Recent Reads

Been sick this past week, so have not done much of anything really. Here are some of the books my fevered brain could handle.

1. The Poet
Finished this 600+ page book in 24 hours - actually closed it just a little while ago. I'm not a huge mystery genre fan, but there are several authors I really enjoy. Connelly is one of them. I had vague nigglings that I read this book many moons ago, but did not recall the story, so dived into the fun read.

2. The Read-Aloud Handbook
Reading this book was like preaching to the choir. Loved it. Should be required reading for every parent and educator. The copy I just finished looks like a prickly rainbow with all those sticky notes marking the passages I want to copy into my journal.

The single most important activity for building knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children. Reading is fundamental. Read to your kids for 30 minutes every day. Read to them even when they can read for themselves. A child has a much higher listening skill than reading skill until about age 8. Set the example by reading yourself. Surround your kid with printed material in the home - books, newspapers, magazines.

The first half of the book reviews the latest in research and success stories. The second half reviews a list of books you could read aloud to kids based on age group. Love, love this book.