(Near) Universal Reading Experiences with Children

Reading the same book over and over and over

Young children thrive on repetition. They like books that feel familiar and predictable. This is common, normal, and healthy. Still, it can be hard to indulge this request if the book has absolutely no grown-up appeal.

 The misplaced book

Chances are, whatever book your child desperately wants to find at any given moment cannot be found. After turning the house upside down, it may never be found. And sometimes that's a good thing.

Santa censoring

Children are stronger than we realize. They won't bat an eye about the Gingerbread Man getting eaten and the wolf being axed open by the hunter to retrieve Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. Still, there are times when you find yourself in the middle of a book and wondering if you should do some on-the-fly editing.

 
Disturbing illustrations you can't unsee

From pencil-thin necks to noseless children (and beyond), you really have to wonder what goes on inside the heads of some children's book illustrators.

Mental fact checking 

You don't really need to point out to your child that humans and dinosaurs never co-existed. Right? It's a dream sequence. Surely that's obvious. Right? Can't. Stop. Myself. From. Making. Casual. Observation. About. Scientific. Accuracy.

Skipping sentences to get through the book faster

We have all done this, especially when we are exhausted.

Squinting to read in the dim light of the bedroom

Dark or tiny font on a dark background? Surely this can't be the first book ever published by this company. Was it the editor's first day?



Autopilot reading

Have you ever driven a few miles while thinking about something and then realized you have no recollection of the experience? The same thing can happen while you are reading a book out loud and thinking about the grocery list or that overdue bill. The human brain is amazing, and the good news is that the kids probably won't even notice.

Silently cursing the author for tongue twisting sentences

Unifinished rhymes, extra syllables, amateurish alliteration. My only consolation is knowing that the authors of these books will probably have to do a public reading and stumble over their own words someday.


Interruptions from the audience

Nothing shows that your child is absorbed in the book you are reading like a random observation about something completely unrelated to the subject. "Jenny has a new dog." "I put a quarter into the DVD player." "Stop putting peaches in my lunches, okay?"

Child chooses longest book on the shelf at bedtime

Never fails.

Professor Slughorn Reads Fairy Tales

Can you imagine what Harry Potter's Professor Slughorn would sound like reading children's stories?

Picture if you will....  You are sitting comfortably, sipping a cup of tea, and thumbing through a book of classic fairy tales. Suddenly, the striped pink chair across the room comes to life and magically transforms into Professor Slughorn who then proceeds to read to you.

Crazy idea? Maybe not. Did you know that Jim Broadbent (the actor who plays Professor Slughorn in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) is the narrator for the audio CD that comes with Storytime: First Tales for Sharing collected by Stella Blackstone and illustrated by Anne Wilson?

He is also the narrator for the aptly named book, The Prince's Bedtime written by Joanne Oppenheim and illustrated by Miriam Latimer.

You haven't truly geeked out with books until you've heard both of these and shared them with a child. Both are published by Barefoot Books and available in paperback editions with included CDs. Storytime would be an excellent gift for expectant parents or a young child just starting to learn about classic stories. It includes 7 tales, including "The Ugly Duckling," "Goldilocks," and "Stone Soup."

The Prince's Bedtime is a rhyming tale that is perfect for a young child who is reluctant to go to bed. Grandmothers will appreciate being the heroes of this story, and book lovers can probably guess what finally did the trick!

Happy reading.

Magical offer: Save 20% on these titles at Barefoot Books when you use code SUMMER2014 at checkout. Shipping is free when you spend $60.

How to Find the Good Books in Scholastic Fliers

It's that time of year again. Scholastic book club fliers will be coming home in backpacks, tucked in to parent mailboxes, and displayed suggestively in classrooms and front offices.

These fliers are full of tantalizing "discounts" on books, shiny toys and novelties, and lots and lots of fluff. If you take the time to dig a little, you can find the gems. After spending many years ordering as a parent and administering book club orders for two entire schools, I developed a 3-step process for putting together an order.

• Free choice: Your child is allowed any single book in the flier. No questions asked.
• Remove the junk: Physically cross out the undesirable books
• Evaluate the rest: Consider value and content quality

1. Free choice

Hand the flier to your child and ask him/her to select any book and give the flier back to you. Circle it. Order it. Impose a maximum cost if you must, but don't object or roll your eyes.

Why? Children deserve the opportunity to select a book to own that they want. Reading should be a pleasurable activity, and all books "count," especially for reluctant readers.

2. Remove the junk.

Using a crayon or ball point pen (not felt tip or Sharpie), cross out the following:




Licensed characters, celebrities, movie novelizations






Books that come with toys, novelties, jewelry, etc.






Spin-off titles based on popular book characters






DVDs, software, and video games





Anything you personally dislike

3. Evaluate the rest.

Consider value for price (and keep crossing things out!)

All books are paperback unless otherwise specified. To keep prices low, Scholastic reprints books from other publishers using low grade paper and lower resolution images. These books are essentially disposable.

All books priced $4 and under are the same physical quality. This means that if you are paying more than $1, you are probably paying a huge markup (100-400%). Bear in mind that Scholastic is a for-profit company. They took in millions and millions and millions of dollars in revenue last year.

Paperback books 24 pages or shorter are usually bound with staples. There will be no words on the spine. This practice keeps prices low, but insures that the books won't last long. The industry word for this is "saddle stitched" which sounds better than "staple-bound."

Hardcover books and board books sold on Scholastic are often cheaper on Amazon. Buy them there and donate the difference in cash to your school.

Do the math with book sets to determine the price per book. Ignore the comparison "retail" cost.

CDs that come with books will be loose in paper sleeves.

Consider book dimensions. "Mini" and "pocket" books may be much smaller than you expect, and Scholastic no longer reveals the sizes of books in their descriptions. Most Scholastic imprints are smaller than the original publishers' editions.

Read reviews on Amazon



"Disappointment" "So boring"





"Hysterical!" "This is a winner!"


Once you've narrowed things down, consider your budget and finalize your order. Make your teacher really happy by ordering online. That means less work for him/her and an extra $3 in book credit for the class. Just be sure that if you start shopping online (which is EXACTLY what Scholastic wants because online shoppers tend to spend more when they have their credit cards out), you use the same level of caution and selectivity.

Happy shopping and happy reading!

10 Read-Aloud Ideas to Try Today

I've seen many lists of read-aloud tips for parents and teachers. These are the habits I have developed through hours and hours (and hours) of practice. Every child is different, and there is no right or wrong when it comes to sharing good books.


1. Pause for a count of two after each sentence. Force yourself to slow down by pausing at the end of each sentence. The pause gives children a moment to absorb what you've just read and helps you start the next sentence at a good pace.


2. Read the speech verbs in the same tone of voice as the dialog. "'What are you doing?' she shouted!"


3. Make faces as you read even if your child isn't looking. When you are smiling, it comes through in your voice. Some points in a story call for frowns or expressions of surprise or confusion. Simply making a face will help you convey that emotion in your voice.


4. Use the book (and your body) to physically demonstrate action. If someone is jumping in a book, toss the book itself. Taking a bow? Tilt down the book in a dramatic bow. A sudden surprise? Drop the book entirely.


5. Occasionally leave off the last word of a rhyming sentence and have your child guess what it should be. This is a great pre-reading skill for young children, as well as an opportunity to be creative (praise the "wrong" answer if your child manages to make a good rhyme)


6. Read adjectives, particularly those important for a scene, in a voice that could be described by the adjective. Slow. Joyous. Silly. Loud. Shaky. (You just read those to yourself in a silly voice, didn't you?)


7. Introduce a new and unfamiliar book by pretending you are reluctant to read it. "I'm not sure if I should read this story. It's pretty silly."


8. Break into song (or laughter) every once in awhile. Rhyme lends itself to being sung. Make up a tune for a couple of lines (don't be surprised if you are expected to use the same melody for all subsequent readings). Or bust up laughing at something. Laughter is as contagious as a yawning.


9. Create suspense and anticipation by stopping dramatically at certain points in the story. "And then they slowly opened the heavy, creaky door....." (stop and clean your glasses or take a long drink).


10. Wonder out loud about what is going to happen. "How is she going to get out of this mess? Do you think the alligator is going to lend her a broom?"

Panic Attacks, Prescriptions, and Poetry

Generalized Anxiety Disorder. That was the diagnosis when we finally figured out what was happening to me. After the birth of my first child, I began to have great difficulty sleeping and relaxing. I was utterly exhausted but simply couldn't turn off my brain. Sometimes my heart would race or I would feel the uncontrollable urge to shake my legs or hands.

Well-meaning friends and family members suggested that I sleep during the baby's naps or they would offer to spell me for a few minutes so I could go in the other room and rest. No one seemed to understand that I lacked the ability to flip a switch and relax. After awhile, I stopped trying for fear of being roused just as I began to drift off, a fate that is arguably worse than enduring bone tiredness. I searched for advice online and even tried a few so-called natural remedies, but the scientist in me knew that I would have to believe in the placebos for them to work. Yoga felt silly. Meditation was elusive.

I tried various medicinal sleep remedies as my doctors and I puzzled through my situation. Eventually we landed on a particular class of antidepressants and related medications. Postpartum depression did seem to be complicating things. During this period of pharmaceutical experimentation, I experienced my first panic attack. At the time, I didn't recognize it for what it was, but the effects seemed to linger for days. It was truly terrifying.

All the while, I was still Mommy. I had responsibilities, a full time paycheck job, a new home business, and a deep need to be with my child and my husband. Some days were better than others. Months went by.

It did not help matters that my son was so excited about life that he seemed to fight sleep as hard as I was grabbing for it. His eyes would spring open at 4:30 am, and he would leap out of bed ready for the day. At nap time and bedtime, he fought to stay awake, calling us into his room multiple times. The slightest disturbance seemed to wake him. I remember jumping around outside in my pajamas in the pouring rain one night to remove the bulb from our motion-activated light, convinced that it was keeping him awake.

Our bedtime reading began to stretch on and on. I found that if I could read him to sleep, he would tend to stay asleep. He loved books and reading and would eagerly demand a new story just as I finished the last one. The library never seemed big enough.

I began to notice that as I read aloud, my heart rate would slow down. My muscles relaxed. There were times I became so tranquil that I wanted to curl up next to my son and sleep then and there, fearful that even standing up to walk out the door would reset my anxiety. I also found that when I read poetry and rhythmic text, the relaxing effect of reading aloud was even more pronounced. My son enjoyed poetry as well, and would ask for specific books.

So began my self medication.

As I read the words on the page...

[breathe]

I would consciously slow down...

[breathe]

Pausing at the end of each line...

[breathe]

Focusing on the words and cadence...

[breathe]

Reveling in the imagery...

[breathe]

Leaving my tension behind...

[breathe]

...as my son breathed softly beside me.



The effect was temporary, but delicious. Life continued, the anxiety would come and go. After a few years, I finally found a prescription the worked for me, fulfilling my mother-in-law's prophesy that eventually we all need medication. I also discovered that a glass of wine in the evening did wonders for helping me unwind (up until that point, I was dutifully observing the sleep rule that prohibits alcohol before bed).

My anxiety is now under control, whatever that really means, and I have discovered that I never really appreciated poetry until I found the perfect audience.

Why I Don't Recommend that Parents "Read to Children 15 Minutes a Day"

By now you have probably seen a billboard, magazine spread, or social media campaign saying that all parents should read to children for 15 minutes a day. There is ample research to suggest that the more reading aloud in the household, the more exposure children have to new vocabulary. Reading together also demonstrates that you feel reading is important ("do what I do, not what I say"). Reading together helps with brain development, communication skills, bonding, and empathy. What's not to love?

I do recommend that parents and caregivers read to children for all the reason's I've mentioned above, but I always leave off the "15 minutes a day" part. Why?


1. The time requirement makes reading seem like a chore.

A minimum time requirement, no matter how short, has the psychological effect of making what should be an enjoyable experience into something to be endured.

2. Daily recommendations often lead to failure, stress, or guilt.

What happens if you miss a day? Have you done irreparable harm to your child? Of course not! Yet some would use this part of the recommendation as an excuse to quit trying altogether, the same way that diets and exercise regimens are completely abandoned every day.

3. It's easy to be distracted by the numbers.

Put the clock away, and stop doing the math to figure out how many words your child is hearing on a daily basis. Let the researchers run the numbers. As long as you are finding time to read together regularly (sometimes several books, sometimes only one), the numbers become irrelevant.

A raucous 5-minute reading of a family favorite may do more good than 15 minutes of reading a book that either party clearly detests.

4. All books are not created equal. 

Some will argue that for children who get no reading, just about any book is better than none. I agree, for the most part. However, if reading becomes a forced experience, it could kill a child's interest entirely. The "15 minute" rule is a Public Service Announcement, a recommendation that would benefit the population as a whole if only everyone followed it. However, the vast majority of people who will take this rule to heart are already conscientious parents. Among this group of people are those who will twist the recommendation into an excuse to read books they feel are "good for" children, regardless of interest level. Whether it be Bible stories, classics, award-winners, or cautionary tales, there is no book or story that is absolutely better than others. Books and stories need to be matched to the child and the parent.

By all means, read to children. Read often!

Make it into an experience that works for everyone. If it isn't enjoyable, then perhaps you need to change your approach. Find new books to read. Add reading to a new part of your day (breakfast?). Enlist the help of another member of the family. Treat reading like a normal part of life, like eating or getting dressed. Above all else, smile and have fun.

The Library Isn't Enough

Photo credit: Demco

Children need to have access to books. I don't think anyone will dispute this. But is it enough simply to borrow all your books from the library? Don't get me wrong, I'm a regular and enthusiastic patron of my own local library. Whenever I visit, I see families with children. Many times I see them leaving with armloads of books. The sight makes me happy.


But sometimes I run into (or overhear) people who are cheating their children out of the pride and pleasure of owning their own books. Sure, the library is free. Sure, kids can outgrow books as fast as they outgrow shoes. Sure, it's difficult to predict which books will be a hit and which will gather dust. Sure, mismatched book covers don't fit in with a Pottery Barn Kids aesthetic. Sure, they can take up valuable shelf space that might otherwise be used for a Disney collectible. So, why bother ever purchasing a physical book?


Here are 5 reasons why.....


1. Children who own copies of their favorite books can pick them up anytime they want. Owning a book is a very different experience than borrowing one. It's yours. It won't go away in two weeks. You can see it every time you walk past. You can revisit it after putting it away for awhile and rediscover it.


2. Children should be allowed to handle books without fear of getting in trouble. I teach my children to be careful with library books. Other children will be using them later, and they belong to someone else. I stress good book handling skills: No dogeared pages, No cracked spines, Turn pages by the corner, Don't write against (or on) the book, Keep it dry, Don't toss it around, Don't lick the pictures or chew on the cover. This means that the enjoyment of the book is tempered by the constant admonition to "be careful."

I have always allowed my children to handle their own books without supervision. If something happens, we talk about it and then fix it together. Sometimes books are consumed, literally. It's part of the business of growing up.


3. You wouldn't expect a child borrow all of his toys. The amount of money people spend on toys is staggering. We expect that babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school aged children will enjoy different kinds of toys. Every holiday is an excuse to purchase more. We know that sometimes a toy is purchased that is never played with. That doesn't mean we demand that children be denied the pleasure of owning them. Imagine saying, "Times up! We have to return those toy cars today or they'll be overdue."


4. Libraries contain only a tiny sample of the wonderful books in the world. Sadly, many libraries are facing serious budget cuts that prevent them from expanding their holdings or even replacing books that go missing or wear out. Some libraries have mandates or formulas for deciding which books will be added to their holdings. This means that excellent books will sometimes be missed.


5. Books make wonderful heirlooms. Your child may not recognize that frilly bib your aunt made or that derpy baby hat. She may not remember that swaddling blanket she lived in for months. But your children long remember and cherish that book you read together over and over. Books also make terrific souvenirs of travels to new places, and they can bring back tangible memories of happy times.

Look for books your child loves at the library
and purchase them copies of their own.

Ask booksellers to recommend new books for your child based on their interests.

Allow your children to hug their books, sleep with them,
and even DANCE with them.

Books are not fragile china dolls.

"A library of well-loved books is a sign of a happy childhood."

Take a deep breath and gaze upon this sight. You can handle it!

What is Fnippy?

fnippy \ fni' pee \ ,adjective;

1.  gleeful
2.  goofy
3.  offbeat
4.  edgy