Celebrating Christmas Through the Magic of Storytelling Guest blogging at Spanish4Kiddos

Today I am guest blogging at SPANISH4KIDDOS - THE SPANISH SCIENCE CORNER.

The proprietor, Barbara, has asked me to share a favourite story that my family reads together to celebrate Christmas. We have so many Christmas favourites it was hard to choose just one... so I didn't!

Come on over and see what we are reading this holiday season!

Comments are off here. Please stop by Spanish 4 Kiddos and share your favourite Christmas stories!

Nate Rocks the World Book Review and Interview with Karen Pokras Toz Plus a GIVEAWAY!

Today, I am pleased to welcome children's author Karen Pokras Toz to Cookie's Book Club, along with a special guest reviewer and interviewer, my nephew J!

Karen is the creator of the popular character, Nate Rocks.

So, who is Nate Rocks?

From Karen's website, http://www.karentoz.com:
Nate Rocks: Part Super-Hero, Part All-Star Athlete, Part Rock-Star… Part Fourth-Grader?

Ten-year-old Nathan Rockledge cannot catch a break. After all, life as a fourth-grader can be hazardous - what with science projects to deal with and recess football games to avoid. Everyone, including his best friend Tommy, seems to have bad luck when hanging around Nathan. Throw in an older sister who is a royal pain, a dad who is stuck in the past, and a mom who keeps trying to poison him with her awful cooking, and poor Nathan’s life as a fourth-grader appears to be completely doomed.

Spanish for Young Readers Guest post by Barbara Mascareno-Shaw

I am pleased to have Barbara Mascareno-Shaw visiting Cookie’s Book Club today. I’ve asked her to tell us about a few books for young Spanish learners.

“What’s in a Bilingual Book?”

Is it possible to find just one book that can help all bilingual readers or beginners in Spanish? Could there be books that can give young readers an easy access to new Spanish words?

A Spanish bilingual young reader is one that is learning how to read, write, and eventually speak Spanish. Usually when young readers are starting to learn to read, they start to sound out words and syllables. This is helpful in letter recognition and phonemic awareness.

For a bilingual young reader, it is even more important to distinguish between the vocal sounds in English and Spanish. In this way, books that have easy to read fonts and pictures are essential for young bilingual readers. 

One particular series of books is Tupi by Merce Aranega. 

Here, the author establishes the relation between Spanish words with the pictures in the book. It links the notion of the visual understanding between the words and words in context by using different pictures. The young or beginner reader must sound out the picture word in the sentence to continue reading. This book series incorporates basic daily tasks such as bathing, playing music, fieldtrips to parks and farms, and storytelling and uses easy to recognize pictures to complete the sentence in the story.

Another good example of easy to understand bilingual books is the Wordbook (Libros de Palabras) series by Mary Berendes. 



The author also uses pictures as a visual tool to build a relation between words and meaning. In this case, the words are not just stand-alone concepts as in a dictionary but are part of a complete scenario. For instance, in learning about seasons, winter could be portrayed as a winter wonderland with ice-skating, snow, snowmen, cold weather, and many more examples of winter. The best part of this series is that the reader can build the story as they pronounce the words in the picture since the words are all related to that topic in that specific scenario.

In learning Spanish, there are many different bilingual tools but it’s always fun to build vocabulary with easy to read picture books.

Barbara Mascareno-Shaw has a dual degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry and has taught K-12 children under the No-Child-Left-Behind program. The students in this program are struggling in school and are about to repeat a grade unless there’s parent/teacher intervention. Barbara is a native Spanish speaker from Argentina that’s lived in the United States most of her life. She believes in promoting reading skills at any age level whether bilingual or not. She encourages her daughter, Savanna, to learn Spanish through books, songs, projects, and of course Science lessons. Barbara currently lives in Las Vegas, NV with her wonderful husband and daughter Savanna. She also is a Science, Math, and Spanish tutor. You can learn more about her by visiting her at her blog, Spanish4Kiddos - The Spanish Science Corner. You can also follow her on Twitter and visit her Facebook page.

Thanks Barbara! These look great. I think I'll pick up a couple of them as Christmas gifts for my four-year-old. (He loves Dora and Diego and wants me to send him to a Spanish school!) 

Children's Author Spotlight: Raffi

Pre-kids I used to cringe at the thought of listening to Raffi. But then... it happened. A Raffi song made my son smile and I became and instant fan.

You probably know Raffi as a songwriter and performer. Raffi has written some fun versions of popular kids songs and in 1987 began releasing his Songs to Read series of books.

We sing a lot around here, so many of our books are really songs to read (see my previous spotlight on Sandra Boynton as an example).

Here are three of our favourite Raffi Songs to Read books:

Wheels on the Bus

This song has been a popular choice of parents and teachers for decades and for very good reason. It's a happy rhyming song about the adventures of the people who ride the bus. The illustrations by Sylvie Kantorovitz Wickstrom are equally jovial and bring the song to life.

Down by the Bay

"Down by the Bay is one of the best-selling Raffi Songs to Read. Irresistible art by Nadine Bernard Westcott depicts wonderfully amusing creatures such as a bear combing his hair, a goose kissing a moose, and a whale with a polka-dot tail." Source: http://www.raffinews.com/raffi/renaissance

If You're Happy and You Know It

"Children everywhere love to sing and clap along with this classic song... brought to life by Cyd Moore’s energetic artwork. The song becomes a delightful story about a surprise party where all the animals work together to do something nice for someone else." Source: http://www.raffinews.com/raffi/renaissance

At the back of these books, you can usually find the music for accompanying on an instrument, along with all of the verses.

"With two honorary degrees, the Order of Canada, and the UN’s Earth Achievement award, Raffi is a respected international figure, a global troubadour." Source: http://www.raffinews.com/raffi/renaissance

Plus, he makes kids smile, and that makes me smile!

Repetition is Good for Kids: Books for Babies and Toddlers

Kids love repetition, and it's good for them. As parents, reading the same story over and over again might get to be a little boring, but we do our kids a disservice if we force them to read something different thinking it will expand their minds (and keep our own from turning to mush).

According to the February 2011 Frontiers in Psychology article, "Get the story straight: contextual repetition promotes word learning from storybooks", children who read the same stories repeatedly are more likely to increase their vocabulary as a result. In the study, 3-year-olds were either read the same story three times or were read three different stories. Each story contained the same novel (made up) words. Children who heard the same story over and over learned the novel words and retained the words over the long term, thus increasing their vocabulary, whereas the kids who were read the three different stories did not.

In addition to allowing your kids to choose the same book night after night and reading it to him two or three or four times in a row some days, you can choose books that are written to emphasize repetition.

Children naturally love books and songs that use repetition. Some great books for babies and young children are the Child's Play Classic Books with Holes series of books (available at Amazon.com). Many of these books illustrate popular 'building' stories - stories that start with a concept and add on to it creating lots of repetition and lots of fun!





I bought a book for Jack before he was born and read it to him each night. It was still one of his favourite bedtime books for at least a couple of years after he was born. That book was The Napping House.

The Napping House employs the same cumulative rhyming technique found in the above Classic Books With Holes books.

There is a house,
a napping house,
where everyone is sleeping.

A similar story that my son liked, but that I think might be enjoyed more by little girls, is Emily's House.

Emily lived in a little brick house
With a creaky old door and a little brown mouse.

These are just a few of the options when it comes to books that incorporate repetition. Remember, as much as it numbs our own old and tired brains at times to read the same thing over and over again, it's just what our children need. Plus it makes the little gaffers happy!

Children's Author Spotlight: Sandra Boynton

If number of books by the same author is the benchmark, then Sandra Boynton is clearly the favourite author around here. She's a prolific writer of children's stories. Her subjects are adorable and silly animals such as pigs, cows, turkeys, cats, dogs, and her flagship hippos. There may also be the occasional monster or dinosaur.

If you want a taste of Boynton's sense of humour, just visit the sandraboynton.com home and introduction pages. The silly doesn't stop at the text of the story itself. It's all the little details that make the difference in Boynton's work.

Often the stories are accompanied by, or may even have been born out of, a silly song. This one, Your Personal Penguin, sung here by Davey Jones of The Monkees, is my favourite to sing:


Of course, it's not all about being silly, though for many kids (and their parents) that would be enough. Some of these stories have wonderful messages about love, family and friendship, and some teach kids their alphabet, rhyming, colours and animal sounds.

Sandra Boynton began designing greeting cards in 1973, and has designed thousands of them since then. One of her first and still most popular designs is “Hippo Birdie Two Ewes”. In 1977, Sandra wrote her first published children's book, Hippos Go Berserk. In the 1990s, Barbara began writing and recording music with Micheal Ford. Together they have recorded over 60 songs! My personal favourite is "Cows", performed by The Seldom Herd, from the Grammy award nominated Philadelphia Chickens.

I can wholeheartedly recommend these books by Sandra Boynton, which are staring at me longingly from the bookshelf as I write this review:

Barnyard Dance!
"Everybody sing along—because it's time to do-si-do in the barnyard with a high-spirited animal crew! From Boynton on Board, the bestselling series of board books, here is BARNYARD DANCE, with Sandra Boynton's twirling pigs, fiddle-playing cows, and other unforgettable animals. Extra-big, extra-fat, and extra-fun, BARNYARD DANCE features lively rhyming text and a die-cut cover that reveals the wacky characters inside. Guaranteed to get kids and adults stomping their feet. Main selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club. Winner of the 1994 Gold Medal from the National Parenting Publications Award." (source: Amazon.com)

Your Personal Penguin  
"Your Personal Penguin is a read-aloud, listen-along favorite for young children and the grown-ups who read to them. Fun to hold, the book tells the story of a slightly bewildered hippo and the loyal penguin who wants nothing more than to be his pal." (source: Amazon.com)

Belly Button Book
"Featuring a beachful of bare-bellied hippos—including one tiny baby who can only say “Bee Bo”—the Belly Button Book is the latest quirky addition to the phenomenally successful Boynton on Board series. Every page captivates with Sandra Boynton’s inimitable illustrations and joyful rhyming text." (source: Amazon.com)

Birthday Monsters!
"You hear your door come crashing down—those birthday monsters are in town! And they're going to wreak havoc in the most extraordinarily rude ways. What fun! From Boynton on Board, the 8-million-copy-bestselling series of extra-big, extra-fat, and extra-fun board books, here is BIRTHDAY MONSTERS. Featuring Sandra Boynton's lively rhyming text and inimitable illustrations, this story about a madcap crew of lovable party crashers will appeal to kids and adults alike. Main selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club." (source: Amazon.com)

The Going-To-Bed Book
For a little one who is reluctant to go to bed, sometimes a silly book is just the ticket. And when it comes to silly books, Sandra Boynton is the undisputed queen. In The Going to Bed Book, an ark full of animals watches the sun go down and then prepares for bed. They take a bath ("in one big tub"), find pajamas, brush their teeth, do exercises up on deck (imagine an elephant jumping rope, a moose lifting weights, and a pig doing handstands), and finally say good night. (source: Amazon.com)

Boynton's Greatest Hits: Volume 1
These short, hilarious books are perfectly suited to toddler tastes, with their small size, few words, cheerful colors, funny jokes, and silly animals. Blue Hat, Green Hat is all about getting dressed, and stars a very silly turkey who just doesn't get it. (Feet in the hat, pants on the head, etc.) His continuing refrain is "Oops." Moo, Baa, LA LA LA! investigates the sounds animals make, including pigs who sing. Doggies is "a counting and barking book" about the many sounds dogs can make, and A to Z frolics through the alphabet with amusing animal antics from an aardvark admiring to a zebra zigzagging. Parents love Boynton as much as kids do, and these four books in a compact boxed set will no doubt become household favorites!

Snoozers : 7 Short Short Bedtime Stories for Lively Little Kids
"Here are seven different Boynton bedtime stories for little listeners. Guided by the colorful picture tabs, children can find whichever story they want to hear. And the next one. And then this one. Okay, now this one. And now this one. Ooo, and this. Oh, please, just ONE more?" (source: Amazon.com)

These Sandra Boynton books are recommended for "all ages up to a hundred and moo" (sandraboynton.com), but they're enjoyed most by children 1 to 4 years old.

There are so many other great Sandra Boynton books that we look forward to reading! See the full list here: Sandra Boynton's 'Swell Books' page

Sandra Boynton's new book, Amazing Cows: Udder Absurdity for Children, is available at Amazon.com. You just have to read 'An Interview with the Author' to understand what it takes to write a Sandra Boynton book.

Sandra Boyton's even newer book is Happy Hippo Angry Duck, and it is available at Simon and Schuster.

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