Update

This is a quick post to all of my readers - my family and I had to go out of town this weekend unexpectedly due to a sick relative who is fading quickly.

Hopefully, I will be able to post our "mystery friend" from Friday and the winner of my giveaway on Sunday night; if not, I will have this site updated on Monday morning for sure.  I am sorry for the delay.  Thank you for your understanding!

Literacy Tip #9 .: Developmental Milestones of Early Literacy / Part One of Five :.

weheartit.com

Today's literacy tip is part one of a five-part series on children's early interaction with books, designed to optimize your reading time with your little, little one(s).  It is adapted from research provided by Reach Out and Read, an excellent resource for early literacy intervention.

If your child is 6 - 12 months of age, here are instrumental motor and cognitive skills he or she is capable of demonstrating from a literacy perspective:

• reaches for book(s)
• puts book(s) to mouth
• sits in your lap, holding head and neck steady
• turns pages with your help
• looks at pictures in book(s)
• vocalizes reactions to pictures
• shows a strong preference for real-life pictures of faces, rather than cartoons

Here is what you can do to maximize reading time with your 6 - 12 month old child:

• cuddle / hold your child comfortably on your lap
• allow your baby to lead the reading session by following his or her cues to turn pages or to stop reading
• point to and give names to objects and people in pictures

Board books are an excellent choice for meeting infants' literacy needs!

Here are just a few of my suggestions:




Happy reading with your baby!

Coming next Thursday :: Tips for reading time with your 12 - 18 month-old child ::

Final clue for Mystery Friend Friday :: cool collage art ::

Giveaway Still Going On :: Don't Miss Out! ::

Hey you! Yeah, YOU!!

Did you forget to enter my Father's Day book pack giveaway???

Well...you still have a few days to enter!

Just click here for the details!

**Why not join up with this great link party I just discovered over at the blog, Take It From Me? Click on the button below to join in the fun!!**

 

Clue #3 for Mystery Friend Friday :: collage art ::

.: Welcome, new visitors! I am so happy you are here! If you want to find out more about "Mystery Friend Friday," just scroll back up to the Peanuts cartoon located below my header.  Details about this weekly feature (and others) are right below it! :.

Book Review #11 - Insect Detective

Insect Detective

Written by Steve Voake

Illustrated by Charlotte Voake

Published by Candlewick Press

First U.S. Edition 2010

"Lift up a stone and you might see an earwig scuttle out.  They like to hide in the damp and the dark.  The pincers on the tips of their abdomens make them look kind of scary, but don't worry - they're completely harmless."

Publisher's Summary:  Right now, all around you, thousands of insects are doing strange and wonderful things:  wasps are building their nests, ants are collecting food, and dragonflies are readying for the hunt.  But it's not always so easy to catch sight of these six-legged creatures...Become an insect detective and find out just what the insects around you are up to!

Mary Elizabeth's Musings:  I must say that I am quite smitten with this book! Its watercolor illustrations pair beautifully with the rich prose, which is filled with exceptionally interesting insect facts.  Giving children practical tips of finding and observing the world of insects around them, the author conveys a quiet message of respect for insects and their place in the ecosystem.  Quite simply, this informative non-fiction book reads as smoothly as any children's fiction book.  You will find it as fascinating as your child surely will!

Why I Recommend This Book:  This gem of a book will encourage your child to observe the intricacies of the natural world right in their own backyard! After finishing this exceptional book, your child will be armed with the knowledge of how to unobtrusively explore the world of insects ... and he or she will be eager to do so as soon as you reach the back cover! I tremendously enjoyed this book - do yourself and your child a favor by grabbing it from your local library today!

Recommended for ages 5 - 9 years.

Also by this author:




Also by this illustrator:

** Clue #2 for Mystery Friend Friday :: Apple Pie Tree :: **

It's Monday...What Are You Reading?

It's Monday again...and time for a round-up of what we're all reading! Thank you, Sheila, over at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books for hosting this great link party!!!

My pile of books grows and grows...

From My Mailbox for Review:

Children's Novel I Just Finished:

Awesome read - upcoming review!!!

Next Children's Novel to Read:

Some of What I've Been Reading With My Children:

** Clue #1 for Mystery Friend Friday :: Leaf Man :: **