Reading With Expression
Welcome Bug in a Book readers!
Reading with Expression (Children aged 0-6)
Reading with expression is a key to enjoyable read-aloud time with young children. Drawing from my experience as a children’s book consultant and reading to my own children, I’ve learnt how to get the most out of every picture book; to make it fun my children and myself.
When you choose a picture book, look out for these things:
Rhythm
Musical rhythm is ideal for reading with expression. Rhyming is one form of rhythm; however rhythm is not limited to rhyming text.
“But where is the green sheep?”
This line in, Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox, is a perfect example of a rhythmic line.
Other examples:
Dig, Dig, Digging by Margaret Mayo
Peepo! By Janet and Allan Alhberg
Repetition
Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. Young children love repetition. When it comes to reading with expression, repetitive lines are gold. It gives the reader an opportunity to develop a musical-like way of saying the repetitive line, over and over again.
Choose a book YOU like
Find a book you like as much as your child. In my recent interview with Australian Author, Alison Lester, she shared this advice: “Always read something you like. There’s nothing worse than wading through some boring rubbish trying to sound interested. Be honest with your kids and tell them if you think a book stinks.”
Books I love to read:
Down the Back of the Chair by Margaret Mayo
Oh! The Places You’ll Go by Dr Suess
Add exuberant expression and words as you read
Experiment with expression. This might be anything from hand gestures to verbal gasping; or put them together like this: Gasp! {Cupping hands over face.} What could happen next?
Reading with expression makes reading aloud-time fun for both the parent and child. Not only does child experience the wonder of a book in an animated way; but also, the reader has the opportunity to feel like a child – once again.
Be A Fun Mum Links
Interview with Australian Author Alison Lester
Books are NOT Just for Reading
Theme It: Dr Seuss
Obviously, I’m not the only one who loves the writing and art of Dr Seuss. Look at all this cool stuff I’ve found! Oh! The Places You’ll Go! From shoes to wall stickers; from rare books to a big striped hat; come into the world of Dr Seuss.
Quirky . Fun . Imaginative . Intriguing . Mysterious . Silly . Meaningful
1. Dr Seuss Converse Shoes (from $35) 2. The Cat In The Hat I Can Do That Game $34
3. Dr Seuss Cat in the Hat Plush Hat $21 4. Lift the Flap Pocket Library $8.95
5.Cat in the Hat Gift Box (T Shirt & Bib) $45.95 6. One Fish, Two Fish Gift Box (T-Shirt & Bib) $45.95
7. Dr Seuss Jumbo Wall Stickers $23.95
8. Cat in a Hat Craft ( PDF) FREE 9. Horton Hears A Who Plush Elephant $35.99
10. Rare First Edition Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss $9,000 11. Scarce Edition of McElligot’s Pool by Dr Seuss $3,200
12. One Thing, Two Thing Twins Gift Set $69 13. The Secret Art of Dr Seuss $23.10
Other Be A Fun Mum Themes
* Shoes
* Owl
* Bathroom
* Retro
* Vintage
External Links
I’m a Queenslander; through and through, so I’d never thought I’d say this but {deep breath} here goes: I envy Victorians right now. Why? The Victorian Government has established the Young Readers Program to support and encourage parents in reading to their children. In its second year, the Young Readers Program is designed to encourage parents to read to their child, from birth.
The Young Readers Program provides:
1. A free ‘It’s Rhyme’ booklet and DVD given to the parents of every four-month old child when they visit their Maternal and Child Health centre.
2. A free Australian picture book given to every child in Victoria at their two-year-old Maternal and Child Health visit.
3. Professional development across regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne for early-literacy professionals working with young children.
If you live in Victoria, enjoy the benefits. For the rest of us, I can bring a little of the sunshine throughout Australia. Alison Lester, award winning children’s writer and illustrator, and ambassador for the Young Readers program, was willing to be interviewed for Be A Fun Mum readers.
“All the research points to a link between exposure to books at an early age and educational outcomes. So reading to your children is more than great fun – it’s also good for them,” – Alison Lester
Alison Lester is a favourite author/illustrator in our house. The reason why is I ENJOY reading her books as much as my children enjoy me reading to them. The first Alison Lester book I read was Imagine, and I was utterly captivated by the book, page by page. Each time my children and I read it, it seems fresh somehow, as there are always new discoveries to be found.
Alison Lester, a warm welcome to Be A Fun Mum.
What is your best FunMum tip?
Let your children stay home on rainy days. Try to say no as little as possible.
In your opinion, why is reading to a child, from birth, so important?
Apart from anything it’s a time when you STOP and give your child your full attention. It helps kids learn to read and opens a whole other imaginary world, much more powerful, private and subtle than television.
How can parents make reading-aloud time fun?
Always read something you like. There’s nothing worse than wading through some boring rubbish trying to sound interested. Be honest with your kids and tell them if you think a book stinks. Make sure you are comfortable. It’s ok to snooze.
Often, storybooks are read at bedtime. Are there advantages of reading with young children throughout the day?
I have guilty memories of my youngest calling out for a story and finding him asleep when I finally made it to his room. This happened many times, the poor old boy. He’s a strong reader, though. Many houses have a lot going on at bedtime, so daytime reads are wonderful.
Do your children have a favourite Alison Lester book?
I’m not sure.
My daughter (8) asks this question: Did you name the pinnacle dinosaur in Are We There Yet?
No, it’s a no name dinosaur. Good question though!
Meet Alison Lester
Attend one of the Babies Love Books! events. Click here for details.
Supporters
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Municipal Association of Victoria
Follow: Website — Facebook – Twitter – You Tube – Flickr – What’s on
External Links
Read SquiggleMum’s interview with Alison Lester
Complete List of Alison Lester Books
Did you know: you can buy Alison Lester postcards and prints here.
The Little Big Book Club has much to offers parents and teachers in all states.
Be A Fun Mum Links
There’s More Than One Way to Tell a Story
Read more Be A Fun Mum interviews here
The Fun Funnel: Book Giveaway
I’m always on the look out for interesting children’s picture books. The Fun Funnel brings together a book and DVD, creating an interactive story in a pop-out-of-the-page way.
Read it… Watch it… Show it… Share it…
A message from the author, Robbie Cameron:
“I have self produced and published “The Fun Funnel”. A children’s picture book that comes with an animated version of itself on DVD. It is a unique concept and has been very well received from all kids, and also special needs children. When book and screen are used at the same time it is both fun and educational. At www.dvdstorytime.com you can see how it works and also read some very heartfelt testimonials.”
“A favourite story is a lifelong gift to the imagination. Characters that live in our memories, shared from one generation to the next. Words and pictures that educate and entertain. Now the delights of story time have a new dimension. DVD Storytime brings books to life; animated action, toe-tapping music and unforgettable characters. First in the series is The Fun Funnel, a heart-warming tale of a grumpy old man who finally succumbs to happiness when for the first time in his life he discovers fun. Children can follow the animated story on the screen, seeing and hearing the words and pictures come to life from the very book they have in their hands. It’s a great learning tool and entertainment for the whole family. Developed for children aged three to seven, it has proven to have profound effects with children starting to read, slow readers, and a wide variety of special needs kids (Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD and Down Syndrome). The overwhelming response from parents say it engages children like nothing else ever has.”
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Oh behalf of The House of Vinter and The Gold Coast Grapevine, I’d like to offer one reader a copy of The Fun Funnel (RRP $29.95).
To enter, subscribe to The Gold Coast Grapevine and leave a comment below saying you’ve done so.
The competition is open to Australian and New Zealand residents only.
Valid from Monday 28 June to Friday 2 July 2010.
I will draw the winner by random number at 7pm on the closing date.
The winner will be notified via email and a ost update link on the Be A Fun Mum Facebook Page.
8.33 pm 2.7.10 Congratulations Virginia!
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Other Be A Fun Mum book reviews:
You Are Sooooo Beautiful by Leanne Powers
Monster Maddie by Susan Stephenson
Relevant Post:
You Are Sooooo Beautiful: Book Giveaway
Leanne Power, author of You Are Sooooo Beautiful, made a striking discovery. Although being intelligent, athletic and successful, she never fully understood the meaning of ‘real’ beauty. Then came a moment of time, when Leanne was forced to strip away all the social-conditioning about what a woman should be and look like, and You Are Sooooo Beautiful was born. Leanne is also a proud mother, and is passionate about teaching children, and adults, about true beauty.
“True beauty isn’t the collection of unrealistic physical ideals that the media loves to promote. True beauty is embracing who you are at your very core.”
- Leanne Power
The A4 sized hardcover book, is illustrated in bright and bold images by Jared MacPherson. The book is written with a strong message, woven into an appealing story for children. This creates a wonderful handbook for teaching of one of Life’s lessons: self-esteem. Adults too, could benefit from the simple idea of being who you are; simple yet often hard to grasp in an environment of vast external pressures.
The You Are Sooooo Beautiful story follows Marley Rae’s journey from birth to adulthood. Through the mentorship of her Aunt, Marley Rae discovers beauty in herself and nature around her. The repetitive ”You are sooooo beautiful” is an anticipation winner with children coupled with the endearing cupping-the-face-in-hands image appearing on the front cover. Marley Rae’s confidence and transition into adulthood is a quality many parents would like to see their children achieve.
The book’s message echos many of my own beliefs.
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The importance of family
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Be who God made you to be
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Shine where you are, or as my Mum used to say, “Bloom where you are planted“
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Respect others
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Don’t change yourself to fit the world’s standards
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See beauty in nature
“Be who your truly are on the inside and encourage others to do so too.”
- Excerpt from You Are Sooooo Beautiful
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More You are Sooooo Beautiful reviews:
Momstown *** Gloria Carissa *** Tangible Moments *** Modern Mamma
More from Leanne Power:
Would you like a copy? You can buy it here or I have one to give away.
To have a chance of winning a copy of You Are Sooooo Beautiful, leave a comment below.
The competition is open to Australian and New Zealand residents only.
Valid from Monday 21 June to Saturday 26 June 2010.
I will draw the winner by random number at 7pm on the closing date.
The winner will be notified via email and a post update link on the Be A Fun Mum Facebook Page.
7.23pm 25.6.10 Congratulations Kristie!
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Be A Fun Mum book review: Monster Maddy by Susan Stephenson
Guest Post : Reading
Many of us have wonderful childhood memories of being read to, and reading favourite books. I have a lasting memory of the pride I felt when I read a book in its entirety at the age of 6. It was called Mortimer K Saves the Day! [by R Gelman]. My love of books has been passed on to my children. Too young to read, they both love to turn the pages, and look at the pictures. My eldest, who is not quite three, has a few favourites that she knows by heart, and will ‘read’ the words with amazing accuracy.
Reading difficulties can occur for a number of reasons. It’s a very complicated task, requiring the coordination of a large variety of skills. You need to hold the book, see the book and the words that appear on the page. The book needs to be held up the right way, and a comfortable distance from the eyes. To read words, a recognition of each letter and an understanding of its meaning is necessary, and you need to have an understanding that these letters have specific sounds, and these sounds together form words. You need to scan the words in the correct order, and then there’s punctuation. The English language is complicated with inconsistent spelling and grammar rules. It’s an amazing achievement when our kids master this ability!
The benefits of developing literacy skills are obvious. Reading and writing is a means of communication and form of self expression. During the school years and beyond, reading is important for learning and remembering new information. Every day, information is presented to us in words – forms, contracts, recipes, menus, instructions, directions, addresses, newspapers, and the list goes on.
Here are some tips for helping children to read:
1. Read to your children every day – with enthusiasm! They love this time with you, and you and your child will come to cherish it.
2. When able, get your child to read aloud. Hearing and seeing the words will enhance the learning experience.
3. Expose your child to lots of reading opportunities. This may mean going to the library to find new books to read, helping to find items at the grocery store from a list, identifying street names and signs when in the car.
If your child appears to be struggling with this task, don’t delay in asking for help. This is an important skill to learn. Speak with your child’s teacher, or contact a Speech Therapist or Occupational Therapist for help identifying the possible reason for the delay, and to be provided with strategies to help.
References:
1. Chapter 11: Task Analysis – Reading, B. Ferguson, 2005
2. Task Analysis – an approach to improving literacy and numeracy, J. De Jonge
3. Top 10 Ways to Improve Reading Skills, Peggy isler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S.
4. Resources for improving literacy
Nicole is a privately practicing Occupational Therapist (OT) in Brisbane, Queensland. She is mother to 2 beautiful girls aged two and one. She’s also written a guest post for Be a Fun Mum about encouraging your child/ren to write here. More information about Nicole can be found at these web addresses:
www.nicolegrant.net
www.brissieot.blogspot.com
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From the Experts
Be A Fun Mum Related Posts
I have a deep love for books — especially old books. I’ve been known to spend hours browsing through second hand book stores. There’s something about the feel and smell of an old book, that transports me to another time. I wonder how many hands before me have held the book and what their life was like.
It looks like my love for old books as passed to my daughter Cossie (4). Often, she gazes at the bookshelf. Sometimes she ask to ”just hold” the books; “Mum, I’ll be very, very careful,” she says in a voice filled with awe. So today, I stopped at a thrift shop and picked out some pretty coloured old books — especially for her. And now for the craft.
Vintage Book Treasure Box
You will need:
* Pen knife or Stanley knife
* Thin cutting board
* Vintage book (I purcahsed four books for $4)
* Ribbon
* Craft Glue
Step 1: Give a minute of silence for the author of the book because what you are about to do will rip their heart out if they knew.
Step 2: Right, that done — move on and don’t look back. Find a rectangle object to use as a template (like a small card). It should be small enough to fit on the page with at least a 2cm margin to each side.
Step 3: Turn about 20 pages and place the rectangle template on the centre of the page.
Step 4: You will need to cut around the template but work in small batches. To do this, place a thin cutting board down about 10 pages and press hard with the pen knife till the insert pops out.
Step 5: Work your way down the book until you are at the end. This step will take about 20 minutes. Don’t worry about being too neat.
Step 6: Once you have the secret compartment, thread ribbon through the entire cut out section and tie a bow (or two if you like).
Step 7: Glue the bottom page down to provide a sealed box.
Step 8: Allow your child to colour a special drawing on the botttom of the secret compartment.
Step 9: Don’t throw out the middle pages. I’ll show you (in another post) what to do with the left-over paper.
Note: Boys love secrets too. To make the Vintage Book Treasure Box for boys, use leather or string instead of ribbon.
Other ways to use vintage books:
Vintage weddings. Use the Vintage Book Treasure Box craft in the colour of your wedding. Make the hole in the centre smaller and thread both wedding rings on the ribbon before tieing it up in a bow. Ask your photographer to use some vintage books in your photoshoot or have them as a centrepiece at the reception.
Men: If you give your girl a letter or jewellrey in the Vintage Book Treasure Box, you will get A LOT of brownie points. 
Feature Object: If you don’t want to cut a book, just tie a ribbon around pile of vintage books for a stunning feature object.
Colour Scheme: Use vintage books as the colour scheme guide for a room. There are so many beautiful but subtle vintage book covers. Most specialised paint shops can match colours to an object. I chose these colours: beige, green, blue, red.
Nursery Decoration: Vintage books look absolutely stunning on a nursery shelf or in a child’s bedroom.
Vintage is in!
Be A Fun Mum related links:
Book Review: Monster Maddie
A plight experienced by many school aged children extends from this question: Who will play with me? Miss Maddie, the book’s character, graples with the same question and tries different tricks on her peers in an effort to be noticed.
“She put ants in their pants, dirt in their shirts, and ooze in their shoes.”
I wonder if Maddie’s tactics will work?
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Monster Maddie is Susan Stephenson‘s first published children’s picture book. Her extensive experience as a writer, teacher and blog extraordinaire (as The Book Chook), is obvious throughout the text.
Monster Maddie was published by Guardian Angel Publishing and illustrations were provided by K. C. Snider. The book is geared for ages 4 – 10 and, although a stand alone picture book, Monster Maddie would be appropriate to study in a classroom with seven pages of learning activities included.
There’s something impish and like-able about Maddie, despite her horrid antics and monster-like transformation; the fangs and claws and wild, wild hair. This like-ability factor provides a strong platform for the clever, non-preachy message within: what you do is what you become.
Maddie’s character is easy to relate to; she’s not perfect and doesn’t miraculously change; she’s real. And do you know what? When all is said and done, there IS a positive about fangs and claws and wild, wild hair. You will have to read it for yourself to find out what.
There’s a lot to explore with Monster Maddie, each time its read.
Monster Maddy can be purchased here. Read another review here.
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One Be A Fun Mum reader can win an copy of Monster Maddie, autographed by Susan Stephenson. To enter, please leave a comment below with an answer to this question: Was making friends at school difficult for you?
The competition is open to Australian and New Zealand residents only. Valid from Monday 24 May to Friday 28 May 2010. I will draw the winner by random number at 7pm on the closing date. Winner will be notified via email and posted on the Be A Fun Mum Facbook Page.
28 May 2010: Winner: Christine Bunn. Congratulations!
Hop over to:
Books are NOT Just for Reading
Books are not just for reading, so my children have taught me. They sometimes grab a book each and run around the house playing the character. So there you go, that’s really getting into a book isn’t it?
Love it.
Story Friday: Wordless
While reading a children’s book, do you pause to ask your child their opinion on what the character is feeling? Are they sad or happy? Surprised or frightened? Angry or confused?
Do you ever allow your child to interpret the pictures into a story? A wordless story is a wonderful way to introduce story telling and empathy to your child, as well as a way to encourage them to interpret the world around them.
Please feel free to print the illustrations. Just click here for the PDF file.
Allow your child to tell you this story. Here are some questions you may like to ask:
* What do you think is happening?
* How is the boy feeling?
* Is the boy inside or outside?
* What is his name?
* What is the boy doing?
* What do you think is going to happen next?
* Is the boy far or near?
* Is the boy sitting or standing?
* Is the boy sad? (try this when the boy is looking happy)
* Is the boy happy? (try asking this when the boy is looking sad)
* Is the boy walking quickly or slowly?
For more great tips on reading to children and current book reviews visit The Book Chook. I’m a huge fan.
My four-year-old’s interpretation:
Image 1: He’s walking. / Image 2: He’s at some stairs. What is he doing?
Image 3: *laughs* He’s running down the stairs. / Image 4: He’s thinking about telling the truth.
Image 5: He’s thinking about his attitude. / Image 6: He is putting his money on the ground.
Image 7: *laughs* He’s surprised. / Image 8: He’s holding some monies.
Image 9: He’s walking slowly. / Image 10: He wants to buy a lollipop.
Image 11: *giggles* He’s a pirate.
Further reading:
