Suggested Reading

Wondering what children’s book to read next?  These resources will help to point you in the right direction!

National Education Association:  Resources and Materials (find it on ipl2: Resources by Subject – Kidspace – Reading Zone – Book Lists)
http://www.nea.org/grants/13023.htm
Part of the Read Across America program, this resource features lists of recommended children’s literature.  The program works to highlight America’s diversity through lists covering Asian-American authors, Spanish/English bilingual books, Native American authors, and African American authors.  Other lists include Teacher’s Top 100 and Author’s Favorites.  Users can also download posters for Read Across America and the Reader’s Oath.

International Reading Association:  Children’s Choices (find it on ipl2: Resources by Subject – Kidspace – Reading Zone – Book Lists)
http://www.reading.org/Resources/Booklists/ChildrensChoices.aspx
For kids, by kids.  In conjunction with the Children’s Book Council, the International Reading Association annually publishes a list of recommended children’s literature with titles selected by children themselves.  This resource features annotated versions of the lists from 1998 to the present.  The website also features fact sheets about Children’s Choices, information about the list and an application to become a Children’s Choice Team Leader, as well as pre-formatted bookmarks that can be downloaded and used to promote the resource.

Half-Remembered Children’s Books (find it on ipl2: Pathfinders)
http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/entry/76690
This ipl2 pathfinder offers strategies and resources for finding half-remembered children’s books—those books you may have enjoyed in the past, but for which you cannot recall the author or title.  Print and electronic resources are listed.

 
The Newbery Medal Homepage (find it on ipl2: Resources by Subject – Literary Awards)
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberymedal.cfm
This is the homepage for the Newbery Medal, an annual award given by the American Library Association for distinguished contributions to children’s literature.  The site features a list of nominees, past winners, information about children’s literature, and links to related websites.

(Adult) Lessons From Children’s Books

By LISA BELKIN

New York Times

In his State of the Union address last night, President Obama spoke of the responsibility of parents in educating their children. “That responsibility begins not in our classrooms, but in our homes and communities,” he said. “It’s family that first instills the love of learning in a child.”
Yes. And it works the other way around, too. Teaching our children educates us anew. Becoming a parent often feels like taking an out-of-town friend on a tour, allowing you to see familiar sights through a visitor’s eyes, and asking you to remember what it is you love (or don’t) about where you live.
Lee Skallerup Bessette feels this duality keenly when reading to her two young children. Yes, she reads aloud because of all those studies that show that children do better at everything in life if their parents read aloud. And she reads aloud because it’s cozy and fun. But there are other reasons, too. As she writes in a guest post today, her children are not the only one learning from the stories.

READING MAKES MY CHILDREN (AND ME) BETTER
When I was an undergrad, I took a course in children’s literature. One of our assignments was to revisit some of the books we remembered reading as children. I was a voracious reader, and I have no real memories of reading anything other than chapter books. As I wandered the children’s chapter-book shelves at the local library, books that I had long forgotten jumped out to me: “Tales of the Fourth-Grade Nothing,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “James and the Giant Peach” and “Ramona the Brave.” I excitedly borrowed those books and more to read and write about.
There is a moment at the end of “Ramona the Brave” where Ramona is overwhelmed and frustrated by circumstances in her life. She declares that she will scream a very bad word, the only way she can think of to express the depths of her feelings to her parents. Stomping her feet, she yells: “Guts!” Her parents burst out laughing, and, rereading it as a college student, I was reduced to tears. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the memory of feeling at a loss for words, like no one heard me or understood how I felt. And how dare they laugh at this poor girl’s very real attempt at releasing her frustrations?
Almost 15 years later I am now the mother of two young kids. My daughter is still too young for chapter books, but she recently discovered my old childhood copy of “Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” We read it and, like any good piece of literature, I can use the opportunity to talk about a bad day she may have had. But I am also reminded as a parent how completely overwhelming a bad day can seem to a child, as trivial as the events may seem to me as an adult. We have also repeatedly read the classics “I Was So Mad” and “All by Myself,” which I use as reminders as to not only how frustrating life can be to a child, but also how wondrous common events and milestones are to that same child.
Parents need to be reminded of the uncomfortable realities of a child’s perception of the world. One way that I try to empathize with my children is through the stories we read together. I might lose my patience with them, but I am reminded of their worldview through the books, reminded of my own childhood full of my own ups and downs. If I can remember what it felt like when I, like Ramona, was laughed at or seemingly dismissed by my parents, then maybe I can try to do better for my own kids.
But the stories also remind me (and hopefully my kids) that no parent is perfect, in fiction or reality. I think, in our quest to be the perfect parent, this is something we need to be reminded of more regularly. Ramona’s parents are loving people who are dealing with two demanding children with different temperaments the best they can. The Little Critter’s parents, in turn, set limits (no petting the fish or juggling eggs) which are not unreasonable, no matter how much he may want to transgress them. Alexander’s day is truly awful, and his mom’s day, to me, now, doesn’t seem to be going that much better, either. That being said, I can’t bring myself to read the line in “The Tale of Tom Kitten” where his mother “smacks” them for being naughty.
So now, when my son, who has yet to start talking, throws a tantrum because I can’t figure out what he wants, and I want to shout out of frustration myself, I’ll try to remember that, for him, it is his own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. And if I forget, I’ll remember Alexander’s mother’s advice: Some days are like that. For both parents and kids. We know, because we can read about it together.
What children’s books teach you parenting lessons? Suggestions are welcome. As you can see from my children’s reading list, our library tends towards the “classics”; updating would probably be a good idea.

Why parents should find alternative entertainment to TV for their children

Many children are obsessed with watching TV. It is the only thing they do in their free time, and this can lead to laziness and forgetfulness. When a child comes home from school and turns the television on, it is easy to lose track of time, and neglect responsibilities such as doing homework or chores. When this becomes a habit, it is often hard to break, and eventually a child will begin to suffer in school because of not doing their school work at home.

Finding alternative entertainment to TV for kids and encouraging them to express their creativity instead of stifling their abilities to be themselves without the influence of television will benefit them in life. It will help them to develop social skills and teach them to think for themselves. Watching too much television may lead kids to take on the opinions of the others, or act upon the characters in the shows that they watch, instead of interacting and forming their own opinions. 

When children get accustomed to watching television day in and day out, it not only becomes a habit, some kids have a hard time trying to function without the TV. They find it hard to sleep without the noise, and they leave it on when doing their homework or chores. When watching TV while doing other jobs, it becomes a distraction. At the same time, it also makes it hard to focus on the task at hand.

-Kat Ballew
Children Studies

Keeping the Party Going!

Alice In Wonderland is just one book amongst many others that takes you on an adventure.  You know, one of those stories that is just a perfect fit for a tea party...

The website mentioned below is a children's book club resource.  I hope this can be a good source for keeping the tea parties going!

stuartbrent.com

Using Storytime As A Tool To Build Friendship Skills

Using children's literature for teaching friendship skills can be invaluable to students and to teachers. Children's literature is a resource for instruction that also incorporates other academic skills. The skills become meaningful to students through the stories, so that they are able to use the skills outside of classroom activities.
Reader response theory provides a framework for using literature in the classroom. Gunning (1996) defined reader response theory as "a view of reading in which the reader plays a central role in constructing the meaning of a text. The meaning is not found in the text or the reader, but is found in the relationship or transaction between the two" (p. 335). This theory can be applied to the use of children's literature as a tool for teaching friendship skills.

 

Strategy for teaching friendship skills

The strategy for teaching friendship skills using children's literature has four parts: (a) the use of children's literature, (b) direct instruction of steps to follow, (c) practice in the natural environment, and (d) evaluation of the lesson and skills.

Facts About Children's Literacy

Children who are read to at home have a higher success rate in school.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a divison of the U.S. Department of Education1, children who are read to at home enjoy a substantial advantage over children who are not:

• Twenty-six percent of children who were read to three or four times in the last week by a family member recognized all letters of the alphabet. This is compared to 14 percent of children who were read to less frequently.
  
• The NCES1 also reported that children who were read to frequently are also more likely to:
  
• count to 20, or higher than those who were not (60% vs. 44%)
  
• write their own names (54% vs. 40%)
  
• read or pretend to read (77% vs. 57%)
  
• According to NCES2, only 53 percent of children ages three to five were read to daily by a family member (1999). Children in families with incomes below the poverty line are less likely to be read to aloud everyday than are children in families with incomes at or above poverty.
  
• The more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency, according to the Educational Testing Service.3
  
• The Educational Testing Services reported that students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores; however, students read less for fun as they get older.3

Children who read frequently develop stronger reading skills.

• According to the National Education Association, having kids read a lot is one of the crucial components of becoming a good reader. Young readers need to become practiced at recognizing letters and sounds. The only way to get good at it is to practice.4
  
• The U.S. Department of Education5 found that, generally, the more students read for fun on their own time, the higher their reading scores. Between 1984 and 1996, however, the percentage of 12th grade students reporting that they "never" or "hardly ever" read for fun increased from 9 percent to 16 percent.
  
• A poll of middle and high school students commissioned by the National Education Association6 found that 56 percent of young people say they read more than 10 books a year, with middle school students reading the most. Some 70 percent of middle school students read more than 10 books a year, compared with only 49 percent of high school students.

Children's Literature Network

Children’s Literature Network, a source that connects, informs, and educates those who have an interest in children’s and teen books, authors, and illustrators.

CLN is an independent source of news, information, and book reviews, supported by our members.

CLN members throughout the world enjoy having access to information about books, authors, and illustrators, finding this information useful for their schools, libraries, homeschooling, and personal reading pleasure.

childrensliteraturenetwork.org

Check it out!

"The adventures first...explanations take such a dreadful time."

"The adventures first...explanations take such a dreadful time."

- Gryphon

Alice is having a conversation with the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle by the beach. Alice has been mostly listening to the other two telling their stories and songs but then the Gryphon asks Alice to tell about her adventures as well. When Alice begins her tale a little hesitantly, the Mock Turtle wants her to explain it all. But the Gryphon is impatient and wants to hear only the exiting parts.