Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Book Reviews - The Read-Aloud Handbook and We Are in a Book!


So, I recently read Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook, and have since become obsessed with reading aloud to children and its benefits. I always knew reading aloud to your children was important, but after reading the benefits of it touted by the above book, I am now on a mission to read more to my children and to encourage others to read to theirs. As anyone who reads to their children knows, it can be hard to find good books. In an effort to help out my fellow parent, I am going to start posting reviews to books my children and I enjoy here.

My first review is of We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems. Isla and I checked this out from the library today, and she read it to me at rest time. She loved it! It is about an elephant named Gerald and a pig named Piggie. The whole book is about the two characters realization that they are the subject of a book and their reaction to it. Mo Willems was previously a writer for Sesame Street who has a number of popular children's books. Like some of his other books we have read (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and The Pigeon Wants A Puppy), the characters interact with the reader, either speaking directly to the reader or encouraging the reader to speak to them. His books are fresh and cute, and Isla gets a real kick out of them. This one in particular really amused Isla, and I enjoyed reading it with her.

2 comments:

Pier said...

I was amused today when Isla wanted to read me, over the phone, the Amelia Bedelia book that you and she brought home from the library. She is a great reader!

Diane said...

Great post, Mary! Your grandmother read to me a LOT when I was little and I think it made a huge difference. Wow! Isla is reading!! Grand Aunts may want to buy her books.. Love to all!