Talking with our kids about 9/11

Many of you coming into the library with your children were probably quite young yourselves when the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were attacked on that cloudless, late summer day in 2001.  Pulling on your own memories of how you felt and experienced those awful days can be a great help in figuring out how to talk with your own children  about these violent attacks, for they will surely be asking.  This year is the 20^th anniversary, and images, messages, and remembrances are everywhere.

The library has some resources that might help.  Yesterday, I read 2 books that I highly recommend.  I suggest that parents read any book about 9/11 first and then share with their kids who are old enough to follow along.  America is Under Attack by Don Brown is part of his series Actual Times.  Written in straightforward, clear, honest language, his book tells exactly what happened that day, intertwining stories of individuals caught in the towers and in the Pentagon.  Some survived, some did not.  The artwork is heart wrenching – not graphic, but deeply moving in its depictions of people trying to escape. 

I also read the graphic novel version of I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001, based on the novel of the same title by Lauren Tarshis who is aided by Georgia Ball in adapting the story into a comic, with art by Corey Egbert, and colors by Chi Ngo.  This comic tells the story of Lucas, a 5^th grader whose dad is a New York City firefighter.  Lucas LOVES football but after multiple concussions, his parents refuse to let him play anymore.  Lucas sneaks into the city to see his Uncle Benny, a firefighter at the same station as his dad.  He is sure Uncle Benny will talk his parents into letting him play.  That is when the towers are attacked.  Lucas finds himself in the epicenter of the disaster.  Will Uncle Benny?  Will his dad?  Will Lucas survive?  As Lauren Tarshis does so well in all of her I Survived books, she tells an exciting story about real events in an age appropriate way that humanizes historical events. 

We currently have a poster display in our gallery, developed by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Perhaps it would be most meaningful to read one of these books with your child(ren) and then visit the display to see photographs taken that day at the attack sites.  We also have other excellent elementary and middle grade books about 9/11 on display in the children’s area, as well as a display of adult materials near the check out desk. 

Talking with our children about tragic events is never easy.  Be an active listener with your child.  Validate their emotions, creating a safe environment for them to ask questions and express fears.  Maybe they are not ready yet, and that needs to be honored as well.  And don’t be afraid to be honest yourself especially if you don’t know how to answer their questions.  Finally, if this all seems overwhelming to you or your children, remember Mr. Rogers and his famous words of wisdom about confronting scary and/or tragic events:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LGHtc_D328 (Go to YouTube and type Mr. Rogers look for the helpers into the search bar.)

There is no one way to do this hard work, but your loving presence and authentic words of hope are the best things you can offer. 

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Big Life Lessons can still be learned from Picture Books

There is a misconception among many adults that once a child learns to read, they no longer need to read Picture Books.  I am here to tell you this is not true!  Adults, you can read them and learn a thing or two, too.

Picture books have a way of staying with us. Everyone has at least one picture book from their childhood that they remember, whether it was the pictures, the story, the lesson, or the way it made you feel. In fact, so many college grads get Picture Books for gifts- from Dr. Suess to The Giving Tree…

My favorite book is called The Little Brute Family by Rusell & Lillian Hoban *(© 1966). The Brutes are a family of hairy, mannerless, hopeless, joyless creatures until the baby Brute gets lost in a field of daisies, happens upon a ‘good feeling’, pockets the feeling, and brings it home to share with his family. They family is soon transformed by the good feeling, because a little good feeling can make a huge impact.  After reading this book, my lesson was learned, and I never let a bad feeling or a bad day, or an argument take over, and tried to seek out a good feeling to turn my frown upside down. Whenever I find myself getting too overwhelmed, I think of Baby Brute and that one Good Feeling.  It helps that the illustrations by Lillian Hoban are just too perfectly funny!

The picture book has power because it can take BIG life issues and distill them down into simple words and illustrations that even the youngest of children – and stubborn adult- can comprehend. 

As children grow, they can be filled with self-doubt, and we hear things such as ‘I can’t do it’, ‘I’m not smart enough’,  or ‘I’m too different- I’m not like them.”  This is when we return to Picture Books. Read them out loud.  Read them again. Go to the library. Read 50 more.  Find comfort in simple messages that we forget as we get older and try to navigate a very un-picture-perfect world.  What lessons can you learn from picture books?  How about:

Owen & Mzee: two very different animals, of very different ages, can become best friends
I Promise: our own success begins with the promises we make to ourselves. We are important!
The Sandwich Swap: the smallest thing can pull us apart from our friends, but friendship is more powerful than differences in the end. Our differences make us special.
The Dot: the journey of self-discovery begins with leaving your mark and seeing where it takes you
They All Saw A Cat: celebrate how you see life, differently from others, because perspective is everything!
Parker Looks Up: we can become anything we dream of if we keep looking up and to our future. And good role models abound if we only look up!
The Magical Yet: You can’t do it? Not Yet?  But you will!  Keep trying!  You got this!
Most Marshmallows: be true to yourself, even if you are REALLY different from everyone around you! Break away from the mold and be yourself!
RED: A Crayon’s Story: be who you want to be, not what you are told you have to be; Ignore labels because you are unique!
What Do You Do With An Idea?: you nurture it and watch it grow, because are ideas are magic and can change your life!
*The Little Brute Family: is now only available in Easy-Reader format; Find it at ER-Blue Hoba

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Why WORDLESS picture books matter

Wordless Picture Books for youngsters are just as important as books with words. Here’s why: your child’s emergent literacy skills are reinforced and they allow your child to practice lots of important skills. Some of these important literacy skills include: How books work; “reading” from left to right, front to back. Concepts of plot (what happens) and characters (who is the story about). Vocabulary! They get to choose their own words, and try out new words, and make sentences, and talk about stories, and ask questions…. about the book and its pictures. Inferring and predicting: these are NEW SKILLS for young children (that can be reinforced through STEM experiments like “if-then”: if the ball is on top of a hill and I let go, it will roll down the hill) Comprehension and summarizing skills- if your child can narrate a story once or twice and they like it, chances are they will memorize it, change it up, make it personal, and re-tell it to family and friends- all BIG skills!

That’s a lot of literacy happening in books that have no words!

But parents must be there at the start to encourage and help teach these skills. Don’t be afraid. You don’t have to be Mr. Rogers or Dr. Seuss to tell a good story! Chances are, you can use wordless picture books to make lots of wonderful stories with your child, a shared experience that you won’t soon forget! Check out a wordless picture book today. We have a special box of selected new wordless picture books at the end of our XYZ shelves. Or check the catalog for “books without words”. Or maybe grab a book from this: List of amazing Wordless (or One-word) Picture Books to try today.

-Rainstorm, by Barbara Lehman
-The Lion and the Mouse, by Jerry Pinkney
-Flotsam, by David Wiesner
-Float, by Daniel Miyares
-A Ball for Daisy, by Chris Raschka
-Flora and the Flamingo, by Molly Idle
-Journey, by Aaron Becker
-Flashlight, by Lizi Boyd
-The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs
-Wolf in the Snow, by Matthew Cordell
-Red Sled, by Lita Judge
-Truck, by Donald Crews
-Pancakes for Breakfast, by Tomie de Paola
-Goodnight Gorilla, by Peggy Rathmann
-Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage
-Chalk, by Bill Thomson

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Book Leveling:  Are you “On the Level?” Or does it really matter, after all?

Are you the parent of a child learning to read? Do you have a struggling reader?  A reluctant reader? Then chances are you have heard about book “reading levels” and have been given a target level, number level, or letter range for books for your child to be reading. With all the different leveling systems- from Scholastic to Fountas to AR to Lexile- how do you know if your child is reading at the appropriate level? 

First of all, you should know that Reading Levels are a tool for the teacher; reading levels are NOT ‘labels’ for your child.  Your child will probably read at three to five different reading levels in the first two-three years of school alone.  “Reading level” is a combination of word recognition, reading fluency, and eye/mouth coordination and reading confidence. These change constantly. Even daily!

Second, all children read at different levels, at different ages, and some read better in more conversational fiction stories, but some read better in graphic novel, where text is short or in bubbles. Some prefer non-fiction, and would read about dinosaurs for hours over reading one chapter of Charlotte’s Web. Some kids like telling stories from pictures, where they can show off their vocabulary, better than reading.

This is GOOD.  This is NORMAL.  They are still reading, and enjoying books and words, after all!   

Third, and as a prior blog mentioned, building vocabulary by reading picture books, non-fiction and graphic novels will help your child become a better reader in future.  The key is, they will gravitate towards books they LIKE and ENJOY, and balk at reading books that seem boring, have too many words, have not enough pictures, or may seem challenging, even if they are not.

Parents: finding the sweet spot is your goal!   You, too, must be an active reader.

So, you have your teacher’s suggested reading level in hand- now what?

The Scott County Public Library does NOT level all it’s books.  Our search catalog does provide AR level/test points for most children’s books which is helpful. But, we do separate out collections by age.  Searching the correct collection, we do have our room divided up to help parents find “just-right” books for any reader. We can also provide you a level-conversion-table to translate your level into AR if you desire.  Here is an example of our color labeling system:

• Books for Tweens (ages 8-12y) have a purple spine label
• Books in Juvenile Graphic Novel format have a blue spine label
• Books in Juvenile Series (ages 5-10y) have an orange spine label
• Our Easy-Reader collections for learning to read have spine labels that are:
• Pink (level K-1);  Blue (level 1-2);  and Gold (level 2-3)
• Picture books are for ALL ages.
• Juvenile Non-Fiction is for all ages.

The books are labeled based upon the text complexity, number of words per page, and number of rare words and content.  Sometimes our level differs from what the publisher uses. And sometimes our levels may differ from what you may agree is the correct level. Open the book and see what your reader thinks first, before dismissing a book.

Fourth, the best way to find a just-right book is to read a few pages of each book with your child and do the simple 5-finger test*. (Once you find a series or author you like, go from there to select further titles.)

*5-Finger Test: 

Have your child read to you the first few pages of the book, and put a finger up for every word that:

• child does not know
• child cannot pronounce, even after being told
• child doesn’t understand the words
• When you have four fingers up, or five, that book is too difficult!  Skip it!
• When you have just one finger or two, that book is pretty good for reading fluency! It might be too easy on repeat, though.
• When you have three fingers up, that should be just right, not too easy, not too hard. Practice reading that book a few times, but add in easier books, wordless books, non-fiction and humorous books, too. 

(Very scientific, I know!)

Repetition is good! Reading a chosen book once alone, and again with an adult can help.  And parents, don’t forget to use different voices, funny sounds and accents where needed, and make reading fun.

And finally: don’t panic!  Even if you are still reading picture books with your 7 year old- that is GREAT!  They are learning lots of great vocabulary (rare words) and storytelling basics (beginning-middle-end) as well as feeling nurtured by their adults.  These are very good things. Late reader? Early reader? Slow reader? Fast reader?  These are labels that all become irrelevant if you just consider that your child is still reading!  There is no ‘right’ age or ‘right’ reading level except the one that fits your child.  So while reading levels are great for a start, and for teachers to keep track of a classroom full of readers, remember that your child is not a level, they are a child reading at that level-- for now-- and there is plenty room to grow!   

Keep encouraging your reader, don’t compare them.  Leave books where they can find them. Use books as rewards. Find books on topics your child enjoys. Read to them constantly. And don’t worry about the level; they will “level up” on their own and with your positive, consistent support.

Happy Reading, and I hope you are now in the know, and on the level with leveling!  Need more support?  Ask a children’s librarian for help finding just-right books today!

Resources:

Levels: a comparison chart for AR, Lexile, Guided Reading & DRA 

https://www.perma-bound.com/static/common-core/EC_Correlation_Lexile_Poster_12_NEW.pdf

https://fpblog.fountasandpinnell.com/a-level-is-a-teacher-s-tool-not-a-child-s-label

https://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/resources/statements/labeling

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Reading for Feelings

June is recognized as Pride Month, and beginning June 15, we will also observe National Refugee Week. The experiences of the LGBTQ+ community as well as the struggles and suffering of refugees are considered by some to be inappropriate topics for children. So why even bring these topics up or address them in books for children? Let me share briefly with you why I think it is important.

One of the great purposes for reading fiction is to let us walk intimately in someone else’s shoes – someone of a different race or ethnicity, someone of a different gender or sexual orientation, someone from a different country or just someone with a different life experience. Good fiction immerses us in someone else’s perspective for the hours we spend inside the pages of that person’s story.

For young people who are still learning about who they are and who they want to be, fiction is so formative! Reading a good novel allows them to see life a little more broadly, helping them to grow into adults with greater empathy and compassion, understanding that everyone experiences life differently. In a time of tense and deep divisions between groups of people – empathy, compassion and a deeper understanding: these are tools that will help our kids bridge these divisions as they grow into young adults. Need recommendations? Our staff is always ready to help!

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It’s Time for SUMMER READING! A brief suggestion for how to help your child make the most of their reading hours this summer.

Does your child only want to read: Comic books? The same series over and over and over? Goosebumps, Captain Underpants, or similarly silly stuff? And worst of all…books below their grade level or reading ability?

Well…maybe you should let them!!  It’s summer and reading should be recreational, fun, an excellent way to pass long lazy days.  But, parents and caregivers – don’t tell your kids, but this type of reading is also a very, very good way to strengthen their reading skills.  It may seem like a waste of time, but it is really like exercise.  They may have read Dogman 100 times.  Their reading level may be 2 grades above The Magic Tree House.  But, this type of reading, aside from being enjoyable and relaxing, also increases speed, agility and comprehension.  And it does all these good things while setting aside the notion that reading is work and reinforcing that reading is fun.

I know as parents you want your children to challenge themselves and to grow as readers.  But I encourage you to let your child choose what they want to read.  Giving them this freedom will help them grow into stronger, more proficient readers, making them better students, and happily, ultimately, into people who love to read.

As always, the staff here in the Youth Services Department is here to help.  We all read a lot of the books on our shelves and are happy to help your child as they are looking for something good to read.

Happy summer and happy reading!

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“ Rare words? They’re in the books!”

Did you know? There is a new word “born” every 98 minutes! Think of the words and phrases we hear today: ‘podcast’ ‘Bitcoin’ ‘makerspace’ or ‘social distancing’. Did your grandparents ever use those words? Did you know? …that YOU use approximately 20,000 words, routinely, throughout your lifetime….out of ALL the possible words there are to use in the English Language? It’s true. It’s really true! Just 20,000 words is the average person’s life-long vocabulary. If you are not using work-specific jargon all the time (like “acceleration” if you are a mechanic, or “spreadsheet” if you are an accountant), then you are using the same few thousands of words each and every day. So how are our children going to learn about the vast numbers of OTHER words that are out there? Want to guess? No! Not by reading the dictionary- that’s just boring!

Words—more importantly “Rare Words”- are found in picture books, non-fiction, and even graphic novels.

Children need to hear LOTS of words to become good readers, and if they have heard a word before, it’s easier to sound out, spell, and remember. These repeated words become part of their vocabulary storehouse. That’s why it’s OKAY to let a child read their favorite books over and over and over again. They’re building word confidence and fluency. When reading picture books to, or with, your child they may hear words such as troll, lighthouse, footbridge, avenger, alligator, kerchief, narwhal, potion, Jedi, cape, pangolin, meadow, twinkle, superpowers… How often in daily conversation do YOU say these words to other adults? To your children? The truth is, you don’t. So without reading picture books (many of which use 10-12 rare words each!) and graphic novels and non-fiction books, your child will not be exposed to as much vocabulary as they could …and should. So grab some picture books, comic books, fairy tales and even those crazy world records books, and learn a few hundred new words with your children this week! You can do it! Leveled readers and old favorites are great for building reading fluency and confidence in children, but nothing beats bonding with your child over pictures books and some new rare words to spark good discussion.

Sources:
How many words does average person know?
Storytimeunderground.org