Reading Picture Books

Books with few words but beautiful pictures are fantastic for story telling and developing conversation skills. Children who read well have usually been read to often. Researchers recently reviewed eight studies and found that reading to your child can raise his or her IQ by over six points. No TV show, video, or computer game can replace two people engage by reading together and talking.

Materials you will need:

Ask your librarian for Caldecott Medal winners with few words.

  If you can’t get to the library, use your computer and go to the Storybird site. It is an excellent collection of very visual stories all created by other readers. In your browser: http://storybird.com/

Find out more tips and ideas in the Storybird Blog: http://blog.storybird.com/

What to do:

   Gather a few stuffed animals to read with you in a cozy spot. If you are using Storybird on computer, you can browse from a list of topics and age leveled links. You can even create your own picture stories right in Storybird since the pictures are all provided in the program. These stories can be saved and shared with others when you create your own account.

How to read together:

 After reading the title and author, start a conversation “Look at that.  What do you see? Just soak in the beauty of a few pages. Then start making up your own story using your words and the author’s illustrations. Your child will learn to add to the story.

  Ask questions that begin with “What, who, where, when, why do you think, or how?”  How do the characters feel—happy, sad, angry, upset, lonely, warm and cuddly inside?  What is the character thinking about?  What will the character do next?” Give the characters names,

    After you have exhausted those questions ask, “What do you think will happen next?” Predicting is an important reading skill.

Whatever you do, take it slow.  Adults often hurry children. Instead, give them time to think. Relax. Reading calms children and adults, preparing for sleep soothing a hurt, and giving great joy.  This is an extremely important part of every child’s routine before naps and bedtime. 

More recommended books: 

Here are a few award winning picture book authors and titles to start: Tuesday, The Three Pigs, Flotsam, Free Fall, and Sector 7 by Wiesner; Lehman’s The Red Book, Museum Trip, Rainstorm, and Trainstop; Rathmann’s Good Night, Gorilla, and 10 Minutes till Bedtime; Briggs The Snowman; VanAllsburg’s Ben’s Dream; Blake’s Clown; dePaola’s Pancakes for Breakfast; Spiers’ Rain; Rohmann’s Time Flies; Deep in the Forest by Turkle; The Silver Pony by Ward; Yellow Umbrella by Jae-Soo Liu; and Hug by Alborough.

Find more American Library Association Award Winners at: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/the-one-and-only-ivan-wins-the-newbery-medal_b64364

Photos & Illustrations: http://storybird.com/pascalcampion/artwork/read-me-a-story/ ; Storybird logo
Reference: http://bit.ly/YxPbTk