Good Rhyming Books

I found some good books at library yesterday with lots of rhyming words. I remember how a kiddo's ability to rhyme in Kindergarten was a good predictor of his/her confidence in reading. If a child is aware of the predictable patterns in writing (rhythm and rhyme), then it just makes reading text that much easier. If text is only 50% phonics (letters and letter sounds. . . . sounding words out), then the other 50% comes from "reading tricks" like using rhyme to predict text. Also, rhyming books are fun! My kindergarten classes always loved them and Stevie loves them too. The predictable text helps develop confidence in a reader. That's important. Here are some goodies:

Low Song by Eve Merriam (My new favorite. This one is so mellow. Good for a pre-naptime read. Illustrations are dreamy).

Look at the Moon by May Garelick (Long book. But if you just read chunks of it, skipping some pages . . . . . it is awesome. It has this cool theme. . . we're all united under the same moon. Different creatures, different people, settings, all under the same moon. Beauty.)

Time for Bed by Mem Fox (Perfect rhyming book before bed. Uses lots of repetition. Your toddler will be "reading" this one with you by the 2nd night.

Mem Fox Phase

I've been really getting into all the Mem Fox children's books after reading her book on literacy, Reading Magic. In her book, Fox writes about the importance of reading each day with you child. Mem Fox is big on predictable text and rhyming. Me too! Reading books that are predictable, exciting, and have rhythm and rhyme helps little kids learn to read. It also helps them love reading and develops their confidence. One of my favorite recent mommy moments was watching my little dude take a book from his bookbox and start "reading" it. It was a book of nursery rhymes and he was having a ball with Hickory Dickory Dock. I'm keeping his bookbox in the playroom for that reason. I want the message to be loud and clear . . . . READING IS FUN. That's why his books are with the other fun stuff.

3 a Day

I'm reading a book about literacy by Mem Fox. According to this book, literacy research shows that a child needs to have been read aloud over 1,000 books before they can actually read. She recommends doing this by reading 3 books a day. Her suggestion is reading one favorite, one familiar, and one new book. If Stevie and I do this, we'll have read over 1,000 books in a year. Wowzers.