Kate Patrick, children’s librarian for the King County Library System North Bend branch, encourages parents to start the new year off right by making reading with their children a regular activity. She offered a few tips for encouraging early literacy and reading skills.
First, keep plenty of books around the home for children to enjoy throughout the day, and let your children see you read for pleasure and purpose. Zero in on children’s special interests, and indulge in loads of enchanting story books, poetry and beautifully formatted non-fiction. Tell your children stories, and sing with them so they hear the sound of syllables and words flowing together.
Reading to your children doesn’t always have to be a production; you can read whatever is at hand with them, whether cereal boxes, road or shopping signs.
“The benefits, joy and memories of reading with your children will last a lifetime,” Patrick said.
The library also offers books and services to address just about any parenting concern.
Worried about your child’s sleeping habits? Need more information about sibling relationships, learning challenges, or tips for getting your kids to eat well-balanced nutritional meals? Perhaps you’d like some new ideas for rainy day indoor fun for kids?
The library has myriad resources, both in traditional book and media formats, and through www.kcls.org online databases and pages designed specifically for parents, children and teens, including homework help. Try “TumbleBookLibrary” or “BookFlix” online talking story books, or the new “Tell Me a Story” link, which has fingerplays, rhymes and books.
The library also offers free programs for families: story times, puppet shows, musical and theatrical performances, and Study Zone tutoring for children. And by participating in the Ready-Set-Read challenge, children can earn free prize books by reading 20 minutes per day for 20 days within a month.
What to read? Patrick recommended the following hot children’s books for these chilly winter months:
• “My Very First Mother Goose” – Edited by Iona Opie
A wonderful volume of nursery rhymes for the very young, illustrated by Rosemary Wells, beloved creator of Max and Ruby, Yoko, and other classic children’s book characters.
• “Holly’s Red Boots” – by Francesca Chessa
This delightful picture book follows Holly and her cat, Jasper, as they hunt for the elusive red boots necessary for playtime in the snow. Pre-schoolers will enjoy guessing the many red objects found in bold, colorful illustrations, and understand Holly’s effort to identify right and left boots, making sure they each get on the proper foot.
• “Let’s Snowboard” – by Terri Degezelle
Young children starting to read will be excited by this easy non-fiction introduction to the energetic sport enjoyed by so many. Cool full-color action photographs work with limited, but well-chosen vocabulary, covering snowboard equipment, safety and having a great time. This is one of many excellent books in the “Sports and Activities” series published by Capstone Press.
• “The First Day of Winter” – by Connie Powell
The first 12 days of winter are marked by poems based on the traditional song and “just-right” seasonal activities. Text and science fact-filled illustrations challenge primary grade children to experience their own wintry world, and learn how plants and animals also cope with frigid temperatures. Ice skating and sled rides offer the opportunity to consider how life survives under the ice and discover which critters slide-travel over snow. Much more fun combines with factual details in this great remedy for cabin fever!
• “Uh Oh, Cleo” – by Jessica Harper
An avalanche of toys and an unexpected bop on the head transform a ho-hum day in the life of Cleo’s busy family to a surprising “Stitches Saturday.” Narrated by the imaginative and funny 8-year-old twin, this book will elicit laughs and “been there, done that” grimaces from children just starting to read chapter books. Large font, brief length and expressive, yet simple illustrations make “Uh Oh, Cleo” the perfect choice for a cozy winter read.
• “Seer of Shadows” – by Avi
Here’s a shivery tale for upper elementary grade students. A young photographer’s apprentice, Horace, learns not only the technical aspects of his trade in 1870’s New York, but realizes he has an uncanny ability to bring forth ghostly images on the photos he takes. His desire to live up to his ideals, as well as his science-based mindset, is challenged by his unscrupulous employer and events that take on a ghostly life of their own. Secrets are revealed and suspense builds with each short chapter’s cliffhanger. Newbery Award-winning author, Avi, has created yet another sure bet.
