Entries For: October 2010

Foundation for Early Learning is delighted to feature a guest blog post from Barbara Toop of Yakima Valley Libraries, a member of the Early Learning Public Library Partnership. If you are interested in being featured in the Foundation's blog, please contact Joel Ballezza, Communications Manager at joel@earlylearning.org.

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Reading stories aloud to children is not only about sharing a great story but also about having fun together with books.  Many favorite picture books for young listeners have repeating phrases or sounds we can make together to enjoy the story even more. Love-a-Duck by Alan James Brown is doubly fun because not only is it a great story with silly sounds, but it features charming illustrations that are bright and playful.

A frolic in the bathtub by Jane and her favorite rubber duck ends when Love-a-Duck’s squeaker gets so waterlogged that he can’t squeak. When Jane notices, Love-a-Duck thinks she doesn’t love him anymore.  Full of water and despair, the rubber duck accidently falls off the windowsill and right into the baby carriage.  Love-a-Duck is unknowingly carried away, and thus begins his adventures with the family in the park. Of course, they do not see his distress when he is dropped to the ground or thrown in the pond. After each incident he tries to speak, but all he can say is, “Squubble, squubble!”, “Squark, squark!” or “Squidge, squidge!”  The narrator asks, “Did anyone notice?” and the answer is always a resounding “No they didn’t!”  Will Love-a-Duck ever get his squeak back and feel loved again? Will he ever make it back home? Lucky for him the family dog, Buster does notice and manages to get him safely home in time for baths all around. A heart-warming reunion will be appreciated by all and can be enjoy time after time. This book is sure to become a family favorite to be enjoyed day after day.

Young listeners will love joining in for the repeating phrases and reliving each crazy incident.  Seeing their favorite grownup making silly sounds is a bonus while kids are playing with the sounds letters can make.  Are you ready for some fun with your little ones? Gather them onto your lap and read Love-a Duck by Alan James Brown. There are plenty of laughs for young and old alike.

Foundation for Early Learning is partnering with early learning expert Dr. Patricia Nan Anderson to launch a new discussion forum on the Foundation's Facebook page.  This new discussion board will be focused on providing tips and advice to support you and your child's learning.

Join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/fdnforearlylearning and share your point of view ideas on how to navigate the waters of parenthood. The discussion forum will by run under the "Discussions" tab on our Facebook page.

Weekly Contest

Each week, for five weeks, Dr. Patricia will be randomly selecting a piece of advice or response from the community forum. The user who provided this helpful post will win a $25 gift card to Starbucks.

“Like” our Facebook page and start sharing your ideas today!

Foundation for Early Learning is delighted to feature a guest blog post from Brooke Golden of Libraries of Stevens County, a member of the Early Learning Public Library Partnership. If you are interested in being featured in the Foundation's blog, please contact Joel Ballezza, Communications Manager at joel@earlylearning.org.

By Brooke Golden of Libraries of Stevens County

There’s something about a child’s laughter that will get you every time. When I’m reading stories to the children at my Wednesday morning storytime, I always feel like a superstar when I make them laugh.

Okay, it’s not always just me. A good book can definitely help. One of my favorites is The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems. If you haven’t discovered the Pigeon books, run (don’t walk) to your local library and check one out. I haven’t met a preschooler yet who doesn’t love Pigeon. Maybe it’s the simple illustrations creatively laid out on the page.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus was a Caldecott Honor Book in 2004. Maybe it’s the dialogue we have with Pigeon, expressed in speech bubbles. He actually invites children to talk to him, answer questions, and tell the story with him. Perhaps it is the hilarious ideas that Pigeon gets, like driving a bus or getting a puppy.

Whatever it is, kids just love these books. And parents can feel good about the humor and lessons that Pigeon imparts like sharing, dreaming, and following rules. Children will laugh at Pigeon as he tells them that he will never, ever share…until he meets a little duckling that has never, ever tasted a hot dog!

Join your child in laughter and read The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog. It will get you every time. 

A few months ago I posted a blog sharing some of Ivan's favorite books. Since that post his taste has changed and he has new favorites. He’s about 18-months old now, in case you are wondering the age range for the list below. 

Ivan's all time favorite book is My big truck book, by Roger Priddy. This sturdy board book has pictures of trucks with short captions. Ivan LOVES this books. It is often the first thing he looks for when he wakes up. He will carry the book into our bed and start flipping through it pointing at the trucks and saying "that that that." 

Peek! A Thai Hide and Seek is one of my favorites. This charming book with beautiful illustrations has a story about a little girl who is playing hide and seek with her dad. Throughout the book the father asks a menagerie of animals if they have seen the little girl. Ivan enjoyed the pictures of the animals, especially the dog. Hush! A Thai Lullaby is a companion book of equal charm.

The Lion & the Mouse, by Jerry Pinkey was a surprise favorite. I found this wordless book on the new bookshelf at the library and borrowed it on a whim. When I took it home Ivan found it in our library book basket and settled in to look at the beautiful illustrations. The wordless book is based on Aesop's tale of the lion and the mouse. We talked about the lion and his fluffy mane, his inquisitive expressions, and the mouse's ability to gnaw the lion free. This book was awarded the Caldecott Award for illustration.

Bee Bim Bop by Linda Sue Park is a yummy book. I love Korean food and this is such a yummy tale. A family gets dinner together with clever rhythms and cheerful illustrations. As a bonus the book has a bee bim bop recipe in the back. 

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney is a tale about little Llama’s first day of school. I liked it because it showed that little Llama missed his mama and he cried a bit; a realistic side of starting school. The other books in the Llama series are fun too: Llama Llama Mad at Mama-- little Llama doesn’t want to shop any more. Llama Llama Red Pajama—a hilarious going to bed book. 

I wasn’t expecting My Chinatown to be a hit in our house, but the colorful illustrations hold his attention. The text is a tad too long to read, but we talk about the pictures and talk about the International District in Seattle and Chinatowns all over the world. 

Jessica, my co-worker, is a volunteer reader at a pre-school. She said the must read book every week is I Stink by Kate Mcmullan. Every week the children pull out the book for Jessica to read. Poor Jessica tries to entice the kids with new books, but they gravitate back to I Stink. 

Trout Trout Trout by April Pulley Sayre is a fun rhythm story with imaginative illustrations. My best friend’s last name is Trout. Her husband is less than thrilled with me when I try to theme her children’s life. So far books to her early learners have included: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Trout and Trout: an Illustrated History. 

Please share with me, erin@earlylearning.org, some of your favorite books. We are always on the hunt for new books to share. 

*Update*

Two-year-old EO shared several of his favorite books.

I Love You Stinky Face, by Lisa McCourt. EO says "I love it when my mom reads this one, it can be so silly."

EO also enjoys the cool illustrations found In the Forest, by Marie Hall.

EO's mom digs books by Todd Parr, which includes The Feelings Book, The Family Book, and the I Love You Book among others. 

Pierce County Librarian Alison Pascone shared these fall books. 

Leaves by David Ezra Stein and Sleepy Bear by Lydia Dabcovitch

Supporting the learning of children, birth through age five, is not always flashy work. Foundation for Early Learning does not roll out new models each year like the car industry or launch iphone apps like the tech sector.

Nope, supporting early learning takes lots of time and work and you often do not get to see results for years, as children grow and develop into productive, happy and successful citizens.

When I talk to people on the bus about what I do, it usually takes a few moments to describe early learning to those unfamiliar with the sector.

"Babies learn from birth?" they remark.

That's why I was so impressed with the story Ounce of Prevention tells in this brief video they posted on YouTube. In just a couple of minutes, they layout a compelling and engaging story of how with early education, children blossom, and without it, they are left under-nurtured. By telling a story, they make a difference.

Foundation for Early Learning is delighted to feature a guest blog post from Theresa Hadley of Whatcom County Library System, a member of the Early Learning Public Library Partnership. If you are interested in being featured in the Foundation's blog, please contact Joel Ballezza, Communications Manager at joel@earlylearning.org.

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By Theresa Hadley of Whatcom County Library System

Anyone who’s been to a conference with a bunch of children’s librarians knows that we can be a boisterous group.  We are always using our “narrative skills.”   We seem to turn just about anything into a dramatic story with sound effects, voices, etc.  Have you heard, The Tale of the Big Bad Library Budget?  How about the one that starts, “It was a dark and stormy hiring freeze…?” You get the picture. 

Most of us love to encourage narrative skills in children as well, and lucky for us, this is one of those early literacy skills they pay us to nurture.  I have been developing this skill with the children in my preschool storytimes by working with the story of The Three Little Pigs.  It’s one of my all-time favorite stories because of the fun, repeating lines, the simple 3-pronged story structure, the exciting build up to a tense climax and the satisfying conclusion.  It’s a nearly perfect structure. 

I usually start with the flannel story created from the pattern in Judy Sierra’s classic, The Flannel Board Storytelling Book.  I rehearse the “lines” with the children before we even get started.  Many of the kids are familiar with the story already, which is nice.  When I introduce the wolf, I ask, “Now is he known as the small, nice wolf?”

“No!” they say, he’s the “big, bad wolf.” This is known in the early literacy circles as “vocabulary building.”  Then we practice our big, bad voices and say, “Little pig! Little pig!  Let me come in”

Then we practice our wee little pig voices, “Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.”

Big Bad voices, “Then I’ll Huff…”

The kids are usually primed and ready to go as I launch into the tale.  Many of them love being dramatic when they are cued.  After storytime I hand out (or allow craft time to make) two simple stick puppets--one pig and one wolf.  These again are the patterns from The Flannel Board Storytelling Book.  I tell the kids that all they need to tell the story is to bring out the pig three different times and pretend it is a different pig, remember 1)straw, 2)sticks, 3)bricks, and remember the famous pig and wolf lines.  They’ll be telling the story in no time. 

I also encourage them to check out some of the many other variations of the story (on display) and show them that it’s always the same basic structure with different details.  I encourage them to add their own details. 

My own children are quite skilled storytellers.  They use voices and sound effects and dramatic pauses.  They tell jokes and make up stories to go with complex graphic novels.  I imagine it’s a skill they developed naturally from saturation in a storytelling environment.  It’s a skill that never seemed like work to teach—in fact I don’t think I realized I was teaching it until I sat down to write this blog entry.  So, have fun, use simple props and fun repeating lines and those narrative skills should fall right into place.