Bonding Through Books: A Guide to Reading With Children

By Janice Mulholland

Do you want to help your child develop a love of reading?
Do you want to develop a special relationship with your grandchild?
Are you wondering how to tackle sensitive subjects with your youngster?
What books will help you achieve these goals? Where do you begin?

Pick up this book. After twenty years as an elementary teacher-librarian in Palo Alto, the author helps you address these concerns with this very helpful guide. If you are a parent, grandparent, teacher, or caregiver, her tips for reading with children and selecting books children love will help you to engender a love of reading and create a special bond with your child. Different genres and types of books are described and explained. Expectations for specific age and grade reading levels are provided. The guide follows the rhythm of the child's school year, covering topics so important to children, including the start of school, making friends, the seasons, holidays, and family life. Titles to support writing, science, history, and many more subjects are included as well as books that are just plain fun to read. Many of the time-tested works allow opportunities for you and your child to discuss how to prepare, and handle challenging life situations. Important but delicate topics such as bullying behavior, sexual identity, illness, death, and divorce are also listed. It's time to get started!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Dec 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543954203

Book preview

Bonding Through Books

A Guide to Reading With Children

Janice Mulholland

ISBN (Print Edition): 978-1-54395-419-7

ISBN (eBook Edition): 978-1-54395-420-3

© 2018. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This book is dedicated to Brian and Christopher,

and

to my students.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part One

General Information about Reading and Children

Expectations

Choosing Books

Different Types of Books

Choosing a Book for the Child (Not the Adult) to Read

The Five-Finger Rule

Fluency

But He Is Reading the Same Book Over and Over Again!

The Setting

Voice

Story Form

The Plan

Part Two

Time-Tested Books Children Love

Beginning the School Year

Special Challenges

Preschool Children

Preschool Classics and Favorites

Five-and Six-Year-Olds Kindergarteners

Anticipating Kindergarten

Friendship

Alphabet Books and Reading

Counting

Holidays and Seasons

Winter and Snow

Spring and The Garden

Poetry, Nursery Rhymes, and Fairy Tales

Favorites for Five- and Six- Year- Olds

Six- and Seven- Year- Olds First Grade

Getting Ready for School

Friendship

The Seasons and Their Holidays

Bats and Halloween

Thanksgiving

Winter Holidays

The New Year and Winter

Valentine’s Day and The Mail

Learning to Write

What is Happening to Our Teeth!

Weather and Spring

The Garden

Music

Family

Favorite Authors for First and Second Graders

Seven-and Eight-Year-Olds Second Grade

School Life

Halloween

Voting

Thanksgiving and Ancestors

Winter Holidays

More Biographies

Writing

Writing Ideas

Letters

Diaries, Notebooks, and Journals

Writing Traits: Mechanics

Insects

More Favorites

Favorites Authors for Seven-to Eight-Year - Olds

Eight- and Nine-Year-Olds Third Grade

School Begins

Halloween

Writing: Twisted Fairy Tales

Genre Studies

Coming to America

February is Black History Month

More Biographies

Holidays

Festivals of Light

Fun Ties to Science

Writing

More

Favorites Eight and Up

Nine- and Ten-Year-Olds Fourth Grade

School Begins

Geography

Science Connections: Longitude and Latitude

Age of Exploration

Holidays

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday and Black History Month

More Biographies

Chinese New Year

Science Connections: Electricity

Poetry

Writing Inspiration

Punctuation and More

Writing Traits

Persuasive Writing

Memoirs

Memoirs to Tall Tales

The Westward Movement

Favorites for Nine-Year- Olds and Up

Ten- to Eleven- Year- Olds Fifth Grade

Geography Connections

Native American Legends

Science: Water

The New World

Holidays

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday and Black History Month

Earth Day and The Environment

More Recent Explorations

Science: Health

Poetry

Graduation

Favorites for Eleven- Year-Olds and Up

Bibliotherapy

Social Challenges

Bully Behavior

Differences

Sexual Identity

Illness, Death, and Divorce

Beyond this Guide

Acknowledgments

Preface

Frustrated, my eyes skimmed the shelves of the bookstore. I couldn’t find the book I wanted. Instead, I picked out a few books I knew would be enjoyed and carried them to the cashier. These gifts would be the beginning of the child’s picture book collection, and I knew they would become favorites. They were not, however, the book I wanted. I’d have to write that one myself.

When one of my closest friends became a grandmother, I wanted to give her a guide to special books she could read with her grandchild. I wanted to give her titles of books that I found to be uplifting, empowering, and fun to share. I have read to thousands of children during my twenty years as an elementary school librarian and teacher. I know which books are received with enthusiasm and which ones fall flat. As an educator, I guided students to resources that would help them develop intellectually, socially, and emotionally. My mission was to foster within each child a love of learning and a sense of wonder and awe for this amazing world. No matter what age, I found picture books to be a quick way of capturing their attention and creating a gateway to learning. When I could not find the resource I wanted for my friend, I decided to write this book so that anyone who reads to children has access my time-tested resources. Throughout this guide, I refer to anyone you read to as the child or your child, whether it is a grandchild, student, someone for whom you babysit, or your very own child.

Part One

The child peered at me from behind her mother. Who was this new relative? I held out two gift-wrapped packages and mentioned that perhaps she might know what they contained. As she tore open the paper, she cried with glee, thrilled that she knew both books! We sank to the steps and immediately opened Herve Tullet’s Press Here. We laughed throughout the next half hour as we followed the book’s directions. We pushed dots, turned the book upside down, and shook it. What a delightful way to meet my grandniece. We couldn’t wait to share the next book together!

General Information about Reading and Children

Reading IS a magical process. Just as my grandniece and I giggled our way through my gifts, you and the child with whom you read will venture into other worlds. Perhaps you will learn about animals or pirates or travel through time to learn about dinosaurs