Our wonderful friends sent us a book c
alled The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. It's all about the importance of reading aloud to your children. Yes, it's a book about reading books. OK, OK I know. But it's actually very insightful! The book includes numerous studies that document the benefits of reading aloud to your children, and continuing to read aloud through high school. Studies show children learn to read well and are more interested in reading when they are regularly read to. They get better test scores, and get into better colleges etc. One important point the book explains is that children want to be like their parents. If your child sees you reading, he will want to read too. So make an effort to not only read
to your children, but read
in front of your children.
Trelease also provides a large list of age-appropriate books. The book might be worth it if only for this list alone. For Gabriel's age, the best books are picture books that rhyme or are predictable. That's why Dr. Seuss is such a hit, along with Sandra Boynton and P.D. Eastman. Until he's two years old, it's important to re-read the same selection of books to him, rather than read a huge collection of books only a few times each. Young children need things repeated to them in order for it to sink in. So I've started reading his favorite books (the ones that hold his attention) more often, and sometimes two or three times in one sitting.
Right now, we're reading to Gabriel at least 30 minutes each day accumulated. We read before naps and bedtime and at random times throughout the day. He LOVES reading time. When we stop reading he starts crying. Of course, that might be because he doesn't want to go to bed. :) During reading time, he usually sits and looks at the pictures, occasionally reaching out to feel the pages. If there's a picture that's really bright or stands out from the rest of the page, he wants to feel it. We've set up a wish list on Amazon called
Gabriel's Bookshelf. It's our collection of desired books that are recommended from
The Read-Aloud Handbook as well as other sources.
One of Gabriel's favorite books right now is
Geena Giraffe Gets Tucked In. We've preserved the memory of this book in a video.
We have also started going to the library regularly to see if they have any good books. Sadly, I am not impressed with the selection. I've been trying to find some sort of discount book club online, where I can purchase new books for a cheaper price. No luck yet. If anyone knows of a good recourse, please share! Since I plan to buy a lot of books over the next couple of decades, I need to find a more cost effective way to purchase them. There is one site I've found that will do a search for the book you're looking for and tell you what your cheapest option is for an online purchase. If you're interested it's
http://www.booksprice.com/.
