RAR's Summer Book Sharing List & Tips

Share these fun titles this summer!

Summer has arrived and Raising A Reader has created a list of recommended titles for summer straight from the RAR collection. You will find 40 titles (20 English and 20 Spanish/Bilingual) to delight and entertain during your summer vacation. Check these titles out at your local library or independent bookstore.

   

Click HERE to see the entire list.

Help your child avoid learning loss this summer. Check out the Raising A Reader: Tips for Summer Reading

How My Parents Learned to Eat

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fun title with your child! 

How My Parents Learned to Eat is appropriate for children age 4 and up.

Summary:
How My Parents Learned to Eat tells the story of John and Aiko, an American sailor and a Japanese school girl. They meet while John is stationed in Japan and they spend every evening together walking and talking. John would like to ask Aiko to dinner but he is nervous because he does not know how to use chopsticks. Aiko thinks maybe John is not asking her to dinner because she does not know how to use a knife and fork. They each secretly learn how to use the other's utensils and finally have dinner together.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Sequencing:
How My Parents Learned to Eat is a great story to practice sequencing, putting events in the order which they happened. Have your child tell you what happens first, what comes next, and what happens last. Use words like before, then, after and next to transition between events in the story. By recalling events and characters your child is deepening their engagement with the story.

Do this with your child:
After reading How My Parents Learned to Eat enjoy a meal using a utensil you don't typically use. Try eating different foods with chopsticks versus a fork and knife. Talk about which foods are easier to use with which utensils and decide if you have a favorite to  use.

If you're interested in sharing How My Parents Learned to Eat with your child you can find it from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. 

Bread and Jam for Frances

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fun title with your child! 

Bread and Jam for Frances is appropriate for children age 4 and up.

Summary:
Bread and Jam for Frances tells the story of Frances and her absolute favorite food. Frances loves bread and jam, she won't eat her egg and trades her lunch at school and refuses to touch her dinner so that she can have bread and jam instead. So Mother decides that if bread and jam is what Frances wants, bread and jam is what Frances will get. She is served bread and jam for every meal. But as it turns out, maybe Frances would like to have something different! Follow along with this picky eater and learn the joy in trying something new.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Retelling:
After you read Bread and Jam for Frances ask your child to tell you what happened in the story. Ask first for the characters and the setting. Then ask questions about the events in the story. Let them turn the pages to prompt their responses. Or you can let them flip through the pages and tell their very own story about Frances and her picky eating!

Do this with your child:
After reading Bread and Jam for Frances talk to your child about their favorite food. Ask them if they think they would also get tired of eating the same exact thing every single day. This book is a great jumping point for picky eaters. If you can, try a new meal for dinner tell your child they are just like Frances! Frances also loves jumping rope in the story. The better she eats the more she can jump. You can do an experiment with your child to see which foods help them jump the most!

If you're interested in sharing Bread and Jam for Frances with your child you can find it from Harper Collins here. Please follow them on Twitter. 

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fun title with your child! 

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato is appropriate for all ages.

Summary:
I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato is a new take on the classic picky eater tale. Lola is very fussy about food. But when brother Charlie explains that those are not peas, but rather incredibly rare Greendrops from Greenland, she just has to try them. But what about those tomoatos? Will Lola be tricked into trying those?

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Take a Picture Walk:
Before you read I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato flip through the pages with your child asking what they see. Talk about the different foods that are on the pages. Ask your child if Lola looks happy or curious or mad. After discussing what you see on the pages, ask your child to make a prediction about what they think is happening in the story. After you read, see if any of their predictions were correct!

Do this with your child:
After reading I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato talk with your child about their favorite part of the story. Have them draw a picture of their favorite part or of a food they think can be called something else. If you have a picky eater at home, use this book as a platform to start trying new things!

If you're interested in sharing I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato with your child you can find it from Candlewick Press here. Please follow them on Twitter. Click here for more from author/illustrator Lauren Child. 

How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fun title with your child! 

How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food is appropriate for children age 4 and up.

Summary:
How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food, from Chris Butterworth and Lucia Gaggiotto, takes you on a journey through your lunch box. The book explores how each piece of food came to your lunch, starting as a plant and ending as a tasty bit ready to be enjoyed. From climbing trees to milking cows to crushing apples in a factory, this book takes a complete look at food processing for young readers. A peak into food groups and healthy lifestyles add the perfect final piece to this fun and charming book.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Making Connections:
As you read How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food ask your child questions to connect the text to their own lives. What kind of food do they have in their lunches? Can they find any of the food that they eat in the story? Do they know other foods that might be made the same way? By asking your child to connect the book to their own life, you will be furthering their engagement with the story and deepening their understanding of the text.

Do this with your child:
After reading How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food take a trip to your local market (or even through your own kitchen) and walk through the aisles making note of some of the foods that you see. Can your child find any food from the story? Can they remember how those foods were made? 

If you're interested in sharing How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food with your child you can find it from Candlewick Press here. Please follow them on Twitter. For more from illustrator Lucia Gaggiotti check out her website.