like this one, for the little ones: Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever.
any of the richard scarry books are great, but this happens to be a favorite of ours (as you can tell by the taped-up binding :). this book has been through many kids.)
it is full of lovely, colorful pictures of everything you can imagine. all labeled so your child can see the words in print and begin to understand that words represent physical things. [i love these so much. i need to find another copy so i can cut this one up and hang these prints on the wall!]
around the house page,
farm page,
neat science-y pages,
and some about the seasons.
this book always sparks great conversations, even with my not-yet-two year old.
to go along with the book, we decided to label things around our house. not that a 20-month-year-old is going to be reading the labels, but it's important for pre-readers to have a print-rich environment.
it helps them to become comfortable with letters, and to reinforce the idea that concrete things can be represented by the written word.
and so, we made labels.
and played the game of 'i'll hand you a card with a word on it, and tell you to find that thing and put the label on it."
it was fun.
first we did the doors and windows.
then we did her toys.
and books.
and... pretty much every thing else.
including, of course,
Naomi herself!
none of us were feeling fantastic today, getting over colds, and struggling with asthma, but this was an activity we managed to have fun with, despite general feelings of yuckyness.
you'd never guess she had a temperature this morning. :)
can we play again!?
and not to neglect our middle sized kids, today's recommendation is
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
this book is amazing, and thoughtful and beautifully written. set in an orwellian-type dystopia, the story chronicles the journey of Jonas, a young boy who comes to some very profound understandings about his society. in this world, families are 'made' by the government, jobs (as well as one's entire future) are chosen by a tribunal, everyone's life is pleasant and uneventful, and no one can see color. no one, that is, but Jonas, and an old man known only as 'The Giver.' who alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life.
the choices he has to make in the end will wring your emotions dry and have you biting your nails.
and for the adults, today's pick is Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451.
living in another dystopian society, "Guy Montag was a fireman, whose job it was to start fires. and he enjoyed his job. he had been a fireman for ten years and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames... never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. then guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do." [cited from the book jacket]
the tagline for this book is great,
"the system was simple, everyone understood it. books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden."
sends shivers down your spine, right? ;)
read today,
and don't forget to check out Helping Little Hands Read-Along project to see what everyone else is doing this month!
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