Family Literacy & You

A few fun Literacy Tips to encourage your little readers! How many of you love “Between the Lions”? That great show about 2 little lions who live in a library and learn all about the wonders and enjoyment found in a great book.

Vocabulary Building: Teach your kids new words. We have many vocabulary-building features on this Web site including Word Play and Synonym Sam’s Lab. Our Printables area also has some original word games.

1. Comment on new words as they come up in stories, on TV or on the radio.
2. Introduce synonyms – words that mean the same thing. If your kids talk about “the day after today,” introduce the word “tomorrow.”
3. Correct word errors with simple examples or corrections. If they say “We runned home!” you could say, “Wow! You RAN home?” Or, more simply, “You could say that you RAN home.”
4. Find books that your kids like at the library. You can then use subjects they’re interested in to add new vocabulary to their conversation.
5. Open a dictionary and pick a word they probably know. See if they can guess the word by reading them the definition. Help them understand that some words have several meanings, like ‘watch.’ Check out our tips in “The Big Book of Words.”
6. Write out pairs of opposites on bits of paper and get your kids to match them up.
7. Introduce a new word and ask them to guess which definition is right? Is HALIBUT a fish, a game or a President? They’ll want to learn more when they’re having fun!
8. Include kids in your conversations with other adults by using words they can mostly understand. Then they will be able to learn any new ones by getting the meaning from the surrounding sentence.
9. Pick a new word every day and teach it to your kid. Use it so they hear it in context. Encourage them to use it, and use it yourself. Even over-using it will be fun. Pick a word like ‘outstanding’ and use it whenever something is ‘good.’

Find more fun ways to encourage reading & vocabulary at: Between the Lions. You will find fun games, stories, video’s and more. Parents/teachers – be sure to check the parents & teachers link at the bottom of the page.

Easter is April 4^th and as a thank you to all of my customers, hostesses and teachers:

You are invited to a Client Appreciation Event on Friday, March 12^th!

Where? Chapel Hall, 829 Ave “A”, Council Bluffs, IA

Day? Friday, March 12^th

When? 6:30 – 9:30 pm

Come by for Live Music, Wine Tasting, Fun and drawings for prizes.

Ollie the Trolley will be providing a leisurely method of touring all the art locations.   Park at Chapel Hall and ride the trolley to view the art and come back for music, art, shopping, fun and prizes.

Bring this coupon for a discount at the Usborne Books booth (the Easter Bunny LOVES to give books in Easter Baskets!  Easter is April 4^th this year!)  You can either have FREE shipping or 10% off your order!

Unable to come?  Email me with your order and I’ll get it right off to you!  Please note, the discount is unavailable for online orders.  Thanks for understanding!

Email: contact.thebooklady@gmail.com

This Month:  Usborne Hosts earn FREE Books, ½ Price books, and…an additional $50 extra!  Build an amazing Home Library for your family!  Reserve Your Date Today!

Great New Usborne Titles have just arrived: Foreign Language Flashcards, Sticker and Coloring books, fabulous new Fiction for older kids, and much more. Check out what’s new today!

Spark a child’s imagination, creativity, and love
of reading with gifts from Usborne Books & More!

Usborne Books is following through with a promise for more mature books for older kids & adults.  The next few books that I will be reviewing have just been released in the last couple of weeks & already promise to be big hits!

A World Away, by Pauline Francis  Ages 13+, 317 pages,  $5.99     A violent and passionate test of endurance, survival and love, masterfully captured by the poetic hand of Pauline Francis, this is a must-read for all fans of Raven Queen.  A World Away, has internet links to recommended websites about the life and times of the characters (perfect for school reports!)

This is well written, and definitely for  more mature audience. It’s a historical fiction written in first person from two individuals- a teen Indian girl who is taken from her homeland and brought to Plymouth England, and a teen English blacksmith boy who falls in love with her. It’s a twist on the way we typically read American History- it’s from a British perspective, something we generally don’t see. Each chapter goes back and forth with the two different viewpoints. The book suggests ages 14 and up, and I would say that’s accurate. The books deals with strong subject matter, from young love to the death of many of the characters. It’s a powerful story- A great one for mature teens and many adults will love it too!   – Review by Paula Semple 3/10

Read a part of “A World Away”:

“Plymouth 1586. I am afraid. These pale-skinned men have killed
my mother and betrayed my people. Now they have brought me
to a place they call England where they want to display me in front of their ‘Virgin Queen’. My name is Nadie, but some call me ‘savage’. I find it hard to endure their taunts, stares and insults. I do not want to live in this grey, inhospitable land. And yet there is one boy,  Tom, whose blacksmith’s dark skin matches my own. When he looks at me the fire of love burns in my heart. I feel I could find happiness with Tom – but can his love for me survive in my world, with my people?”

Moonrunner, Age 9+, $15.95

A touching story of a young boy who has moved to Australia from the US and has a hard time making friends.  He meets a wild brumby (Australian mustang) and the two of them help each other out….Very touching story…I almost made it through without crying (not quite)….great for any 4-5-6th grader, especially any who love horses

Read a bit of Moonrunner:

For a full minute, the brumby sniffed the air and looked directly at me. He didn’t move; I didn’t move.

The stallion’s powerful muscles quivered as he remained perfectly still, staring at the rocks where I was carefully hidden. As though anticipating danger, the stallion suddenly spun and followed the other horses upriver.

“Moonrunner!” I whispered. “That’s what I’ll call you. Moonrunner.”

Review by Kirkus Reviews

It’s the 1890s, and Casey and his family have just moved to the Australian outback from Montana. Casey’s had to leave his horse and his friends behind, and now he has to ride an old mule to school, where he is teased mercilessly. Casey and his parent clones of Ma and Pa Ingalls¬strive to make their way in their new country, and it’s the wild brumbies (Australian mustangs) that help him most. Casey’s kind of a finagler: He drives a bargain with a wealthy rancher, acquiring a beautiful mare when she loses a race, makes a bet with the school kids around baseball (a new sport to them) and ultimately and hugely implausibly” negotiates” with the wild stallion he’s named Moonrunner for the care of his mare and her colt. This portrait of Down Under pioneer life is built around a love of horses. There is almost enough hardship to give a sense of reality, but often Casey’s peculiar brand of salesmanship works a little too miraculously. Horse lovers will gulp this down, but for most the ride will be a walk instead of a gallop. Kirkus Reviews

I would love to hear about your favorite books!