A Funny Book....at least to me

    
     I wanted to share a funny book that I ran across recently ..It's a Book (yes that is the title) written by Lane Smith.  This a story about a lovable monkey, a jackass (really) that is "techie", and a little mouse that speaks the truth...a straight shooter and what occurs when they encounter print in a book.

This book is a fun & silly take on the issues of the new digital age and how our children are "digital 

natives"  vs. adults  known as "digital immigrants."The author does a great job of bringing to surface the great debate between book lovers vs. e-readers in this children's picture book iced with tongue in cheek humor. 

     Lane Smith is a very accomplished author and illustrator he has won several awards for his books.  He has won the Caldecott Honor Medal for illustrations in The Stinky Cheese Man & 3 of his books have won the New York Times Best Illustrated Book.  Some of his bestselling books are The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, It's a Book , and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.
Check out the trailer clip to the left for It's A Book under video bar.

Inspiring Reluctant Readers

  
 How do we uncover the potential of reluctant readers?  Parents and teachers alike wonder what we can do to inspire them to become readers. The experts agree that there are different types of reluctant readers and that there is a vast range within the realm of reluctant readers.  A reluctant reader is one who does not show any interest or motivation to read. You may note that some reluctant readers just need a bit of encouragement to read or they may be the child that purposefully avoids reading in any form. Reluctant readers many times tend to deflect their ambivalence towards reading by exhibiting certain behaviors. Some common behaviors are avoidance of reading activities, acting silly, making negative choices, or shutting down completely.  Many times these reluctant readers have become masters at shadowing their adverse feelings towards reading. When parents and teachers start to see a pattern of these behaviors it is time to start looking closer at what is exactly at the root of the problem.

Possible Causes of Reluctance

*Learning difficulties or academic gaps could be definite reasons for a child to become reluctant. Communication between the teacher and parent will be necessary in order to identify or rule out possible learning difficulties or academic gaps.

*Mismatched reading levels and interests are another cause of reluctance. One of the main reasons students do not read or complete a book is that the child's reading level is not correctly matched to the readability level of the text (book/story).  Also, it is a must to consider a child's interests when helping them to choose independent reading material.

*Providing motivation to read also plays an imperative role in creating inspired readers rather than reluctant readers.

Motivational Ideas.....