"A work in progress"
Rock art by my husband; photo by me.
Let's start at the beginning... Why is it important to read to babies?
-helps with language acquisition
the more opportunities to hear words being spoken, the more likely it is that your child will repeat these words.
-helps increase attention span
but remember the book is there for your child, not visa versa
-helps build a bond between mother and child
-helps instill a love of books
More:
A link to an article I wrote on the importance of reading to infants and toddlers--and the conclusion to this article.
On the web: 10 Reasons Why You Should Read to Your Kids
Board books are especially designed to appeal to babies.
Pictures are the most important element in board books. [They help to keep the young listener engaged.] There might be one sentence on a page ... sometimes just one word. (Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul p. 7)
The main difference between board and picture books is the number of pages. Picture books, for children two to five years of age, are typically 32 pages long.
More:
An article on the importance of reading to your 2 to 3 year old child.
On the web: Literacy Skills: Ages 2 - 3
How do you help your child make the transition from board to picture books?
First, read the picture book the way you would a board book--by focusing on the illustrations. Then try reading some of the text. Is your child engaged? Is the child interested? Continue reading. If at any time the child shows any signs of being uninterested in the text, stop reading and refocus on the illustrations. Remember books are there for the child--not visa, versa. The goal is to keep storytime fun.
Next post: (Sunday, April 17th -- around 5 p.m. PST) Do authors influence you? How? Who? I will discuss this topic as I review Margaret Atwood's novel Cat's Eye
Bim sporting his new sweater--hand knit and designed by me.
First time in a long time that I returned to my knitting needles.
But, hey, Bim was cold--so it had to be done, and it was fun.
Sharing my author journey...
Some people love to sleep. Some authors have a strict no writing in
bed rule.
Me? I'm happy to wake when my muse calls me. This week my muse woke me around 3 a.m. Monday morning. She had a story to tell. Actually, she gave me the ending and made me work for the rest. But you won't hear me complaining.
What about you? What would you happily lose sleep for?
