Literacy

Now that summer's around the corner and school is almost over, I like to plan out different and funs things to do with my kids. A few summers ago, we discovered the reading game program at the Novato Library, which my son loved being a part of. Participants were awarded prizes based on the number of books they read. This year the Marin County Free Library will be sponsoring the “Make a Splash” reading program from June 12 through August. Check with your local library for details.

Here are a few selections from the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2010 Children’s Notable Book recommendations. Visit their website for more reading suggestions.

For the younger reader:

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon
The myriad joys of the world are reflected with warmth and affection in this look at a day in a small community near the ocean. (A 2010 Caldecott Honor Book.)

Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes
Siblings Benny and Penny encounter trouble when curiosity about a mysterious neighbor leads them into unexpected adventures. (The 2010 Geisel Award Book.)

I Spy Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold
A disastrous ending to a game of hide and seek finds Fly Guy hauled away to the local dump in this new take on a lost pet. (A 2010 Geisel Honor Book.)

Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith
Little Mouse narrates this story with humor and excitement as he dons clothes and dreams of adventures to come. (A 2010 Geisel Honor Book.)

Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends by Wong Herbert Yee
Artistic Mole and poetic Mouse join forces to hatch a clever plan for watching skittish birds and create their own book of paintings and poems celebrating their bird-watching adventures (A 2010 Geisel Honor Book.)

One of the things I take great pride in is our daily habit of settling down at the end of the day and reading for at least a half hour. This is something I've done with both my children since they were old enough to sit up and look like they were paying attention. I think it's partly responsible for the fact that my son is a pretty advanced reader for his age, too. It's also responsible for helping to instill the idea that reading is a fun form of entertainment, as well as a necessary life skill. It also gives my wife a priceless daily moment of "me time" after being around two small kids all day.

These days, our current nightly reading repertoire is dominated by the A to Z Mysteries series of books by Ron Roy. If you've never heard of them, you probably will at some point. The A to Z Mysteries are aimed at about the second- or third-grade level, and, as the name implies, are mysteries that are solved by a team of ordinary third-graders from fictional Green Lawn, Connecticut who just happen to have a natural aptitude for detective work. Each book—there are 26 in all, but you probably figured that out already—has a title tied into a letter of the alphabet, such as The Absent Author, The Jaguar's Jewel, or The Zombie Zone.

Get a jump on your holiday shopping, and get excited about reading at Pleasant Valley Elementary School's 2009 Book Fair—Destination Book Fair: Read Around the World. Organized in cooperation with Scholastic, the Book Fair offers hundreds of different titles for all ages—even parents, with many at bargain prices, in both paperback and hardcover. Popular titles and series include Flat Stanley, Magic Tree House, I Spy, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and more.

Destination Book Fair takes place from November 16 through 20 in the multi-purpose room at Novato's Pleasant Valley Elementary School, located at 755 Sutro Avenue (between Center and Vineyard Roads). Hours are Monday-Thursday 8 am to 2 pm and Friday from 8 am to 1 pm, with a family shopping night on Wednesday, November 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The Fair is open to the public, and inexpensive Scholastic books made great gifts and stocking stuffers.

Books may be purchased with cash, check, or credit card, and all proceeds go to support the school. You can also purchase books to donate directly to the school library and classrooms.

Our son has been using our computer for a while now, and, in true younger sibling style, our 3-year-old daughter now wants to play on it, too. We don't mind if they do, but we also want to make sure that their limited "screen time" is more than just playing around. We also want to limit their exposure to commercial kids' websites and the ads that accompany them. One of the websites that all of us love is Starfall.com.

Starfall is free public resource that we were introduced to through our son's kindergarten class last year. It's a non-commercial website full of activities, games, and stories for preschoolers through elementary students. The focus with Starfall is on learning to read using a phonics approach, and is divided into sections range from the "ABCs" to the more challenging reading materials included in "I'm Reading!" Activities take the form of fun stories, often with interactive elements and animations to help get children involved. Each word can be clicked and read aloud.