Some words about books

One of my all-time favorite children's books is Chicka Chick Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault with illustrations by Lois Ehlert.  I love this book because it was the first book I had read where the letters of the alphabet were treated as characters.  Now I love to read it to my students because of the wordplay it contains.  Who wouldn't want to "skit, skat, doodle, doop, flip, flop, flee"?

I also love the books by Kevin Henkes because his books deal with social issues that young children deal with.  He presents complex ideas such as jealousy over new siblings, teasing, cooperation, and friendship in a simple way that kids can understand.

Talking about books reminds me of one of my favortite quotes about young children.  "Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read."
- Marilyn Jager Adams 

I know that my own love of books is reflected in my classroom teaching and hope that it is passed on to my students.