Storybook Reading
Reading at home is a potent force in promoting children’s literacy. Parent and child reading together can reap substantial long-term benefits (Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp, 2000).
Storybook reading is highly influential in a young child’s literacy development when the routine of storybook reading creates a predictable activity from which the child observes and imitates how the reading behaviors occur (Sulzby & Teale, 1991).
Concepts About Print such as holding the book upright, where to begin reading, how to proceed (return sweep to the left), reading the left page before the right page, and stopping at the period at the end of the sentence are prerequisite behaviors which support reading and writing acquisition. Becoming involved with literacy by observing and practicing these behaviors will prepare children to follow these concepts until they are fully grasped (Clay, 2005).
Dialogic reading invites the child to become the storyteller following repeated readings of the story. The role of the adult is to prompt open-ended questions (beginning with who, what, when , where, and why), in order to expand the child’s oral language skills and gain deeper understanding of the story (Whitehurst et al., 1994).
Reading Fiction (Narrative texts)–
Children should become active participants in reading by discussing the illustrations, hearing their favorite story multiple times, connecting their lives to characters and events in the story, and parents/caregivers sharing dialogue about the story by asking questions such as who, what, where, why or when. Following multiple readings, the young child may retell the entire story by memory and the parent/caregiver can then ask questions to promote dialogue and deeper understanding of the story.
Rereading fictional stories enhance children’s awareness of story elements such as title, author, characters, setting, and plot. After repeated readings, a child begins to understand the sequence of events and the role of the characters in the plot. Asking a child to retell a story gives an indication of the child’s ability to understand the elements in the story.
Constructing meaning by engaging in higher level literacy practices enriches comprehension. For example, during reading of a narrative text, connect an element of this story with another story you have read (text to text connections); or connect the text to a personal experience of the young child (text to self connections); or try acting out one event in the story and relate it to a real experience (performative). These activities should be created by student dialogue and interactions in order to construct their meaning (Hoffman, 2011).
Reading Non-fiction (Informational texts) –
Reading informational texts to children helps build their background knowledge and encourages exploration of new ideas and learning about their environment. Informational books inform young children about elements of non-fiction such as description, sequence, compare and contrast, or problem and solution. Practice hearing this genre will prepare children when they reach higher elementary grade levels (Morrow, Freitag & Gambrell, 2009).
Recommended Reading
Narrative (fiction)
The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Asbjfrnsen, P. C. & Moe, J. E.
Madeline, Bemelmans, L.
The Mitten, Brett, J.
Goodnight Moon, Brown, M. W.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Carle, E.
Corduroy, Freeman, D.
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Henkes, K.
Harold and the Purple Crayon, Johnson, C.
The Snowy Day, Keats, E. J.
The Carrot Seed, Kraus, R.
Leo the Late Bloomer, Kraus, R.
Frederick, Lionni, L.
Little Blue and Little Yellow, Lionni, L.
On Market Street, Lobel, A.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Martin, B.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Martin, B.
Make Way for Ducklings, McCloskey, R.
Blueberries for Sal, McCloskey, R.
Tikki Tikki Tembo, Mosel, A.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Numeroff, L. J.
Good Night Gorilla, Rathman, P.
Curious George, Rey, H. A.
Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak, M.
Caps for Sale, Slobodkina, E.
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Steig, W.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Viorst, J.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Waber, B.
The Napping House, Wood, A.
Informational (non-fiction)
Snow is Falling, Branley, F.
The Tiny Seed, Carle, E.
Jack’s Garden, Cole, H.
Stop, Drop, and Roll, Cuyler, M.
Planting a Rainbow, Ehlert, L.
Cats, Gibbons, G.
Ducks Don’t Get Wet, Goldin, A. R.
Let’s Find Out about Ice Cream, Reid, M. E.
Spiders, Resnick, J.P.
One Bean, Rockwell, A.
The Fire Station, Saunders-Smith, G.
Flowers, Saunders-Smith, G.
It Looked Like Spilt Milk, Shaw, C.
Tell Me a Season, Siddals, M. M.
Activities
Reading Fiction (Narrative texts)– Children should become active participants in reading by discussing the illustrations, connecting their lives to characters and events in the story, and parents/caregivers asking questions beginning with who, what, where, why or when. After hearing the story read a few times, the young child may retell the entire story by memory and the parent/caregiver can then ask questions to promote dialogue and deeper understanding of the story.
Reading Non-fiction (Informational texts)– It is never too early to read non-fiction books to young learners especially concerning topics that children have experienced. Books about themes may include animals following a visit to the zoo, or books about dinosaurs after a visit to the museum, or books about fire engines and safety following a visit to the firehouse. The child can more easily remember and understand topics following a real life experience. During the reading of non-fiction books is an excellent opportunity to learn new vocabulary.