[Image][Image]

Born to Read by Judy Sierra; pictures by Marc Brown, Knopf 2008[Image]

Judy Sierra is fast becoming a preacher-in-chief for literacy and reading. Her [Image] Wild About Books follows a bookmobile-driving librarian to the zoo where she introduces the animals to books and they fall in love with reading.
She teams again with Marc Brown to evoke the pleasures, the benefits and the rewards of reading in Born to Read.
A baby named Sam can read his name painted on his crib, "That's me! he thought. "My name is Sam. I'm born to read. I know I am." (I loved the dragon mobile that hangs over his crib.)
Classic titles such as, Pat the Bunny, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom[Image], The Very Hungry Caterpillar[Image], The Cat in the Hat[Image] overflow Sam's bed and room as they are are read to him by his mother. Same reads everywhere and any time. Brown even tucks one of his own Arthur the aardvark[Image] books under Sam's arm when the boy is called on to confront a giant that is rampaging through town. Sam's love of reading saves the day and predicts a bright future for him.
Hopefully, children will recognize the books featured in the story. Sierra's rhyming text is very enjoyable for out loud reading and her message about the importance of reading is for children AND their parents to hear.
If you, as a parental or grandparental unit, do NOT know what books should be on a baby's book shelf, you would do well to start with the list above. Throw in a Mother Goose and make reading to your little one a priority and part of your daily routine.
[Image][Image] [Image][Image] (English) (Spanish) My Shining Star by Rosemary Wells (BookMoot-ed here) is another book to share with parents about the importance of reading to children and preparing them to be successful in school.
These books put me in mind of that grand Richard Peck poem, Twenty Minutes a Day. I always loved reading this powerful bit of poetry to parents especially this line:
Remedial? Gifted? You have the choice;
Let them hear the first tales
In the sound of your voice.
Read in the morning;
Read over noon;
Read by the light of
Goodnight Moon.