Summer Reading Starts Tomorrow!

You're invited to our summer reading kick-off party on Friday, June 1st, from 1-4pm. Have some popcorn or a popsicle! Show your speed and agility in the obstacle course or have fun jumping in the bounce house! Pick up your summer reading folder and start tracking your reading minutes to earn books, incentives, and drawings for prizes. The first day to check in is Monday, June 11th. If you're not able to attend the kick-off party, you can sign up in the children's room anytime after June 1st. The summer reading program is from June 1-July 27. All ages may participate--from babies to adults!

Singing to Build Early Literacy

Sing a song with your child today! You may already do this on a regular basis, but did you know that you are helping build your child's vocabulary and introducing new ideas when you sing? These are both important literacy components. In fact, singing is one of the five early literacy practices identified by the Every Child Read to Read @ Your Library project. (The five practices are talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing.)

Don't worry if you're a bit out of key--enthusiasm will make up for it! No matter what key you're in, singing slows down spoken words so that children can hear the distinct sounds that comprise each word. Being able to identify these sounds is a critical early literacy skill. You can sing traditional nursery rhymes, make up your own songs, or narrate your child's daily activities in a sing-song voice or to the tune of an old stand-by like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Why not personalize this tune with your own words and your child's name?

Here are some suggestions from our new music for songs that you and your kids can sing along with:

Jim Gill Presents Music Play for Folks of All Stripes
Making Silly Faces - In the Nick of Time

April App Spotlight

Last month in our "App Spotlight" we told you about Seuss Band and Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App! This month we have another exciting app for you to enjoy on our Early Literacy iPads:

 

PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit

This book app is a new spin on The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. The developers use the original illustrations, converting them into 3-D pop-up art that children can interact with. Characters wiggle and make sounds when pressed. There are also many pages where children can manipulate the characters on the page to help move the story along. This app gives you the option to read the book independently or have it read to you with wonderful narration. Children will love operating the illustrations, parents will love revisiting a classic tale. Stop by the RFPL Children's Room to explore this app on an iPad today!

Pleasing, Playful, Perky Poems

April is National Poetry Month and the perfect time to explore some fun poetry books. Because most poems are relatively short you can read a bunch of poems in one sitting. You can also check out 10 poetry books and read a poem or two from each in no time at all! I love Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, two American poets who lived in the 1800s. I studied their work in school and still reread their poems often. But, when I am in the mood for something a bit more silly and light-hearted I check out these books (call number J811) by three wonderful children's authors: Jack Prelutsky, Bob Raczka., and Jon Agee.

Classics updated for a new generation.

Some of the new books coming into the RFPL children's room look very familiar... That is because they are wacky new spins on classic stories!

Check out these new twists on historical favorites:

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale
By Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright
Skilley, an alley cat with an embarrassing secret, longs to escape his hard life dodging fishwives brooms and carriage wheels and trade his damp alley for the warmth of the Cheshire Cheese Inn. When he learns that the innkeeper is looking for a new mouser, Skilley comes up with an audacious scheme to install himself in the famous tavern. Once established in the inn, Skilley strikes a bargain with Pip, the intelligent mouse-resident, and his fellow mice. Skilley protects the mice and the mice in turn give to Skilley the delectable Cheshire cheese of the inn. Thus begins a most unlikely alliance and friendship. The cat and mouse design a plan to restore Maldwyn wounded raven and faithful guard in the service of Queen Victoria to his rightful place in The Tower, but first they must contend with a tyrannical cook, a mouse-despising barmaid, and an evil tomcat named Pinch. Will the famous author suffering from serious writer s block who visits the Cheshire Cheese pub each day be able to help?

Not only does this fun read feature the legendary writer Charles Dickens as a main character, it also weaves in re-imaginings of some of his most famous characters and plots!
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again
By Frank Cottrell Boyce
When the Tooting family finds an old engine and fits it to their camper van, they have no idea what kind of adventure lies ahead. The engine used to belong to an extraordinary car . . . and it wants its bodywork back! But as the Tootings hurtle across the world rebuilding the original Chitty, a sinister baddie is on their trail - one who will stop at nothing to get the magnificent car for himself.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car was originally published in 1964 and was written by Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond! This fantastic new book is its long awaited sequel.

App Spotlight

Last month the RFPL Children’s Room unveiled our new Early Literacy iPads. There are lots of great apps and features to explore on the Early Literacy iPads. Stop in for a visit and check out some of our new apps!

Seuss Band
If you are a fan of Guitar Hero or Rock Band, Seuss Band is an app you won't want to miss. Make your own instrument, play along with Seuss songs or make up a brand new tune.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App!
This app was created by Mo Willems, author of the Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. With this app, you can create your own Pigeon story and learn to draw the Pigeon.

Take a Picture Walk

I recently attended an Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) Webinar. Developed by the Association of Library Service to Children and Public Library Association, the goal of ECRR is to support parents and caregivers as they help their children (birth to age 5) build early literacy skills--getting them ready to read! There are five early literacy practices that parents and caregivers can engage in with their children: talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing. Over the next several weeks, I'll be blogging about easy, fun ways you can enhance these practices in your child's daily life.

As we know, talking with children--including infants--is a key source of language development. A great way to extend the conversations you have with your child is by taking a picture walk! Choose a book with illustrations that you like, but instead of reading the book, simply talk about the pictures. Ask your child about what he or she sees on the cover, talk about the characters, and have your child predict what might happen next. You could even use a wordless picture book which is designed for just this sort of imaginative storytelling. Try Where's Walrus by Stephen Savage, The Umbrella by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert, or recent Caldecott Medal winner A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka. Another idea--especially for children who are not yet talking--is to narrate your daily activities with them. For example: "I'm making your lunch right now. This is your applesauce. Mmm! It tastes sweet. You like applesauce, don't you?" Narrating activities is a great way to introduce your child to new vocabulary words.