Read, Read, Read Read more...with your children

Summer is approaching and you will spend hours and hours playing with your children. You'll drive them to playdates, take them to the pool, play in the sprinklers and make memories every day. This Summer, give your children a head up in school, read with them every day. Research shows that children who read with their parents do much better in school than children for whom reading is not a valued family activity.

After you have read a few pages or completed a book (depending on your child's attention span) extend the activity by talking about, drawing about or acting about the book, its characters and themes. Reading doesn't have to be just about the printed word, it is about how you bring the story to life!

Here are some of the top 25 books for children. Enjoy!

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
I Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Oh! The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Crunching Carrots, Not Candy by Judy Slack
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willlems
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

For more books visit http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/catalist.html.

Books For New Parents

A new mum asked me for a few baby books. Here is a good start.

Babyhood - Penelope Leach
Complete Baby and Childcare - Miriam Stoppard
Diary of a Baby - Daniel Stern
Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care, 6th Ed. - Benjamin Spock
Handbook of Infant Development, 2nd Ed. - Joy Osofsky
Help! My Baby Came Without Instructions! - Blythe Lipman
The Baby Manual - Linda Levin & Eileen Bropson
The First Three Years of Life - Burton White
The First Year of Life - Nina Lief
The Interpersonal World of the Infant - Daniel Stern
The Portable Pediatrician - Laura Nathanson
Touchpoints - T. Berry Brazelton
Your Baby and Child: From birth to five - PenelopeLeach
Your Growing Child: Babyhood to adolescence - Penelope Leach

Email us at thefamilycoachATaol.com and tell us what books you like for New Parents.