HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LOIS LENSKI (1893-1974)

Summer's over,

Now it's fall;

Just the nicest 

Time of all.

Down,

   down,

        down,

Leaves of red and gold and brown

Come falling,

              falling 

                    down.

Lois Lenski's life was a balance of family and career. Her close family and small town upbringing provided a strong foundation and served as an influence in all she did. Mrs. Lenski wrote and illustrated over 100 books - in addition to illustrating another sixty or so written by other authors. Some that I've blogged about are her MR. SMALL books (3-7) and the Betsy-Tacy series (ages 5 and up) that she illustrated by Maud Hart Lovelace.

Have you seen her (now out of print) DAVY books? I think they are adorable. She wrote them about her grandson.

To read more about Lois Lenski's life and see a list of all her books, CLICK HERE.
Source reference:  Milner Library, Illinois State University.

"I READ THE WHOLE BOOK BY MYSELF!"

That declaration is music to a parent's ear.  Especially if you have a child who has struggled with learning to read.  As a parent who home-schooled my children, hearing that phrase elicited feelings of not only relief, but gratification.  I was very lucky to have been directed to some wonderful little readers that got my kids off on the right foot...they're called "BOB BOOKS".

"Bob Books" were first introduced 35 years ago.

I'm excited to announce that BOB BOOKS and SCHOLASTIC Publishers have graciously agreed to sponsor my SEPTEMBER GIVE-AWAY!  Stay tuned to see what the free gift will be.  The post review will go up in the next few days.  TELL YOUR FRIENDS!  The drawing will be on September 30, 2011.

CONTEST OVER!
You can enter my SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY by:
1 - Leaving a comment here on any of my blog posts dated between today (9/20) and September 29, 2011.
2 - "Liking" my GOOD BOOKS FOR YOUNG SOULS FACEBOOK PAGE between today and September 29, 2011.
3 - Posting a comment on my FACEBOOK page between today, 9/20/11 and 9/29/11.

These fun little books were created by Bobby Lynn Maslen for her preschoolers when she discovered she couldn't find early readers that were interesting.

The first BOB BOOKS were individually hand-drawn. When it became too cumbersome to make books for each child, Bobby Lynn persuaded the school to print 300 copies. This eventually led to more sets - starting a cottage industry and self-publishing.  Bobby's husband, John, illustrated them. The series, first adopted by homeschoolers and Montessori teachers, was picked up by Scholastic.

Today, BOB BOOKS are still very much a family-run business with management being handed down to the eldest daughter, Lynn, who has been involved with the BOB BOOKS right from the beginning. She started out with paste-up and lettering of the first edition in the 1970’s, but later spent several years in other ventures. Lynn then returned to the family business as her own daughter was beginning to read. That was when she gained true appreciation for the simplicity, fun, humor and easy success of Bob Books. Her daughter now joins the millions of kids that happily exclaim, “I read the whole book!”® Lynn lives in Seattle with her daughter and husband.

SCHOOL DAYS OR SCHOOL DAZE?

Which will it be?  Parents and teachers hope for the former: which for young children, hopefully involves focus as well as fun.

School Days by Jessie Wilcox Smith

But some children find themselves starting school in a daze...

Back to School Again by Jessie Wilcox Smith

For my readers who may have preschool aged children (or grandchildren) who are learning at home or just starting school this year:  I'll be doing a SEPTEMBER GIVE-AWAY that is sure to help your kids have fun as they focus on learning to read.  How do you know if your child is ready to read?  The website for my GIVE-AWAY books (revealed soon!) says this:

Every child is different, so there is no specific age when your child will be ready for reading. Instead, look for signs and signals that may indicate reading readiness. Because young children learn so much at a very rapid rate, you may not even be fully aware of how much they already know. Some children grasp reading concepts and are able to sound out simple words as early as age 3; others may not start until age 5 or 6. Learning to read is very much a process; as your child’s first and most important teacher, he or she will need your patience, as well as your encouragement, every step of the way.

What should I look for?

As an involved parent, you have most likely been looking at alphabet books together or have magnetic letters on the fridge. Answers to the questions below can help determine where your child is in terms of reading readiness:

-Does your child know the alphabet?

-Can she or he recognize most of the letters (including both uppercase and lowercase letters?)

-Can your child recognize letters on everyday objects such as S T O P on a stop sign?

-Does your child know that letters are associated with sounds and can he or she demonstrate a fair number of those sounds?

-Can your child spell his or her own name?