When a child is reading an assigned book he often is reading purely to hunt down information, find the answers to the questions on the worksheet or what they think will be on the test. Children who discuss and digest what is read, how it made them feel and what they think about the situations brought forth in the book will better retain the material and enjoy what they are reading.

In the beginning of the book there is a list of ways you can help children love what they read. Some of them are:

• Read what you love and love what you read
• Respect your child’s taste
• Read aloud
• Encourage your child to read a book more than once

Next she explains how to read conversationally, getting the conversation started. This is the key to this entire book and a skill parents and teachers should master. Next, the meat of the book, is the story pages. There are 101 children’s books that are broken down by age group and have discussion starters you can use with your own children. My children and I have read hundreds of books together and I was surprised to find that we have only read 5-6 on this particular list of books. There is a lot of great children’s literature out there and once you master the skills taught here they can be applied to any book. If you would like to see what the story pages look like click here. The back section of the book is filled with subject conversations-ways you can prolong the conversation on topics like: Attitude, Choices, Disappointment, Fear and many more. If you want to raise children who love to read you should read Reading Together: Everything You Need to Know to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read

I am giving away a copy of Reading Together to one lucky reader of The Mom Maven. I am making this giveaway simple, but please make sure either your e-mail, blog URL or Twitter handle is attached to your comment so I can let you know when you win!
To enter: Leave me a comment with the title of your favorite children’s book and tell me what made it special for you.
Bonus Entries:

• Tweet about this giveaway using the Tweet Meme button on the post. Leave the Tweet’s URL in your comment
• Followers and Subscribers get 1 entry each for subscribing and/or following.

This giveaway is for US residents only and will end on 9/18/09 at 9:00pm. Winner will be chosen by Random.org and I reserve all rights to delete entries that do not follow the posted rules. Winner will have 48 hours after  announcement to claim their prize Good Luck!

The post Reading Together appeared first on The Mom Maven.

B is for Bethlehem is, at its core, an alphabet book. It was actually written for a second grade class to perform. This book, written in couplets, is a beautifully simple telling of the Christmas story. We begin with “A’s for Augustus, emperor of Rome, Who decreed, ‘To be counted, let each man go home.” We continue through the entire alphabet until we reach, “Z is for Zeeland and Zurich and Zanzibar. You’ll be lighting candles wherever you are.”

B is for Bethlehem is beautifully and vividly illustrated. The illustrations are reproductions of mixed-media collage that was created using watercolor, cut paper, and drawings. As simple as the couplet text is, the amazing illustrations are full and detailed. This contrast brings a wonderful sense of balance to this book.

This book is a must have for any family with young children. Though my children are older, this will be the 14th year we share this book together as part of our family Christmas tradition. Over the next week or so I will share with you my top 2 Christmas books for children.

If you would like to purchase this book it is available on Amazon.com, Borders.com and Booksamillion.com and the isbn number is 0-525-44622-2.
Happy Reading

The post Christmas Books for Children appeared first on The Mom Maven.