Soccer Counts! / !El futbol cuenta!

FOR THE WEEKEND share this title with your child. 

Soccer Counts! / !El futbol cuenta! is appropriate for children of all ages.

Summary:
Soccer Counts! / !El futbol cuenta! is a bilingual book using simple rhymes to counts from zero to fifteen in English and Spanish. Author Barbara Barbieri McGrath does a wonderful job coupling the counting storyline with interesting facts about soccer and it's history. Readers young and old will enjoy counting to fifteen while learning more about the popular sport.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Making Connections:
After you read Soccer Counts! / !El futbol cuenta! ask your reader questions about their own experiences with soccer. Have they ever played the sport, do they play on a team, do they know he rules? You can also make connections about spectating, have they ever watched a soccer game, do they have a favorite team, etc.? Do they know or play any other sports? Use this book as a jumping point to learn about more sports that they might want to learn about.

Do this with your child:
After you read Soccer Counts! / !El futbol cuenta! try out the sport together! You can try scoring goals against each other or have a more leisurely game of kicking the ball back and forth. 

If you're interested in sharing Soccer Counts! / !El futbol cuenta! with your child you can find it from Charlesbridge Publishing here. 

Click here to learn more about Raising A Reader and the work we do to promote early literacy and family engagement. 

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Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this STEM title with your child. 

Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering is appropriate for younger children.

Summary:
Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering is an adorable introduction to the world of aerospace engineering. Your child will delight in bright and bold images as simple text explain the basic fundamentals of flight, from birds to planes to rockets. Ruth Spiro and Irene Chan's explanations and images will satisfy an expert and captivate your child in this one of a kind STEM board book.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Retelling:
Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering is a wonderful book to practice retelling with your child. After you read, let your child take a turn and read the book to you. Offer help if they need it but otherwise let them lead the way! This is a great strategy to build confidence in their 'reading' and strengthen their memory and inference skills. 

Do this with your child:
After you read Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering practice flight on your own! Below is an easy tutorial to follow to make your own paper airplanes.

If you're interested in sharing Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering with your child you can find it from Charlesbridge Publishing (currently out of stock so we've provided a link to Amazon) here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter & Instagram for more inspiration.

Click here to learn more about Raising A Reader and the work we do to promote early literacy and family engagement. 

Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Music Everywhere!

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this title with your child. We are celebrating the arts!

Music Everywhere! is appropriate for children of all ages.

Summary:
Music Everywhere! highlights and celebrates the spectrum of music and instruments across the globe. Photos and text by Maya Ajmera, Elise Hofer Derstine, and Cynthia Pon feature real children in a range of cultures creating music. Read along to discover the different types of drums, stringed instruments, horns and voices which celebrate the power of music and transcend cultural differences. 

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Making Connections:
As you read Music Everywhere! talk with your child about the different types of instruments and the sounds that they make. Do they play any of the instruments the children in the story play? After finishing the story, talk with your child about the types of music that they enjoy. Where do they hear music? Do they have a favorite instrument, a favorite song? By making connections to the story and the other children in the book they are able to both see their own life reflected in the expereinces they share as well as observe new experiences and relate to new perspectives.

Do this with your child:
Music Everywhere! presents the reader with a variety of instruments and different ways to create music. Check out this post from Meaningful Mama to learn how to make 20 diy musical instruments. Create an instrument or two with your child and enjoy the music!

If you're interested in sharing Music Everywhere! with your child you can find it from Charlesbridge Publishing here. You can like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter & Instagram for more inspiration.

Click here to learn more about Raising A Reader and the work we do to promote early literacy and family engagement. 

Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Leaf Jumpers

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fall themed title with your child! 

Leaf Jumpers is appropriate for children of all ages.

Summary:
Leaf Jumpers from author Carole Gerber and illustrator Leslie Evans gracefully tells the story of fall leaves. The reader will follow along with the poetic tone and delightful pictures as you join the child raking leaves in autumn. There's even a snippet at the end of the story about why leaves change color.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Retelling:
Leaf Jumpers is a wonderful book for retelling. Ask your child to take a turn to tell you the story after you have read it. Let them lead the way. If they ask for help, prompt them with a reminder, otherwise they're in charge this time! By taking an active role in the story, your child will further their connection with the text and deepen their engagement with the story.

Do this with your child:
There are a variety of leaves illustrated in Leaf Jumpers. Take a walk outside to look for some leaves that might have fallen in your neighborhood. Do any of the leaves that you found match the leaves from the book? Pick your favorite leaf from the story or from your walk and draw it!

If you're interested in sharing Leaf Jumpers with your child you can find it from Charlesbridge Publishing here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Hello Ocean

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

Hello Ocean is appropriate for children of all ages.

Summary:
Come explore the ocean with your five senses in the beautiful Hello Ocean from author Pam Munoz Ryan and illustrator Mark Astrella. This story captures the essence of the ocean with it's stunning illustrations and poetic words. See, smell, feel, taste and hear the ocean and all of the wonder it has to offer.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Retelling:
After you read Hello Ocean ask your child to take a turn to tell you the story. Let them lead the way. They can make up an entirely new story or try to recall the information from the original. If they ask questions, prompt them to use the pictures on the pages to see if they can remember. Retelling a story, either in a new way or recalling the original, will deepen your child's engagement with the story.

Do this with your child:
After you read Hello Ocean you and your child can use your five senses to explore your own vacation (or staycation) travel destination. Whether you're spending the day at the pool or lake, or you're home in your own backyard, there is always an opportunity to explore your surroundings!

If you're interested in sharing Hello Ocean with your child you can find it from Charlesbridge here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. For more from author Pam Munoz Ryan check out her website. 

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

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

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? is appropriate for children of all ages.

Summary:
How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? from Iza Trapani takes a financial spin on the classic nursery rhyme. In this version, a little boy doesn't have quite enough money to buy that doggie in the window, the one with the waggely tail. He tries to earn and save his money, but he keeps using what he has to help his family. When he goes back to say hi to the doggie, he is devastated to discover that the doggie has been purchased. Follow him home to see who bought the doggie in the window!

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Take A Picture Walk:
Before you read How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? with your child take a picture walk and look at the illustrations on all of the pages. As you look through ask your child what they see in the pictures. Use that information to make predictions about what might happen in the story. After you read, see if their predictions were correct!

Do this with your child:
After reading How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? take another trip through the pages and try singing along with the rhythm. You can find a version of the original here to share with your child.

If you're interested in sharing How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? with your child you can find it from Charlesbridge Publishing here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

For more from Iza Trapani please like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Lola Reads to Leo

CELEBRATE FAMILY LITERACY MONTH! FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fun title with your child! 

Lola Reads To Leo is appropriate for children 2-6.

Summary:
Lola Reads To Leo written by Anna McQuinn and illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw is the sweet story of Lola welcoming her new baby brother Leo. She gets ready for his arrival by reading books with her mommy and daddy about brothers and sisters and by picking out which books she would like to give to him. When Leo does arrive, he cries a lot: in the bath, when he's hungry, when he's tired; and he keeps their mommy and daddy very busy. She helps her mommy and daddy by reading Leo stories when he cries. And even though her mommy and daddy are very busy with the new baby, they are never too busy to read Lola her own stories. 

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Retelling:
As you read through Lola Reads to Leo, take time to ask your child questions about the details in the story. What is happening first, how does Lola get ready for the new baby, what happens when the baby arrives? Once you have read through the story, ask your child to read the story to you. Let them hold the book and turn the pages. If they stumble or seem to struggle give them a prompt but otherwise let them lead the way!

Do this with your child:
Lola loves books and seems to have one to address each of her baby brother's needs. If you have books at home, look through them with your child. See if they can find which ones might help baby Leo or see which ones they choose as their favorites! Make sure to ask them why.

If you're interested in sharing Lola Reads To Leo with your child you can find it from Charlesbrige Publishing here. 

Like author Anna McQuinn, illustrator Rosalind Beardshaw and publisher Charlesbridge Publishing on Facebook!

Today is the LAST DAY to enter our
  NATIONAL FAMILY LITERACY MONTH CONTEST
for your chance to win!!

Raising A Reader is celebrating National Family Literacy Month! Join us by liking us on Facebook and posting your favorite book to share with your family, tagging @RARnational and #RaisingAReader.

Contest will run Nov. 1-9

2 winners per week will receive:

-RAR tote bag with 5 age appropriate books