What Makes a Good Book Good?

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What Makes a Good Book Good?

• National Association for the
• Education of Young Children
• Annual Conference, 2006
• Dorothy S. Strickland

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• www.naeyc.org
• www.nieer.org
• Preschool Policy Brief
• by Dorothy S. Strickland Shannon Riley-Ayers
• Early Literacy Policy Practice in the
  Preschool Years
• and an excerpt from their 2007 book
• Literacy Leadership in Early Childhood The
  Essential Guide
• Teachers College Press

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What makes a good book?

• Reading Aloud to Children
• -- at home and at school --
• has a special role
• in young childrens literacy development.
• BUT, WHAT MAKES A GOOD BOOK?

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What Makes a Good Book? Dorothys top ten

• 1
• It has universal appeal!

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A Chair for My Motherby Vera B. Williams
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A Chair for My Motherby Vera B. Williams
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Reflection --

• Sharing books with children is strong motivation
  for learning to read. Show your enthusiasm and
  interest as you read aloud.
• Listening to fluent reading provides the
  foundation for fluency

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What Makes a Good Book?Dorothys top ten

• 2
• It has interesting language!
• the language flows
• it has rhythm
• you can play with it

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Honey, I LoveEloise Greenfieldpictures by Diane
and Leo Dillon
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Reflection --

• Language play fosters a sensitivity to the sound
  system, the foundation for phonemic awareness and
  phonics.
• Provides a sense of words and sentences

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What Makes a Good Book?Dorothys top ten

• 3
• It educates as it entertains!

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Snowballsby Lois Ehlert
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Snowballsby Lois Ehlert
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Reflection --

• Informational books of all kinds provide
  background knowledge about the world, which is
  essential for vocabulary development and reading
  comprehension.

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What Makes a Good Book?Dorothys top ten

• 4
• It evokes discussion!

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Amazing GraceMary Hoffman Caroline Binch
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Amazing GraceMary Hoffman Caroline Binch
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Reflection --

• Encourage children to
• Reflect on what was read
• Compare books on the same topic
• and by the same author
• Help make connections to their lives
• listening and speaking

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What Makes a Good Book?Dorothys top ten

• 5
• It provides a sense of history
• and connection to the past!

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The Amazing Life of Benjamin FranklinJames Cross
GiblinIllustrations by Michael Dooling
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The Amazing Life of Benjamin FranklinJames Cross
GiblinIllustrations by Michael Dooling
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Reflection --

• Extend book experiences through interactive
  writing.
• Talk about what was read
• Save the good ideas by writing them down as
  children dictate them
• Read and reread together

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What Makes a Good Book?Dorothys top ten

• 6
• It introduces children
• to other cultures!

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Going Home by Eve Bunting Illustrated by
David Diaz
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Going Home by Eve Bunting Illustrated by
David Diaz
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Reflection --

• Sharing books about people from other cultures
  helps broaden childrens background knowledge and
  understanding of the diverse world in which we
  live. Help children understand that the way we
  live may seem strange to others.
• Vocabulary Comprehension

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What Makes a Good Book?Dorothys top ten

• 7
• It introduces children
• to varied forms of literature!

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Stringbeans Trip to the Shining Seaby Vera B.
Williams Jennifer Williams
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Stringbeans Trip to the Shining Sea by Vera B.
Williams Jennifer Williams
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Reflection --

• Knowing something about the structure of stories
  and informational books supports both
• reading comprehension
• and writing.

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What Makes a Good Book?Dorothys top ten

• 8
• Its a classic piece of literature!

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The Illustrated Book of Fairy TalesRetold by
Neil PhilipIllustrated by Nilesh Mistry
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Reflection --

• Classic literature is referred to in jokes,
  newspaper articles, and modern stories a key
  part of background knowledge for
• reading comprehension

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Cartoon from the New Yorker Magazineby Shanahan
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What Makes a Good Book?Dorothys top ten

• 9
• Its worth reading
• over and over
• again!

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Good Night MoonMargaret Wise Brown Pictures by
Clement Hurd
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Reflection --

• There is value in repeated listening to the same
  stories and poems. Children memorize portions and
  gain a sense of comfort and control over knowing
  what comes next.
• Shared reading of big books and charts offers
  children an opportunity to participate in the
  reading. Builds -
• concepts about books print.

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What Makes a Good Book?Dorothys top ten

• 10
• It makes you laugh!!

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Raising SweetnessDiane Stanley G. Brian Karas
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• www.naeyc.org
• www.nieer.org
• Preschool Policy Brief
• by Dorothy S. Strickland Shannon Riley-Ayers
• Early Literacy Policy Practice in the
  Preschool Years
• and an excerpt from their 2007 book
• Literacy Leadership in Early Childhood The
  Essential Guide
• Teachers College Press