on, tell some of the story, and recount it afterwards, picking out the beginning, middle, and end. "If children can describe something, they have an understanding of it. If children can tell what's happening in a story they're reading, they are comprehending the story and not just the sounds of each individual word. Understanding what they're reading is crucial to helping them stay motivated to keep reading. If they don't understand what they're reading, they won't care, and they won't want to put in the practice they need to become fluent readers" (http://www.clel.org/, 2011).
Examples: Good Dog, Carl (and other Carl books, such as Carl’s Summer Vacation, Alexandra Day), The Red Book (Barbara Lehman), The Lion and the Mouse (Jerry Pickney), Goodnight Gorilla (Peggy Rathmann), Flotsam (David Wiesner)
How to use them: As you look at each page together, offer hints and suggestions to encourage the child to tell some of the story. Point to pictures and ask, "What's happening here?" Take turns: You tell one page, the child tells the next. After several reading, close the book and act out the story with your child.
How to use them: As you look at each page together, offer hints and suggestions to encourage the child to tell some of the story. Point to pictures and ask, "What's happening here?" Take turns: You tell one page, the child tells the next. After several reading, close the book and act out the story with your child.
SONG BOOKS
Why you should read them: Books that simply reprint the words to favorite songs, set to illustrations, promote phonological awareness, as the children listen to the rhymes and join in, picking out the syllables and sounds (Peck, 2007). Because they're so fun to listen to, they are very effective in this capacity.Examples: Skip to My Lou (Mary Ann Hoberman), Over in the Meadow (Jack Ezra Keats), Down by the Bay (Raffi), The Wheels on the Bus (Raffi), Baby Beluga (Raffi), The Bear Went Over the Mountain (Rosemary Wells), Puff the Magic Dragon (Peter Yarrow)
How to use them: Read the books often with your child, so that he can learn the words and sing along. Sing the songs even without the book, in the car or on walks.
CIRCULAR, REPETITIVE, OR RECURRING BOOKS
Why you should read them: Books with a pattern, that repeat certain parts, come full circle, or are predictable, encourage children to guess and forsee (Peck, 2007). This builds narrative skills, the ability to understand and tell a story.
Examples: The Little Red Hen (Denise Fleming), Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? (Bill Martin Jr.), If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (Laura Numeroff), Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (Simms Taback), The House That Jack Built (Simms Taback), The Farmer in the Dell (Alexandra Wallner),
How to use them: Parents can use dialogic reading techniques here, asking the child, "What's happening here?" or “What’s going to happen next?” and letting the child finish lines and make predictions.
How to use them: Parents can use dialogic reading techniques here, asking the child, "What's happening here?" or “What’s going to happen next?” and letting the child finish lines and make predictions.
OTHER PICTURE BOOKS
Why you should read them: Books with a good story will draw children in and make them want to read on and on. Following is a short list of picture books many parents and children enjoy. Sharing these books will turn your child into a book lover, promoting the early literacy skill of print awareness.How to use them: Share a good book with your child any time of day. Bedtime is the classic time to read together, but cozying down on the couch for a reading break in the middle of the day is an excellent way to take a time-out from the rigors of the day. It may seem unintuitive, but a book break is often just what an overstimulated, bouncing-off-the-walls child needs.
References
Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy home page (2011). Colorado
Peck, P. (2009). Crash course in storytime fundamentals. Westport , CT
Snow, S. (2007). Building blocks: Building a parent-child literacy program at your library. Westport , CT
Note: All picture books are listed in Appendix A, under the References tab.
PAGE AUTHOR: EMMA SMITH
