Children's Books May Become e-Books

Today I read an interesting article that Random House may offer certain children's books as e-books. I'll give you a hint......Elmo may be in one of them. I think it is a marvelous idea to make books available to children everywhere. Think of all of the possibilities to introduce children to new books, classic books, how-to books, etc. I am not sure I would have loved ebooks when I was a child and must admit I would be hard-pressed even now to give up my "real" books for ebooks. The dust jackets, the illustrations, the feel of quality paper, and the spines lined up on bookshelves are all things I would miss. I suppose it is a good thing I am not a child any longer because today's children will find e-books exciting and normal for the era of their childhood.

Once Upon A Time and Happily Everafter

When reading to my own children it seemed as if all the first stories they loved began with, "Once upon a time......." and ended with, "and they lived happily everafter." As time went on their favorite books were more realistic, age appropriate, and were not fairy tales. There are so many lessons that children can learn from books. Books can inspire children to rise to amazing heights, to gain hope for a better life, and expose them to many professions and occupations. Books can also be an escape for children who live in unfortunate circumstances, and books can comfort them in learning that their situations are not hopeless. Biographies describe successful lives and how great and small obstacles can be overcome. Books can teach children about other cultures, other countries, and also open a world of imagination. Books can teach children the importance of integrity, ethics and even good manners. The children of today are our future so let's give them the very best possible foundation for learning........the ability to read is that foundation regardless of the subject matter. Start reading to your babies and toddlers. It is never too early. You too will enjoy that time with your little ones.

The Cow Jumped Over The Moon

Nursery rhymes are an important part of childhood. The same nursery rhymes I learned as a child were later learned by my own children, and then again by my grandson. The cadence of nursery rhymes can be soothing to a baby or toddler. Illustrations that accompany rhymes in books can create indelible impressions on children. Recently I was selecting flannel fabrics for our line's receiving blankets, and smiled to myself as I picked up fabric with a repeat pattern of a cow jumping over the moon. Immediately the nursery rhyme came back to me: Hey diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such a sight, and the dish ran away with the spoon. There are so many things you can do to create happy memories with your children. Teaching them nursery rhymes will help them as they learn to talk, and memorizing rhymes will help them as they grow to pre-school and elementary school ages. Sometimes early artistic attempts will be images they have seen with the rhymes. Your public library is a great place to find nursery rhyme books to borrow. I remember teaching my son nursery rhymes when he was learning to talk. We reached a point where he could finish each line. I was very excited to have him share his new-found ability with his father at dinner that evening so we practiced throughout the day. You can imagine my disappointment when I said, "There was an old ________ (he immediately said, "woman") who lived in a _________" and instead of saying "shoe" he said, "garage" ... a word he had never said before and one which we were unaware he had ever heard since we did not have a garage. As a family we laugh over that anectdote from time to time and all because of a nursery rhyme. Sometimes small things create great memories so nursery rhymes are a good place to start. Enjoy!

When To Read Books Rather Than Stories To Your Children

Initially, start out reading a short story or just telling a familiar story (like The Three Bears ) to your babies and toddlers. They have short attention spans but will respond to the pictures, the inflections in your voice, and certain words as they ask you to read or tell again and again the same story. Toddlers are very smart so if you try to skip a page or change words in the interest of time (getting them to sleep faster, for example), they will call you on it after they are familiar with the story. They will also know when you have read the words that mean it is time to turn the page. Children are just short people and much smarter than adults sometimes expect them to be at such early ages. When you tire of reading the Little Golden Book variety of stories, then read a book consisting of a number of chapters. When I had 2, 4, and 6 year-old children it was not always easy to find a short story that appealed to all of them. I decided to read Dr. Doolittle to them, and we did it night after night, chapter by chapter. The book is much, much better than any film version They remembered where each chapter stopped, and they would beg for another chapter when the one for the evening had been read. Even the two-year old would sit and listen as raptly as the older children did. When we had completed Dr. Doolittle we went on to The Bobbsey Twins which was a good choice because the key characters are both boys and girls and two different age groups. The author made the stories appealing to little ones as well as children already in elementary school. There is an entire series of Bobbsey Twin books, and we read through all of them. Not only did these reading sessions foster a love of books in my children, but also gave them a nightly ritual which made bedtime pleasant. Require baths taken, teeth brushed, and pajamas on before reading to them. Asking for promises to go right to sleep after the chapter for the night is read makes for peaceful evenings, regular bedtimes, and first understandings of what a promise is. If you start out reading or saying nursery rhymes to a baby (even as young as 4 or 5 months old) he or she will be soothed by the cadence of your voice. If you are reading from a book a baby will actually be attracted by the colors of the pictures. Being read to from early on can help a child learn to talk and sometimes when you least expect it. You may reach a certain page of a familiar story, and a little child will suddenly repeat a word after you which makes for a very special and memorable moment. As children grow up they will remember the books you read together, and if reading is something they enjoy they will be more successful in school since reading is the basis for every subject they will be taught. Time flies and before you know it children are in school, and you will have wonderful memories to last a lifetime if you regularly read to them.