 |
| Contributed Photo |
Engaging books spark interest in learning
By Kendal Rautzhan, Columnist
Monday, April 21, 2008 12:21 PM PDT
Children are, by nature, interested in just about everything. Such interest can be easily squashed, however, if the reading materials to explore a subject are boring.
All learning can be made fun. It begins with knowing the child — his interests, her attention span. It also has a lot to do with the quality of reading materials, your enthusiasm and your efforts to make learning fun, not forced.
 Kendal Rautzhan
Today’s reviewed books are excellent examples of engaging, interesting books that intrigue while they teach. See for yourself and ask your librarian to suggest others.
Books to Borrow
The following book is available at many public libraries.
“10 Little Rubber Ducks” written and illustrated by Eric Carle, HarperCollins, 31 pages
Read aloud: age 3 and older.
Read yourself: age 7 and older.
A giant wave has washed a box of 10 rubber ducks off of a cargo ship and into the sea. “10 rubber ducks overboard!” cries the captain.
Bobbing away in different directions, each little rubber duck encounters a different sea creature in many areas of the globe. From a polar bear in the north to a flamingo in the south, a seal in the east and a dolphin in the west, the 10 little rubber ducks meet these and other creatures as they bob along the wide sea. As the sun begins to set, the 10th little rubber duck is still alone. What will happen to it?
Filled with a cornucopia of new concepts for young children, including a dual surprise and happy ending, this counting/directional/biology/geography book is wrapped up with loads of fun.
Librarian’s Choice
Library: Hazel M. Lewis Library, 511 3rd Ave., Powers
Library Director: Melinda Ellis
Choices this week: “I Spy” by Walter Wick; “Seek and Find Spot 7” by KidsLabel; “Get Ready, Get Set, Read” published by Barron’s Educational Series Age 4 - 8
Books to Buy
The following books are available at favorite bookstores.
• “sisters & brothers: sibling relationships in the animal world” by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, illustrated by Steve Jenkins, Houghton Mifflin, 2008, 32 pages, $16.00 hardcover
Read aloud: age 8 and older.
Read yourself: ages 8-9 and older.
“Playing together, working together, arguing, fighting – sometimes animal brothers and sisters act a lot like human siblings. Other creatures have more unusual relationships.”
So begins this interesting book that is packed with fascinating facts about animal siblings. Learn about naked mole rats that live in an underground colony where may have hundreds of siblings. When two mole rats meet in a tunnel, the younger, lower status rat lies flat on the floor to allow its sibling to crawl over top and pass.
Read about European shrews, among the smallest mammals on earth, measuring about 2 ≤ inches. As many as ten newborn shrews are so tiny they can comfortably fit in a teaspoon, and they walk behind their mother in a line, each attached to the other so they don’t get lost.
Discover why young black widow spiders start out with as many as 700 brothers and sisters, but only a few survive.
A fast-paced, fascinating look at animal siblings, readers will see similarities and vast differences between human siblings and brother and sisters in the animal world.
• “Volcanoes” by Franklyn M. Branley; illustrated by Megan Lloyd, Collins, 2008, 34 pages, $16.99 hardcover
Read aloud: ages 5-9.
Read yourself: ages 8-9.
Volcanoes are powerful, dramatic, and fascinating. They also can be deadly.
Learn how volcanoes are formed, where they are found, why they erupt, and how a volcanic eruption can change the earth’s climate.
Readers will be absorbed by the concise, brisk text and dramatic illustrations. An exciting part of the “Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science” series, budding scientists will be intrigued by this interesting selection.
(Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children’s literature. She can be reached via e-mail: kendal@sunlink.net.) |
