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Show 0 R E M TIMES Thursday, December 27, 2007 MMEn NEWS AMD IDEAS FROM CLASSROOMS AND EDUCATORS Librarian suggests books for reading through the holidays Page 6 WIIUII vyvy Linda Butler filli the hue ' mi imlifi ill be;iutiful Christmas and I lolidiiy books avail- able, il's Ih-i oiiic mm h easier lor families In enjoy inspiring inspir-ing anil enlertaininj stories together. Christmas is a lime of focusing on family relationships relation-ships anil traditions; what heller way lo forge family togetherness than hv sharing a good hook I he week hel ecu Clirist-mas Clirist-mas and New 'mmi 's is olten filled with artive tun i hildren plav with their new toys and parties, families )' sledding and plav in the snow, friends and families visit one another. Among all this artive tun, il's nice to have some (ilie lime, r eading I im And as the old ear ends and a new year hegms. yon may want lo consider tilting some reading goals in with your new year resolutions. Many schools hold a D.H.A.R. or "drop everything and read" lime. Students are given a quiet period to read a hook of their choice. This can hecome a fun family tradition. Everyone, including parents, can take some lime 20 minutes, min-utes, a hall hour, even an hour, to quietly read. What better way to encourage your children chil-dren or grandchildren to read, than lo let them see that you enjoy reading. Adding some non-messy lingei treats - popcorn. MfcM's, raisins, small fish-shaped fish-shaped crackers can add to a family's I ) I . A K lime. Sharing a hook together can he fun for families ol all ages. Picture hooks aren't just for toddlers, many of them have lovely messages for all ages woven among the colorful pictures. Hooks with chapters will keep kids wanting to hear more. Sometimes a new setting can enhance family reading limes. Snuggling on a couch can he fun. but a new reading venue can create a wonderful memory. mem-ory. Sit on a blanket on the floor. Cover the kitchen table with blankets, snuggle together togeth-er and read inside your new fort or cave. There's nothing quite like reading a story about y , ,,;. ' ' ' ( ' - ;v, -. , - r . . f t (VVV." -I - " J ' f ' ' i " 1 ! ' 'u g - ' k - ' - ' - INDA BUTLERNorth County The Raff children, Joey ( Greg, und Ahhie enjoy some Holiday reading time with their mother, Steffani. dragons while sitting inside an imaginary dragon's cave! Steffani Huff, a storyteller and mother of three young ( hildren, has a special gift lor making books come alive for her family. "We act out books," she said. After reading a book, each child takes a role and the children put on a short play. T hey also create puppet shows and make movies from books. Some books invite activity. "After reading 'The Gingerbread Gin-gerbread Baby' we made gingerbread people," Steffani said. "After Reading 'Dinosaur Stomp,' we made up dances." Children can draw pictures that are inspired by stories they've read. After reading I Tic Carle's "Very Hungry Caterpillar," children can draw other Very I lungry creatures or things (a very hungry bear, cow, or even a very hungry shoe) and what they might eat. After reading Doreen Cronin's "Diary of a Worm" kids can draw or write their own diary for an animal or household object. In addition to reading books together, occasionally Steffani and her children sing, chant, or even rap a book together. "We sing the books 'Silly Sally," and "Time for Bed," Steffani said. Most of the family's singing sing-ing or chanting is unplanned, the book simply inspires it to happen. "A lot of what we do is completely spontaneous," said Steffani. "If the kids have an idea, we just try it." Giving books as gifts can encourage reading. Although Christmas is past, New Year's is a great time to gift a book. v i P DOLLARS TlflT.T.ABS Looking for a close convenient place to turn your scrap into cash. We buy al types of Metals, Steel, Autos, Appliances, Aluminum, Aluminum Cans Copper, Brass, Radiators, Stainless, Batteries. We offer Competitive Prices, Fast Friendly Service, and a True Commitment to our Customers, Stop by and Give Us A Try! MCR RECYCLING 550 North Geneva Road Orem IBP 1)225-0001) raw ; .ma Mm , . Taking children to a bookstore to pick their own new book for the New Year can become a wonderful family tradition, and it helps children to know that reading is important. Grandparents, especially those who live far from their grandchildren, can read a book onto a tape, then send the book and tape to the grandchildren. My children have fond memories memo-ries of hearing their North Carolina grandmother reading to them via tape. Steffani Raff has tapes that her grandfather recorded for her when she was young. After his passing, the tapes became even more precious. She treasures trea-sures these tapes and now shares them with her children. "To hear his voice again is really real-ly something special," she said. With children out of school for the holidays, incorporate them into your daily routine. Let a child read a recipe out loud while you cook. Have a child act as secretary or scribe rate aloud. Encourage children to write thank -you letters for gifts they've received. Thanking Thank-ing people never goes out of fashion and a short handwritten handwrit-ten note of appreciation can become a treasure in itself. Again, non-messy treats can be set at the table to help motivate moti-vate young letter-writers. And speaking of munching ... sometimes kids want to hear stories, but they're too wiggly to sit and enjoy them. When my own children were little, I'd feed them lunch and read a chapter from a book while they ate. People often watch television while eating, so why not listen to a book? Reading aloud doesn't have to stop when children become competent com-petent readers. Reading classics aloud, such as "Tom Sawyer," "Huckleberry Finn," or even "Don Quixote" can introduce children to literature that they might not read on their own. By listening to books on Top Picks Books selected by Pleasant Grove Librarians Seasonal Books Picture books for families to share: 'Humphrey's First Christmas" Christ-mas" by Carol Heyer "Why the Bell Chimes" by Raymond MacDonald Alden "Great Joy" by Kate DiCa-millo DiCa-millo "Tale of the Three Trees" retold re-told by Angela Elwell Hunt Chapter Books "The Best Christmas Pageant Pag-eant Ever" by Barbara Ro-bonson Ro-bonson "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham All time favorites: "Because of Winn Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo "Wrinkle in Time" by Madeline Mad-eline L'Engle Boxcar children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner "Frog Princess" series by E.D. Baker "Among the Hidden" series by Margaret Peterson Had-dix Had-dix "The Gregor" books by Suzanne Su-zanne Collins "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull "Leven Thumps" by Obert Skye Frank and Etta McQuade are retired, yet they enjoy listening to books on tape as they travel in their car. The Raff children have a daily 20-minute commute to school. While they drive, they listen to books on tape. "I much prefer to listen to a book than to listen to the kids fight," said Steffani. Reading is educational, inspiring, and fun. But it can sometimes be a challenge to find the right book for a child. The most important thing in helping children love to read is to surround them with books. "Keep bringing books home so they're plentiful," said Carolyn Caro-lyn Corry, children's librarian. She continued, "Take time to read. 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