Encouraging Your Children To Read

Encouraging your child to read a wide variety of books is probably the best education you can give them - but sometimes it seems an uphill struggle! We have put together a collection of tips and tricks to encourage reading which may give you some ideas that will appeal to your kids and will fit into your family's routines.

Library Day:

If you live near to a good library, you could designate one day of the week "Library Day". In any event, try to visit regularly and spend time browsing through the books with your kids. Getting your kids their own library cards can be a huge incentive - and many libraries run special programs to encourage kids to take out books.

Read With Your Child:

Younger children like nothing better than to snuggle up with their parents to share reading time. You could try reading a page each - it helps to keep the pace up and make the story more interesting for your child, especially if they are struggling a little. You can also practice putting lots of expression into your reading: if your child learns to do this too, it will help their understanding (and of course prove useful when reading out loud at school!)

Read To Your Child:

Even adults like to be read to sometimes - so try not to grow out of the habit of reading to your kids! Obviously it helps when the kids are similar ages and have similar interests, but with a bit of perseverance you should be able to find something which you can read to all ages and enjoy! If not, split the reading up into age-groups, or perhaps ask an older sibling to read to a younger one occasionally.

Listen To Audio Books Too:

These days it is easy to get hold of audio books for some of the best children's stories - either through your library or bookshops online and offline. You can also download audio books through iTunes or Audible for instant gratification, to be listened to either through an iPod or burned onto a CD. A good audio book can be enjoyed by all the family, whatever their ages, and can make a long car journey hugely enjoyable. Why not set up a club with friends so that you can swap and share to keep costs down?

Provide A Good Selection:

Just because a story was your favorite as a child, it is not necessarily going to be your child's favorite too. Times have moved on and there is a huge selection of children's literature easily available now. Let your kids dip into all kinds of stories and non-fiction to find what interests them. If you want them to love reading, you have to give them choice in what they read.

Finishing Books:

As adults we are not prepared to finish every book we begin - some are just plain dreary and we don't have enough interest in them to see it through to the end. Your child is the same. My kids were expected to finish every reading book they took out at school before they were given the next, and frankly sometimes even I felt like jumping off the top of a tall building rather than read to the end! I'm not saying you should let them off finishing every single book, but if they are really not enjoying their current book, consider whether the writing and story are really good enough to insist.

Fiction v. Non-fiction:

Your child may not be a fiction lover, but don't despair! Reading any well-written book is an achievement - and you can get a lot of good information and practice off the back of a cereal packet in the mornings! There are some wonderful children's encyclopaedias available now, and various magazines for kids available by subscription which they will be really excited to receive each month in the post. The library will have shelves stocked with non-fiction for them to sample, and they may well end up being a fount of useful knowledge!

Reading Time:

Older kids can enjoy having a set "Reading Time" when everybody in the family - no exceptions - finds a comfortable place on a favorite chair or sofa and reads. Put some background music on if you like, refuse to answer the phone and drop all chores for the duration!

Keep A Record:

Sometimes keeping a record can make reading more fun - for all ages. You could buy each child a special notebook in which to record all the books they have read, and any thoughts they have on them. Encourage them to set up a rating system and share it with their friends! Young kids enjoy getting a sticker on a chart when they have finished a book.

Another lovely idea is to create a "caterpillar" by cutting out colorful circles of paper. Decorate one to look like a cheerful caterpillar's face and then add circles for his body, one by one, each time your child finishes a book, writing the name of the book on the circle if you wish. You could have different colored circles for each member of the family if you like (and if your kids can cope with the competition).

One mother I know kept a notebook record of every book her son ever read, including the date started and finished, and a mark for "enjoyment factor". After a while she started to stick in a small image for each book, taken off the internet, and her son (now a teenager) loves looking through his record and remembering his favorite stories.

Provide Bookmarks:

Reading can be made much more fun for kids by simple providing an appropriate bookmark! When they are young, try to find something on the same theme as the book (perhaps you could find some images on the internet to print off and laminate).

As the kids get older bookmarks can be more creative. Get the kids to help you make some one rainy day with scraps of card and ribbon, use some of their artwork, cut up old greeting cards and postcards, make collages from magazines, or use photographs of family and friends. Older kids can leave a message on the back of a bookmark and leave it in a favorite book for a younger sibling to find when they read the book later. Perhaps the older child could write a little about the book and why they enjoyed it, and put the date they finished it too. What a lovely surprise to find a few years later!

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Why Midnight Children is Called the Booker of the Bookers

For those looking for a racy, rousing read, kindly keep your hands off 'Midnight's Children'.

Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children - Winner of Best of the Booker, needless to say is a masterpiece in magical realism, brilliantly unfolded at a snail's pace. However, the novel's beauty lies in its style and not action. Nonetheless, a little familiarity with Indian history will make the novel a tad more interesting, given the allegorical references to India's social-political events strewn all across the story.

Hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure, the story revolves are two children (in fact midnight's 1001 children) who were born at the precise instant of India's arrival at independence. Their destinies inextricably intertwined forever, thanks to the time of their births.

Saleem Sinai, the protagonist, when tumbled forth into the earth on Aug 15, 1947, was greeted by none other than Mr. Prime Minister's Letter. Yes Saleem was destiny's child. Born as an illegitimate son, he got all the good things that life had to offer, thanks to the nurse who without forethought swapped children just after their birth. Baby Saleem, naturally benefited in the process as he was entitled to all the care and riches of Shiva's household, Shiva, one of the 1001 children born at the same time, on the other end was relegated to the darkness of slums.

Noses and Knees, Nose and Knees. Saleem with his powerful nose could smell out every damn thing on this earth, be it the smell of anger or jealousy. Interestingly, he could read other minds and was endowed with the power of telepathy. Shiva on the other end had preternaturally powerful knees, knees that were exclusively used for pushing, shoving and crushing others. Though royal blood ran in his veins, his actions spoke otherwise. He turned out to be a brutish killer. Saleem, however, is portrayed as a nice fellow. His aberrations are shown in lighter vein, while Shiva's aberrations make you feel sick.

The use of the term 'optimism' is anesthetizing. The analogues employed are breathtaking. Numb as ice, clean as a slate, main fresh-water pipes which were city's lifelines began to blow fountains into the air like giant steel whales, tiny grain of grit in the sea of old age and so on. Philosophy dealt in the form of Snakes and Ladders. For every ladder you climb,a snake is just waiting around the corner; and for every snake a ladder will compensate. Very descriptive, simply explains the painstaking efforts put in by Rushdie. The story some time may seem long-winding, the language used may seem incomprehensible, but carry-on is the catchword here.

The political scenario post- Indian independence is nicely interwoven into the story. That's makes you wonder about Rushdie's brilliance. Rushdie dishes out everything history, politics, myth, food, magic, wit and dung all in one book, the partition of India and Pakistan, the power of "The Widow" Indira Gandhi, war and, finally the enforcement of martial law in the country.

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Coomacka Island (Children's Books 1 & 2)

Coomacka Island: The Story of Spider & Ant (book 1)
Children's Adventure

The Story of Spider and Ant, is the first book in a series written by Don P. Hooper and illustrated by Darnel Degand. Coomacka is an uncharted Caribbean Island, where each of the stories takes place. Although the Islands itself is a fictional place, much of the inspiration is based on Afro-Caribbean folklore. In this story, Spider manipulates Ant by being dishonest and pretending to be injured. Ant, believing his friend, enlists his family to help. After working all day for Spider, the ants were tired. However, the selfish Spider had no compassion for the ants nor did he appreciate all their hard work. Reveling in his deception and trickery, the greedy spider celebrated. However, the truth was soon revealed. Realizing this is not how friends are supposed to interact the ant sets out to teach the spider a lesson.

This beautifully written story has an important lesson hidden just below the surface. Books such as this, that teach silently, while entertaining loudly are rare finds indeed. The rhythmic sounds of the island are beating within the colorful drawings. The expressive eyes of the characters convey genuine emotion. A fun, entertaining story that will keep children wide eyed and interested. And that's exactly what a good children's book should do!

Coomacka Island: Aansi Jr and the Mango Truck (book 2)
Children's Adventure/Fiction
ISBN: 1-4251-0143-7

Anansi Jr and the Mango Truck is the second installment in the Coomacka Island series. Based in part, on Afro-Caribbean folklore, Anansi was the great trickster and somewhat of cult hero to islanders. For hundreds of years, folk tales about the Macka Tree and the spirits dwelling within roots have been passed down through the generations. As with many cherished stories, the fictional fires erupted from a spark of truth.

The story begins with AJ tending his garden, filled with beautiful plants, including his award winning Monkey Tail Shrub. There was only one thing he loved more than gardening and that was eating. AJ was also a very greedy spider. However, on this day, he would learn a valuable lesson about the spirit of giving and the meaning of friendship.

Once again, Hooper and Degand have delivered a fictional tale, filled with life lessons of immense importance. From the first colorful page, the reader is transported to the heart of the Caribbean. The emotion-filled drawings bring the words, as well as, the island to life. Introducing names with various origins, such as Swahili and Haitian, offers children an opportunity to expand their vocabulary, while embracing cultural diversity. Although Coomacka Island is an uncharted, fictional island, the morals and values found here have universal appeal. Featuring an entertaining forward and fun facts at the conclusion, this is a multi-layered, multi-cultural series that will be cherished by all who read it.

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Hoot - Children-Youth Fiction Book Review

Hoot is a story about a fun adventure that has a small group of young people making positive choices. The setting for this mystery-fiction tale takes place in the state of Florida, USA. The main character, Roy, has moved regularly with his family and he is used to being the new kid in schools and neighborhoods. His previous experience helps him make new friends and ward off a big bully who singles him by stalking and harassing Roy.

This new life seems like just another cycle to Roy until he witnesses a very strange event that leads Roy and his friends on a whirlwind adventure. Young boys and girls find themselves taking on something greater than their selves or their small worlds - the very definition of a hero. Saving a few members of an endangered species from greedy building contractors is an issue dear to my heart.

I not only loved the environmental theme but truly feel the author deserves praises for creating such intelligent, well-spoken characters - especially Roy, Beatrice and the mystery boy. I was impressed by Roy's speech about schools teaching youth how ordinary individuals became a part of positive change in the world simply by doing what they believed in - which was very moving and is something teachers and parents alike will appreciate. Two of the kids in this book have a difficult home life and the awareness of how hard life is for some, may bring some discussion into classes and families.

Author Carl Hiaasen depicts a character without describing in minute detail - thus leaving the imagination of the reader to determine how a character looks. Forgivable flaws in individual characters are made so by being so human - such as the policeman who makes some serious, yet understandable, blunders.

I would recommend Hoot by Carl Hiaasen anywhere, anytime! This is a fantastic tale that youth between the ages of 7 to 13 would relate very easily to, though I believe the range of readers Hoot would appeal to would be much wider than this. I, for one, am nearly 37 and I truly enjoyed doing this review project!

Publisher: Yearling
ISBN: 0-440-41939-5

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Finishing the Race - the Butterfly Effect

Three years ago I made a decision to get fit. However, we all know keeping the weight off is the hardest part of any long-term fitness plan. Sooner or later however, a plateau will occur. To offset my fitness plateau I increased my cardio by running which broke my plateau and also helped me to discover that a little imagination can go a long way.

Let me first mention that we draw motivation from many sources. Very often it's a person a thought, a song or perhaps a story that may motivate us. For me it was a butterfly.

For those of you who don't know the race, Nike sponsors an annual run called the Nike One Hit Wonder race where top Musical Bands, with No. 1 hits, would play their number one hit at every mile along the 5 mile course in NY's Central Park. This year, Joan Jett made a special appearance.

I remember my last glance at the car thermometer before getting out of the car - 102 degrees. I was wearing the mandatory Nike dry fit, bright red, jersey with my number printed on it, which was the actual ticket to get into the race. 10,000 other entrants did the same. No shirt, no entry - that was the rule.

I recalled driving up Madison Avenue trying to find a parking spot I took notice of all the red shirts walking, and biking uptown to 97th and 5th avenue, but it was nothing in volume compared to the sea of red shirts that were in Central park and at the starting line. It was almost race time and the temperature was dipping: 91 degrees!

I always get a bit nervous before a race because I have this fear of not making it. Why? I have no clue. It's weird.
As I'm waiting for the race to begin and containing my own self doubt, I overheard people talking about the hills and how big they were. Of course this fed my own self-defeating thoughts about running in such hot conditions. Now,suddenly I was intimidated by Central Park. Could I do it? Would I make good time? What am I doing here? I only had to look around to see that all the other red shirts and me were doing this run together. There were in no better or worse shape than I so if they could do it I would too.

The countdown began. The micro chip on my shoe would count my time from the moment I left the start line. I set off slowly, listening to all the folks around me chattering with excitement. I had classic disco music playing on my Ipod and I was jamming.

Along the first turn, I saw a friend of mine, a member of the press off to the side the road, she wasn't running but I called out to her and blew her a kiss and gave her a hearty wave. This was a good sign! I feel pretty good! Then I hit the first hill...this was the supposed "killer hill" that I'd been hearing about at the start line? It was a little steep, otherwise no problem. A definite confidence builder. 1 mile done - four to go! Then my Ipod froze. Damn! I started fiddling with it and lost about 3 minutes trying to reset it. The 9 minute mile folks passed me, the 9.5 minute mile folks passed me and I needed to get running! No way were the 10 minute mile folks going to pass me. No Way!

No matter, I'd have to run without it, I was losing too much time.

The second mile had a couple of small hills and I was feeling the lactic acid buildup in my legs. My mouth was super dry, I needed water. I slowed up again to grab a cup from the water station, downed it, and soldiered along. Man, oh man, was it hot and I missing my Ipod, Bigtime! I checked it again, still not working.. Some girl behind me was yacking about the guy who blew her off the night before, another was talking about how she should have taken up track when she was younger but didn't know better, and another was talking about her marathon training....UGhhhhhh, I took it my Ipod again and fiddled with it again but it was no use. I was losing time.

Almost half way there - three more miles to go! It would be fine. I would just have to think about something other than what I was doing. It was shady for most of the run, thank goodness, but the third mile hill was a killer. Not because it was so big, in fact it was a mere incline, but my legs were feeling super heavy due to fatigue and probably the heat. I passed another water station grabbed a cup of water and a cup of Gatorade and gulped it down.

It was starting to become quieter around me.

Between the third and the fourth mile my legs kicked in. Ah, finally! Now I only need to try to think about something other than the heat! Hard to do, when a girl was collapsed on the side of the road from heat exhaustion. What a bummer for her.

Conversations around me began to cease. There was an overall hush throughout the park. This was by far the coolest moment of the race. The only thing I could see was a flood of bright red shirts bobbing up and down in the distance ahead and all I could hear was the constant beat of feet hitting the asphalt. That rhythm would have to carry me through to the finish line because I needed a beat badly. I listened to my own labored breath and focused on the addition my own breathing brought to what I called the "rhythmic running band". Those darn self defeating thoughts were rearing their ugly heads again telling me that I wasn't going to make it! Not an option! I reminded myself.

"Think of something else." I thought.

Immediately, I flashed back to a story about two caterpillars who discussed turning into butterflies and one resisted the change. Once a butterfly the friend came back to motivate the weak and feeble caterpillar with a single phrase. As I hit the asphalt in 99.9 degree heat, with 10,000 other people in Central park, I muttered that phrase "You gotta have Wanna! If you have Wanna, you can do anything!

"I WANNA finish this race", I repeated to myself.

A heat delusion kicked in at that point because I began to daydream that all of these folks, knew what I was thinking. I imagined that they all suddenly opened their arms and flapped them gracefully as if they were gorgeous red butterflies, showing me their solidarity. I smiled, like a drunk. Yes, I imagined all of these New Yorkers, all 10,000 of them, for a few short seconds to be running down hill with me, flapping their arms like butterflies, knowing that they all have that one special thing: WANNA! Then I knew that I'd finish this race!

When I snapped out of it I was coming around to the beginning of the fifth mile. I heard someone exclaim breathlessly, "we're almost there." By now I'm soaked and exhilarated. I look up and see a street sign - I'm at 90th Street and I've only got to get to 97th and 5th Avenue.....whew! We are almost there!

The silence was broken, the crowd livened up again and there it was that beautiful word on a high flying banner which ended the race for all the red shirts in Central Park. I sprinted toward it: FINISH!

"Whatever it takes", I thought as I recalled my motivation with a smile "Whatever it takes!"

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Why Non-Fiction is Important to Reading and Learning

Children learn by taking in pieces of information and categorizing them. They do this all through their schooling years. When they reach puberty they take this information, make sense out of it, and think critically with it.

As a child grows, he or she adds to that warehouse of information. Unfortunately, many high school and college students do not have a solid informational knowledge base to do the work required of them in high school and college. Most college professors assume students already know how to summarize an article or infer the meanings of unknown vocabulary words in context. So from as early as possible, children need an ongoing diet of non-fiction reading material and all throughout their schooling years.

Books like Usborne are designed to provide information to the child in the way he or she learns it. Usborne books have large beautiful illustrations with small chunks of information around them. The illustrations and the factual text give the child the information in a straightforward, easy to understand way.

Studies show that children are not reading sufficiently, not comprehending what they read, and are not reading enough non-fiction. The only way to ensure comprehension and create good reading habits is to read a lot.

What This Means For Teachers

Teachers need to expose students to a variety of motivating non-fiction texts that are challenging. There should be plenty of oral and reading activities to help close some of the reading gaps and especially for English language learners. In fact, teachers should aim for a balanced oral-reading approach. "The research suggests that the reason for the disparity between word-and text-level skills among language-minority students is oral proficiency. Well-developed oral proficiency in English is associated with English reading and writing skills for these students" (August and Shanahan 4).

Practice, Practice, Practice.

With lots of practice, children will learn to sound out words and retain what they read. Usborne non-fiction books are fun, engaging and informational. The large illustrations give clues to the text. Even a lower performing reader can understand what's happening from an Usborne book. The pictures, located directly under or over the easy-to-understand text, help create an emotional response to the information. This response, whether it is happy, sad, or something else helps a child retain the information.

Have a Reading Plan

A child's reading will not take care of itself once s/he enters school. Children have many different ways of learning and what they understood from their early years already affects his/her learning. While teachers will change every year, a parent is the only constant in a child's school career. Parents/teachers can take already ensure that all reading components are in place by taking the following actions:

Start the reading process early.
Reduce the Summer Brain Drain. Kids can lose up to 60% of what they have learned during the summer months. Experts say reading during the summer is the best way to offset brain drain.Make sure you have a good stock for your kid's summer reading list.
Read well and read often.
Build an diverse library for your child with plenty of Usborne Books.
Include in their library non-fiction, fiction and practical "How To's."
Have the books available; be ready at the first initiative to read a book - don't wait until they express interest.

And remember...

* Readers often write well because they have read good literature.
* Readers have a better vocabulary because they are exposed to more words.
* Reading stimulates the mind.
* Reading entertains without dulling the mind like television and video games.

Read good books that will broaden their informational base and shape their futures.

Read books where you will get the most fun and learning for your money.

And just read!

Works Cited

August, Diane, and Timothy Shanahan (Eds.) Executive Summary. Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006. 8 January 2009

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Doctor Who Breaks Science Fiction World Record

Doctor Who is now the longest running science fiction show that has been on television. The series commenced on 23 November, 1963. The Stargate SG-1 series holds the record for the world's longest running consecutive science fiction show.

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC and is shown around the world. In 2006 Doctor Who won recognition as one of the finest television programs produced by Britain. It won the British Academy Television Award for the Best Drama Series.

The story of Doctor Who centers around an alien time traveler, the Doctor, who travels in his time machine, the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions In Space). The original run of the series was from 1963 to 1989, with a television film being made in 1996. The second run of the television series began in 2005.

Doctor Who possessed the ability to regenerate his body as required and was played by many actors with the original Doctor starring William Hartnell and the current Doctor starring David Tennant. Doctor Who shares his adventures with up to three companions.

In his travels Doctor Who has various adversaries and villains to overcome that have included the Daleks, that are mutants with metallic voices from the planet Skaro and have the aim to exterminate all that are inferior to themselves. The Cybermen are humanoids with artificial parts in their bodies who are extremely calculating. The Master is a renegade time traveler and the greatest enemy of Doctor Who.

Dr Who has attracted a cult following around the world and has resulted in many spin off products, action figures and toys to supply enthusiastic followers of the popular science fiction series.

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Dr. Seuss Quotes

Dr. Seuss Quotes: Scan through the Pages of the Books
You may hear them on TV or from friends, or you may read them in print, but the real Dr. Seuss quotes can be obtained straight from the main source: from the books published by the author.

Over the course of his professional career, Theodor Seuss Geisel, a world-renowned cartoonist and writer, had launched countless children's books, with a lot of spunk and great stories to tell. They are also excellent sources of Dr. Seuss quotes.

The Books of Dr. Seuss
1. And to Think that I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Some of the famous quotes found here are actually spoken by the main character named Marco. He was an inquisitive young boy who loved to pay attention to his surroundings, particularly the people who lived and passed by the Mulberry Street. The Dr. Seuss quotes, moreover, are addressed to his dad, to whom he wished to tell the story.

2. The Cat in the Hat. The Cat in the Hat is one of the most popular fiction books created by Dr. Seuss. Some of the Dr. Seuss quotes related to this would also come from the movie adaptations. The first one, which was published in 1957, would also be the beginning of other 5 follow-up books of the similar story line. The Dr. Seuss quotes here are normally spoken by the two young kids and, most of all, the cat, who planned to plan chaos into the household. The famous quotes are witty, treacherous in meaning, but totally entertaining.

3. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. This book was launched before the end of the 1930s. Unlike other Dr. Seuss quotes, which were part of rhymed verses, the famous quotes here were actually from prose. The main characters in the story were King Derwin and Bartholomew. Moreover, since the setting of the story was in feudal era, you can find some old English Dr. Seuss quotes.

4. Green Eggs and Ham. There are definitely enumerable Dr. Seuss quotes in this book. After all, everything-from the story down to the setting-were told in spoken dialogues. Furthermore, to make sure that the book will also be appreciated by children, Seuss added some graphics or images.

5. Horton Hears a Who. This is a classic fiction from Seuss and was later adapted into a movie. The Dr. Seuss quotes are spoken by the protagonist Horton, an elephant who was responsible for the safety and protection of Whoville. It's a small community that lived on a speck of a dust.

Indeed, classics can give you excellent and worth-remembering adages, such as Dr. Seuss quotes. If you don't know where to look for these books, you can definitely shop in your book shops. A lot of them are absolutely selling them knowing how popular they are after all these years.

You can also download the books from the Internet in the form of PDFs. You can later save them in your laptop, desktop PCs, or even in your PDAs; so you can comfortably access these Dr. Seuss quotes even when you're on the road.

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