As a mother and linguist, I cannot emphasize the importance of reading to young children too much. Reading aloud to babies facilitates language development as well as sets the stage for a lifelong love of reading. In my house, my daughter and I read at least one book together (and usually more) almost every single day. She will actually ask for books sometimes while she is playing, and I always happily oblige by sitting her on my lap and reading a book aloud to her.
As a librarian, I can also not sing the praises of summer reading programs enough. My husband will be taking our daughter to the infant and toddler program at one of our local libraries. I am also planning on signing her up for the summer reading program, which is for readers starting right at birth. When I was a kid, our summer reading programs did not begin until preschool, so I am super excited to share a program with my toddler daughter.
To help facilitate her progress, I will be sharing some of the books that my daughter and read this summer in a weekly toddler summer reading program post. Today marks the end of the first week. I will post every Thursday for the next eight weeks, sharing up to five books that my daughter and I read each week. We will definitely be reading much more than I share, so I will just be picking our favorites. Who knows? Maybe you will find a new book to read with your children.
Week 1 Books
- Duck & Goose by Tad Hills
- A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
- Hey, Duck! by Carin Bramsen
- The Story of Red Rubber Ball by Constance Kling Levy and Hiroe Nakata
- Elmo’s World: Love! by Kara McMahon and Mary Beth Nelson
Right now, my daughter loves balls, dogs, ducks, and Elmo, so our five books this week featured balls, dogs, ducks, and Elmo. Poppy loves to point out each and every ball on each and every page of each and every book. She also likes to point out the dogs, the ducks, and Elmo. When asked what a dog or duck says, she will bark and quack.
Duck & Goose
Duck & Goose by Tad Hills the first book in the popular Duck & Goose line of picture books and board books. (I also recently requested copies of as many of the other titles as I could find in our catalog from my library, so you can be certain that more Duck & Goose books will slow up this summer.) In the story, Duck and Goose, who are not very fond of each other, must work together to tend to a lost egg. By the end of the story, however, a bluebird points out that the egg is not really an egg but actually a ball. My daughter loved not only the duck (and goose, which she also called a duck) but also the ball, which she knew was a ball and not an egg right from the start.
A Ball for Daisy
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka is a wordless picture book. The story follows a dog named Daisy who loves playing with her favorite red ball. Unfortunately, when Daisy goes to the park one afternoon, her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. Daisy is so sad about the loss of her ball. But, by the end of the story when the bigger dog’s owner buys her a new blue ball to replace the destroyed red one, she is a happy dog once again. My daughter had some trouble pointing out the stylized dogs in this book, but she sure loved pointing out the balls on each page.
Hey, Duck!
Hey, Duck! by Carin Bramsen is a cute story about a little duck who tries to befriend another duck, who is actually a cat. Though resistant and stubborn at first, the cat soon realizes that labels do not matter in the least. Although not identical, the cat does share some interests with the little duck. My daughter loved pointing out the duck on each page. She also loves her kitty and liked pointing out the cat throughout the book. She also really loved quacking and meowing along with the story.
The Story of Red Rubber Ball
The Story of Red Rubber Ball by Constance Kling Levy and Hiroe Nakata tells the story of a little red rubber ball who sits all alone while the rest of the world seems to go on about its business. Bugs and animals buzz around, ignoring the ball at first. This book is a charming backyard adventure with a happy ending. As a fan of balls, my daughter, of course, loved pointing out the ball on every page. She also liked looking at the pictures of all the animals that encounter the little red rubber ball.
Elmo’s World: Love!
Elmo’s World: Love! by Kara McMahon and Mary Beth Nelson is an Elmo’s World book in which Elmo tells toddlers all about all there is to love including family, friends, pets, and favorite things. Featuring extra big flaps with surprises underneath, this book is perfect for toddlers who love Elmo. My daughter, of course, loved pointing out Elmo on every page. She also loved folding up the flaps herself.
What books have you and your children read recently?
Image Credits
Duck & Goose by Tad Hills © 2013 Heather Johnson
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka © 2013 Heather Johnson
Hey, Duck! by Carin Bramsen © 2013 Heather Johnson
The Story of Red Rubber Ball by Constance Kling Levy and Hiroe Nakata © 2013 Heather Johnson
Elmo’s World: Love! by Kara McMahon and Mary Beth Nelson © 2013 Heather Johnson
