Mrs. P's Reading is Cool Blog

The Gift of Thankfulness

                                                “Rest and be thankful.”  - William Wadsworth

It’s that time of year when we can start to be completely overwhelmed with the many holidays.  Rather than rushing around and feeling like I have over-committed, I like to take a moment this time of year and think about what I am thankful for in my life.  I just stop, sit, breath, and reflect.

           This year  I have two things that really jump to the top of my list. The many teachers I have had the great pleasure to connect with through technology and also the wonderful companies that sponsor my annual K-4 Be-a-Famous Writer contest and fill the winning classroom with books in every possible format! Throughout the contest I have been featuring various sponsors so you can learn about the wonderful things they do.  

Since it’s November and Thanksgiving is happening, what better time to tell you about Buy Preferred.  They are providing $100 gift card to the winning school so they can shop for books for their classroom.  I love to give books as gifts, and they have over 7,100,000 constantly updated products and deals, all sold for at least 30% off SRP, and support the causes and organizations that are important to you. Be sure to give their site a look. 

                                                  

Also please enjoy my story The Gift of the Magi, a story about giving and what it is like to have to make sacrifices.

I am so thankful for all of your support of my reading website and thank you all for your support of literacy!

Happy Thanksgiving,
Mrs. P

 

Why I love Picture Books & Celebrate Picture Book Month

I still can remember the words to Goodnight Moon, even though my father was the one reading it to me while I explored with great diligence every item in that green room.  From the comb, to the red balloon, to the picture of the cow jumping over the moon, and if my dad tried to skip a page to get me to bed, I knew immediately, because I had learned what was suppose to be on that page, even though I couldn’t yet read myself.

There is lots of evidence that children learn language from books and reading aloud. A new policy was implemented by the American Academy of Pediatrics to have doctors tell parents to read aloud to their infants from birth as was reported in a recent NY Times article.  They need to hear many, many stories before they actually learn to read themselves. And when we read to them before they reach school age, we are helping to foster an early  love of reading and books.  That's the main reason why I created my website too. 

                                                        
November is Picture Book Month.   This site  & celebration, created by Dianne de Las Casas and some passionate friends, has a great teacher guide, daily posts about the importance of picture books, and lots activities for students. 

You can also enjoy my first picture book in my Magic Library, it’s called Wanda’s Wart.

Here’s my top 3 benefits of why Picture Book are important:

1. Picture Books develop early literacy skills.
I love using voices when I read a story aloud, as this way kids learn about inflection, tone, and emotion. They retain this information in their brains and when they start reading themselves, it helps them figure out the text. The pictures help reinforce the emotions too.

2. Picture Books offer opportunities for discussion and exploration.
Looking at the pictures together and identifying images and learning to say those words helps children make connections.  It also stretches their imaginations and allows for follow up discussion. It can lead them to further expand on the story and also encourages inquiry.

3. Picture Books share the magic of a story.
When you read to a child, you unlock their imagination and take them on a magical journey. Picture books enhance that experience and allow them to further that journey and unleash their own imaginations and storytelling skills.