The Thursday Book Bite- A perfect book for Shared Reading

If you know me at all (or read any of my blog posts), you know I am passionate about encouraging parents to read with their children. Not only does it help them to build literacy skills, but reading together also helps you to build relationships with your child, and strengthen the bonds that you share. Because I feel this is something that is so important within our families, this week I am suggesting you add a book to your home libraries-You Read To Me, I’ll Read To You: Very Short Stories to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman.

(She also wrote All Kinds of Families-which I love and have recommended!).

This book is great to read alongside early readers who are still learning and figuring out the process, but also those who can read independently. It is written in a way that gives you the flexibility to vary how this book can be read, and how you use it as a tool to help your child understand and enjoy reading.

Here are a few ideas of how you could use this book:

• Use it as a shared read with 2 people, each taking turns reading the ‘parts’.
• A shared read with more than 2 people, dividing the readers up to read parts together (2 or more reading the same text at the same time=choral reading)
• Use this book as a means of modeling, asking your child to read along with you or repeat parts of the text that you have read.  [Reading the book in this way ensures they get to hear someone else read it and are able to hear what it can sound like. This method is great for early readers as they are starting to notice the way people sound when they read (fluency) and are wanting to imitate. This is an adaption of choral reading.] If you choose to try this, make sure it is very interactive, and fun-or it could quickly turn into what they perceive as ‘work’!
• Read all parts of the book together.
• One person reads all parts, but use 2 different voices -one for each part. (A great option to turn this book into a read-aloud!)
• 2 adults both read this book aloud- each reading the different parts to a little one who isn’t reading yet. (Another read-aloud option!)

Get creative!

Books like these are perfect for reluctant readers. During this type of shared reading you get to share the work of reading the text, and the child doesn’t feel overwhelmed by having to read aloud all alone. These books really help to take some of the pressure off of a young/reluctant reader during this process.

They are engaging, silly, and fun to read, too!

There are additional books in this ‘series’ written by Hoberman, including the titles:

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very short Fairy Tales to Read Together

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tales to Read Together

Enjoy!

Angela (a readingteachermom)