Consonant blends, endings, and a few sight words advance reading skills, gently building toward more complex stories. Use of word families makes longer stories more manageable for early readers.

Examines how reading aloud makes adults and children smarter, happier, healthier, more successful, and more closely attached, even as technology pulls in the other direction.

Discusses how to involve parents and caregivers in early childhood development related to school readiness. Tip cards contain developmental tips concerning physical, social and emotional development, approaches to learning, language and literacy, cognition and general knowledge, mathematical and scientific thinking and the arts, with suggestions for age-appropriateness for babies, toddlers and preschoolers for each activity described by the card.

Award-winning educator Allyn offers parents and caregivers essential advice on choosing appropriate titles for their children--taking into account a child's age, attention ability, gender, and interests--along with techniques for reading aloud effectively.

"Designed for parents to enjoy with children, filled with opportunities for reading aloud and fostering curiosity, this ... read-aloud anthology offers preschoolers the fundamentals they need to prepare for a happy, productive time in school and for the rest of their lives ... In addition to valuable advice to parents, including what it means for a child to be ready for kindergarten, special sidebars throughout the book help parents make reading aloud...

"For children, reading level and experience level are not always the same. Eager readers are often interested in ideas and topics that seem advanced, but situations and subjects that sixth graders can handle with aplomb may be emotionally confusing for a younger child. Early and eager readers deserve stories they can get into, information that's challenging and up-to-date, and ideas that are new and stimulating, all while remaining age appropriate....

"Read, Rhyme, and Romp: Early Literacy Skills and Activities for Librarians, Teachers, and Parents explores the six basic pre-literacy skills that experts agree are necessary for a young child to be ready to learn to read. Special sections within each chapter are dedicated to the specific needs of preschool teachers, parents, and librarians, making the content relevant to different settings. Recommended book lists, personal anecdotes, and literacy-rich...