Search Results for: blog finding books for family storytime

Barnes & Noble Free Kids Book, Online Storytime and More

Barnes & Noble is giving kids some incentive to keep reading over their summer vacation from school. Keep your children’s reading skills sharp by taking advantage of this great offer from Barnes & Noble. Visit http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/index.asp and download the Passport to Summer Reading. Have your children read eight books and track it on their “passport”. They can read any type of book that they enjoy reading although it would probably be best if the majority were at their reading skill level. When they are finished reading all eight books and Mom or Dad signs their “passport” they can go to … Continue reading →

Children’s Picture Books about Relationships with Parents

I enjoyed both of today’s picture books very much. They reminded me of some of the best things about being a parent. The first book is “No Matter What” by Debi Gliori. Our characters are a couple of cute little foxes, a mother, named Large, and her son, named Small. One day Small was in a pretty bad mood. He put a bucket of dirty wash water on his head and sat in the puddle. When Large came to find out what was wrong, he said, “I’m grim and grumpy. And I don’t think you love me at all.” Large … Continue reading →

Children’s Picture Books by Nancy Luenn

When I pick up these books by author Nancy Luenn, I immediately feel that I have been transported to a faraway place. Her imagery is rich, her descriptions are masterful, and I appreciate the glimpse she gives me into another world. As the location for each book changes, so does the tone of the narrative, allowing you to taste the language patterns in the different regions. The first Luenn book I would like to share is called “Otter Play.” A child and his family are getting ready to go fishing for the day in the wilderness of Canada. The father … Continue reading →

Fun Family Storytime Activity

Here’s a fun activity that you can incorporate into your family storytime. It will introduce your kids to poetry and make reading poems fun. I got the idea from the public library storytime that Tyler attended last year during the time I was teaching him at home. The kids loved it and I hope your kids will too! (1) First, make a copy of this poem by Shel Silverstein. Bear in There There’s a Polar Bear In our Frigidaire– He likes it ’cause it’s cold in there. With his seat in the meat And his face in the fish And … Continue reading →

Family Storytime Activities

Family storytime should not end when you close the book and announce “the end”. If you’re simply reading to your kids, you’re missing out on a lot of fun activities related to what you’ve read. You don’t have to do the actual activity the same day you read the book, especially since many of us read at night just before bed. You can create activities related to what you’ve read and then work on the activity the following afternoon. When I was teaching Tyler at home I often created activities to match a book that we read. Although we read … Continue reading →

Family Reading Blocks

The other day I made a joke that we should have a family reading block. My 29-year-old niece and I were discussing the fact that the last time she read a book was when she was in high school. My family does not read for pleasure (the newspaper does not count). I never knew this until I moved back home after Katrina. For some reason I just assumed that since I love to read and was a writer to boot, then my family had to have the same literary zeal. But they don’t share my enthusiasm. I’m glad that Tyler … Continue reading →

Using Audio Books During Family Storytime

Don’t get me wrong, I love family storytime with Tyler. But sometimes I feel like I just can’t read one more book, no matter how much he begs. But then again I want to instill the love of reading in him. So far it’s working. At times when I can’t read any more, I have an old standby– an audio book. I remember when I was a kid, one of my favorite activities at school was going to the listening table, putting on those big old headphones and listening to stories read to me. I loved the turn the page … Continue reading →

Finding Books for Family Storytime

The benefits of reading to and with your child cannot be understated. I literally started reading to Tyler while he was still in the womb. His first words weren’t the usual mama and daddy, it was library and Books a Million. Okay maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but the point is, reading has been an integral part of Tyler’s life from the beginning and it has paid off in big ways. I’m continuously amazed at how well he reads at the tender age of five. If he misbehaves and I tell him he can’t watch TV, no big deal. But … Continue reading →

A Basic Human Right

Are you depriving your children of a basic human right? Shelter, food and love are basic human rights and ones that all children deserve to experience. But UK author Michael Morpurgo, has added another to that list. His view is that parents who don’t read to their children are depriving them of a basic human right. I agree. You might say time is the problem. I heard someone on the radio the other day say ‘time is a luxury item these days.’ Maybe so. But we all have the same number of hours in a day. No matter how busy … Continue reading →

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You

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Tyler and I enjoy reading together. Reading has always been a part of his life. I firmly believe that the reason he reads so well is because I’ve always had reading material sprinkled around the house. He assumed that everyone had reading blocks at their house and was surprised to find out this is not the case. Initially for our reading block, I read to him. When he started reading independently, he would read a few books to himself while I read a few pages from one of my books and then I would read a book to him. The … Continue reading →