YOU the person reading this right now.

There are several new studies out about the benefits of reading aloud to children as young as newborns.  So much so that articles have shown up in The New York Times and CNN.com.  

As a Nanny and Mom I've seen again and again the long term benefits of routine story times.

Hope at Nanny SheCanDo asked me to write on the topic.  You can find the first post HERE.  Please head on over and check it out.

Do you read aloud?  Are there reason's why you find it too difficult to read aloud?  What are they?  Leave a comment and let me know! I might have some ideas on how you can read aloud too. 

How long should a parent read aloud to a baby, infant, toddler or child?  Start s small.  Try to read for at least fifteen minutes every day.  You can break that up in to just mini-sessions of five minutes each, or in any amount that works for you.  But to "Feed Your Child's Brain", you should do at least 15 minutes Every Day.

I've had this book checked out from the library for several weeks.  I just keep reading over and over again.  I take it with me when I have a temp-Nanny day.  One long day I got to read it out loud three times.

Eliza Wheeler's illustrations feel drenched with honey and life.  I know that might sound strange, but she relies on sunshine and light, using my favorite color, yellow, on many of the pictures, adding water color washes of paint that at once gentle and colorful.  Her people have a quill pen feel, from the bell of their gowns to the frowns on their faces, there is just something so...fun and flowing about them.

Mara Rockliff's story wields alliteration, consonance and assonance with the same quill pen Wheeler used in her drawings, unafraid of the beauty, power and play of words. While still very tightly written, Mara Rockliff writing just sounds good when read out loud.  Certainly, some of it is a bit of a tongue twister, but that just makes it all the better.  Kids will remember those sounds.  They will better connect with the story because like a pretty song- it sounds good.  This book was made for story time and crafted perfectly for bed time.

Set in the little fictional town of Bonnyripple -It sounds like someplace on the English countryside - where no one ever keeps a grudge, "that is, except old Cornelious, the Grudge Keeper."

Every time the townspeople become upset by some mishap they march down the road dressed in clothing that resembles something from a Dickens novel-only with less formality, and deliver their grudges to old Cornelious.  Until one day...-and that's the story.  What happens when you have to deal with your grudges?

Eliza Wheeler shared sketches and other projects over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, back in March in 2013.  Here is just a peek of her work- But you might want to pop over there for the full interview and even more lovely pictures.

Character sketch for the Grudge Keeper.



You can check this book out from the library locally, once I return it.  Or you can buy it from Amazon -here.

When he was little, this was my son's favorite book. He will be 12 going on 13 and oh the memories it brings back. This video is very hard to find, and the book can only be bought used, but it is a great story that will catch the attention of boys who don't normally like stories.




 



Tomi Ungerer - Les trois brigands The Three... by baraqueafritz

This is a story that had been waiting for just the right publisher and just the right time to come into being. The illustrations by Giuliano Cucco are bright and interesting, with a genuine nostalgic feel because they were created in the early 1960's. 

Author John Miller creates a story about the friendship of the patient crocodile, Winston and Winston's prankster friend the crocodile bird George. 



Author John Miller doesn't stint on descriptive and fun use of language.

"I...I thought I saw a danger prowling through the jungle," George stammered. "A dangerous danger, a very scary dangerous danger."

With a great read aloud flow and kid friendly topic (preschoolers through second grade  love creatures with sharp teeth!) the story will keep kids interested until the end. 

Sometimes it's hard to have a friend who finds humor at another's expense. Kids who think practical jokes are funny will understand the message and take it to heart without the story seeming preachy or moralistic. The friendship between the two creatures is just endearing enough that I hope there are more Winston And George books to come. 

A good length for bedtime reading, with an great read aloud quality, this is a book I would recommend for the keeper shelf.

Eric the Boy Who Lost His Gravity
By Jenni Desmond





I always judge a book by it's cover. It's the first thing I see, the first thing that makes me pick up a book. The soft pastels of the cover, highlighted with the drawing of a clearly angry boy in a bright red shirt upside down on his ceiling caught my attention and I automatically added the book to the pile. Jenni Desmond's illustrations have that scratchy, childlike quality, balanced with adult expertise, that I'm always drawn too. Inside, the story's font is accompanied by handwritten words reminiscent of a second grader. 

Aimed at ages three to six, this is a simple, cute story about the frustrations of siblings. I think the idea of Eric loosing his gravity, (instead of his temper,) is a creative and fun twist. 


But the story does not go beyond it's simpleness. The author makes little use of complex, interesting words, and instead has chosen to write at the level of her audience. With an average of one sentence per page, and the sentences are short, and there are few opportunities to build vocabulary skills, practice listening, or challenge the young mind. 

As much as I like the added handwritten words highlighting the drawings, as an adult reading out loud, they add a clumsiness to the flow that could be frustrating to parents who find reading aloud a challenge. 

This story is cute. Parents of siblings may want to buy a copy, but, to be honest, there are better stories about siblings out there that make for better bed time reading.

One of the things I have been thinking of doing for months now is adding a tab on the top of this site called, "Nanny Reviews,"  which would mostly include reviews of children's picture books.

Despite all that is awesome and modern in electronic books and electronic book readers in this century, there is nothing better in story telling then the old fashioned hard copy picture book.  It's one of my fears that as walk-in book stores close, and e-books become cheaper and more accessible, that families will loose the interactive tactile experience and page turning wonder of reading books together.



I have posted before HERE on reading out loud to children and others we love. Everyone should and can read out loud. We should begin reading to children when they are still babies, and continue even after when they can read on their own.  We should read out loud to our spouses.  We should read out loud to our grandparents, and have our kids read out loud to us and others.

1. Reading out loud increases vocabulary familiarity in both the reader and the listener.

2. Reading out loud is a bonding experience for both the reader and the listener.

3. Reading out loud builds communication skills.

4. Listening to books teaches children to use their brains in imaginative ways.

5. Listening to books teaches children to listen for details, keeps them from tuning out, helps them focus, and
    enhances later skills related to listening.




I am especially fond of picture books because they contain so many different kinds of artistic expression available to everybody, young and old.  There is no limit to the types and forms of picture making in children's books.  From classic museum style painting, to pen and ink drawings, illustrators use hundreds of different mediums to help shape and contribute to the author's story.

Unfortunately not every book is best suited for reading out loud or at bedtime.

No. Words on paper with pictures does not automatically equal an enjoyable reading experience.  The best read out loud books are not joke books. That is, they have an actual plot and progression and are above an easy-reader level.  I enjoy Mo Willem's books.  But they are not the type of tales that create new tapestries in the imagination or introduce new creative concepts and complex words.  They are funny and relatable, but don't require much of an attention span.

Anita Silvey writes a fantastic essay HERE  about children's picture books in the School Library Journal. She talks about how the publishing industry  in recent years has basically shot itself in the foot by focusing on shorter, simpler, less word heavy books for children.  Many of these new books, though entertaining, are like junk food. Great for a quick sweet taste, low on cognitive nutrition, and not entertaining enough to become classics that adults buy for their children and their grandchildren.

The best read out loud books have a pace and rhythm that the reader falls into easily.  It isn't forced.  The reader doesn't have to search for it.  The narrative is fun for both the reader and the listener.  A good book has a plot and characters and isn't afraid of complex sentences and words. In fact, a really fun read out loud book makes up completely new words, plays with sounds and delights the senses.

It's a book the reader doesn't mind reading over and over. It is a book a person never forgets, and wants to revisit and share.

Picture books are an important, vital part of childhood.  Every child should be read to.  (The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees with me.) 

Under my new tab I will review children's books that I pick up from the library or see in the bookstore with this criteria in mind. Often I will post the reviews here in the regular feed and share with you. Since no one has hired me I get to be brutally honest and use as many adverbs and adjectives to describe the book as I my little heart desires.

I will be reading with a few questions in mind.  Is this  book junk food?  Or is it a classic that should be saved and shared with every child I meet.  As a Nanny, will I recommend this book to parents?  Would I buy this book as a gift because I think it contributes to the mind of a child as well as entertains?  Is this book enjoyable to read out loud? Does the book have a natural flow that makes it easy for anyone, even the most self-conscious reader, to read out loud? Would my own children enjoy this book?

Maybe we can start a movement and encourage publishers to return to the days of creating stories with fantastic art, beloved characters and imaginative, moving plots instead of just joke books and glorified comic books.  (Not that these books aren't fun or have no value, I have a couple I want to share too, but -well I think I made my over all point.)

What are your favorite books from childhood?  What books do you think every child should hear?  Do you have someone to read out loud to?




Some books I've read on Goodreads

I love going to the library. I love going to the online library. It is so fun to check out books. The rule recently switched from unlimited check outs, to fifty check outs per-person. But being a mom, (and nanny) I get to carry a couple extra library cards, so I still check out as many books and video's as I can carry. And returning the books to the library gives me such a sense of accomplishment! It represents cleaning and organizing a corner of my house (a stack of 50-60 books takes up a bit of space, people!)

Sometimes my staid Knight in Shining Armor does not approve of my book choices. The other day I brought home one I was sure the boys would enjoy. It had a puppy! Peril! Adventure! Risk! Bold mixed graphics! Sir Knight picked up the book with a deep frown. The chubby gray puppy did not charm, I guess. The title did not amuse. And then he started to read it. By the second page he was chuckling. By the forth page he was laughing. By the eighth page tears of humor were running down his cheeks.

Some things do appeal to all ages.

Publisher blurb: Walter is banished to a lifeboat traveling behind an ocean liner because of his powerful farts. When the liner loses power, the great cruise ship, its frightened passengers--and Walter--are marooned on the high
seas. Full color