With the hustle and bustle of the holidays well behind us, it’s time to reclaim “me-time”. Yeah, right. Seems impossible, right? Not so! A few easy tricks can help you find the time you need to pour a cup of tea and relax with a good book. Now I’m not promising that you can take a whole afternoon for yourself, but those few found moments can make each day gloriously relaxing. Aim for an extra half-hour each day. Before you know it, you’ll be glowing from the inside out!

• Trick #1: The Play Date. While it seems overwhelming to invite your child’s friends over to play, the payback is that, every so often, they’ll go to their friend’s house to play, leaving you with some time to yourself. The trick is to use that time for yourself, rather than to run errands or grocery shop. And it needn’t be chaos when you have extra kids in the house. An organized activity like making cookies or a craft activity is usually rewarding for all concerned, rather than letting them run around the house making mayhem.
• Trick #2: The Chore Chart. Even young kids can help you get your chores done and learn valuable lessons at the same time. When you get your kids to pitch in with the laundry, cleaning and meals you can gain a few extra minutes each day. And when they’re helping you get household chores accomplished, they’re not unsupervised making a mess in one place while you’re cleaning another. The trick is to make it fun, and not be too judgmental, especially at first. Give them a star on the chore chart for each task they help with, and reward them for every 10 or 15 stars. Before you know it, they’ll be able to do the laundry themselves, which will save some REAL time down the road.
• Trick #3: The Book Buddy. If you want time to relax and read a book, help your child appreciate the fun of it. Through our partnership with ReadKiddoRead, I’ve come to appreciate that not every kid starts out being a voracious reader. Some are downright reluctant. James Patterson insists that parents take control here, rather than assume that your school will do that job for you. (Read James’ article on this topic here: http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/28/opinion/patterson-kids-reading/index.html). Find books your child will love. And there’s nothing wrong with comic books or manga. The trick is, if you can gather their favorite reading material in one place and make it available to them, you’ll find some quiet time for yourself while they’re reading quietly; something that can’t happen while the tv is turned on.

Need some suggestions for books your kids will love to read? Start with these ReadKiddoRead Kiddo Award nominees:

E-MERGENCY by Tom Lichtenheld and Ezra Fields-Meyer
When the letter E falls down the stairs and breaks her leg, the only way for her to get better is if everyone stops using her. The whole cast of letters rolls with puns along the way.
Ages 4 – 8

EVERY THING ON IT by Shel Silverstein
A new collection of 30 never-before-seen poems and drawings from the remarkable writer and artist Shel Silverstein.
Ages 6 and up

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER by Jeff Kinney
The travails and triumphs of a young middle school boy are chronicled in a laugh-out-loud diary format complete with drawings from Greg himself.
Ages 7 and up

ReadKiddoRead subscriptions are available from Just the Right Book for $14.99 per week or month. Once each week (or month) your child will receive a new book chosen specifically for him or her based on reading level and individual interests from the recommended book list at ReadKiddoRead. Get your kids involved and let their voices be heard when they (and you) vote for their favorite books. View the Kiddo Award nominees for this year at http://www.readkiddoread.com/uploads/kiddos2012.php and vote for the ones your kids just can’t put down!

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Beth is the Marketing Director at Just the Right Book, matching books and readers daily. After studying South American literature at UConn, she got an MBA and worked in Brand Management for many years while raising her three kids. She’s also been a Girl Scout leader and Destination Imagination coach.

“I, I, I, I, I, I, I have a decision,” announced our 3 year old granddaughter.  This was not the first time that I’ve heard her stutter.  In fact, she was repeating words, part of words, and phrases ever since she started talking at about 18 months.  She is now three and a half, and unlike many of the children I work with speaks in long, complicated sentences.

Of course I wanted to know what decision “she had,” but being a speech pathologist who has helped many, many parents and children deal with speech and language issues for over 43 years, I find myself, at times, listening to how she talks rather than to what she is saying.

I know that it is important to hear the content of what a child says, but I also know that ignoring breakdowns in communication until a child is 5 or 6 is misguided.  One percent of all children, worldwide, will grow up to be people who stutter.  Ignoring the stutter and waiting to see if the child will “outgrow” the behavior is not advisable. 

As a Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders, I can listen to my granddaughter and know that she will most likely be one of the 80% of stuttering children who will outgrow their disfluencies and grow up without the burden of stuttering.  She does not demonstrate most of the basic Risk Factors for Stuttering.  Only one applies to her:  stuttering longer than 6 months.

If you have a child whose fluency concerns you, check out The Preschool Stuttering Screen for Health Care Professionals (PSSHCP), below.  It was published by Joseph Donaher, Christina Deery, and Sarah Vogel, speech pathologists at University of Pennsylvania Medical School.

PSSHCP – RISK FACTORS FOR STUTTERING

Is the child a boy?                                                                                YES   NO Do any family members (including brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles) stutter?                                                      YES   NO Did any family members stutter for a period when they were younger?     YES   NO Have the behaviors persisted for more than 6 months?                            YES   NO Are the behaviors happening more often or becoming more severe?         YES   NO Does the child always stutter?                                                                YES   NO Have others noticed or commented on the child’s speech?                        YES   NO Does the child appear to be pushing his/her words out, or physically struggling while talking?                                                                                 YES   NO Does the child ever appear to avoid talking because of concerns with his/her speech?                                                                                             YES   NO Does the child or family appear increasingly worried, fearful, or frustrated by the stuttering behaviors?                                                             YES   NO

“YES” answers indicate greater level of concern

Remember when looking at this list that it is informal, has no critical cut off point and that no one item is more important than another.

So, how do you decide what to do if your child’s speech is disfluent?

1. It is not always an easy decision, but there are some guidelines that should make it easier for everyone.  First, know the risk factors listed above.
2. Second, know that it is important not to ignore the behavior because we still cannot fully predict who will and will not out grow their stutter.  Check with a trained professional – a speech and language pathologist who has experience treating stuttering – who can determine whether a more formal evaluation is necessary.
3. Third, it is very important that these steps be taken early.  Research has shown that maximum benefits can be achieved when the appropriate stuttering therapy is provided while a child’s brain is still malleable and the neurological pathways are not yet “hard wired.”  In other words, some time before the child starts kindergarten.  Waiting to speak to a professional until a child is 5 or even 6 is late, and carries a risk of increased resistance to effective therapy.

If a child is three or older, you can always call your public school and speak to a speech pathologist.  Or you can call our clinic.  We offer free stuttering screenings over the phone or in person for children 6 and under.  There are also some good websites that can be very helpful: Stuttering Home Page, http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/stutter.html, National Stuttering Association, http://www.nsastutter.org/, and the Stuttering Foundation http://www.stutteringhelp.org/.Their suggestion can help you sort out how best to help your disfluent preschooler.

Our granddaughter is now 3½, and that decision that she “had” has long been forgotten, but not the gem of language usage cherished by a grandmother who, when her own children were little, was much too harried to remember much about their speech.

And as for her stuttering……it’s mostly gone.  I realized it on Veteran’s Day as we rode up and down in the glass-walled elevators at the CT Science Museum in Hartford, were videotaped dancing in the kid’s TV, threw paper cups that spun like helicopters into the air.  Her speech is fine; I am no longer distracted by how she speaks!

Alida Engel CCC/SLP, BRS-FD

Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders

801 Edgewood Ave.

New Haven, CT 06515

203-397-3224

CenterForSpeechAndLearning.com 

We have begun, in earnest, the search for a kindergarten for Jonah, and I’ve been just a bit overwhelmed. The town in which we live, unfortunately, does not have a good reputation when it comes to schools and didn’t even before they laid off about 50 teachers last year. Stupid decision to buy a house in this town? Why, yes. But to explain ourselves a little, things weren’t looking rosy in the child-bearing department at the time so we didn’t give serious consideration to schools.

So here we are. Fortunately, we can apply to the New Haven magnet schools and plan to; there is one we are particularly interested in. But while I want to support public schools (I believe in public education and both my parents were public-school teachers), I harbor a few worries. First off, as we face more and more cutbacks in these financially treacherous times, will things considered extras, like the arts and recess, be eliminated, or reduced? Will classes become larger, necessitating greater emphasis on keeping kids under control? My little guy is a bright, curious, spirited dude with tremendous energy; he can’t always control it, either. Yes, he needs to learn how to take charge of his energy, but being in an environment in which he’s punished for his physical exuberance doesn’t sound like auspicious beginning to his academic career.

We’re looking at private schools, including a couple that only offer pre-school and kindergarten. (In other words, if he attended one of these, he’d be there only for one year.) He and I visited one yesterday and I was amazed. I’d heard great things about it, but it was beyond my expectations: an exciting, stimulating, nurturing environment, one in which a child’s question leads to an exploration of an idea from every possible angle, involving reading, writing, math, and scientific discovery. The kindergarten space was large, inviting, and dynamic without being twee. (I’m not into twee, even for the wee.)

We are also looking into a couple of K-8 private schools, one of which is considered the best in the area and both of which have wonderful things to offer. Both, not surprisingly, are very expensive. Will they offer us financial aid? Will they accept our little snuglet? This, of course, can’t be taken for granted, and is headache-inducing question. How do you prepare a wild, hilarious, vivacious child for such an interview without putting him under pressure? I would never in a million years let him in on the news that the interview will largely determine his being admitted, but I do have to find the right words to be sure he’s on his best behavior. It’s a delicate situation, that.

What is it I want for my child? A stimulating, challenging, nurturing school environment in which his love for learning is encouraged, his strengths and interests guided, and his weaknesses bolstered. A place where he can learn who he is and feel comfortable in that understanding. I want him to sing and dance and make discoveries, to write poetry and stories and use every color imaginable to depict his fabulously demented view of the universe, to create and share and learn from those around him. What I don’t want for him: An atmosphere in which learning is a chore, being smart a liability.

It’s a tragic thing that so many of us can’t expect the best from our public schools, that we have to consider all sorts of alternatives to find the best place for our kids to learn. And despite NCLB and other efforts (or because of them?), we hear story upon story about large numbers of high-school kids unable to name our Vice President or find Italy on a map. What are we doing wrong?

I’m not an expert in education. When I visit schools and meet teachers who’ve been working with kids for thirty-plus years, I find myself at a loss for intelligent questions. My child is truly wonderful, I want to say. Can you see that? Can you help us do what’s best for him? That’s all I ask. After all, I’m still not entirely sure what that is: what’s best for him. I’m eternally trying to find out.

And I don’t want to sound as though I’m down on public schools. Jonah’s good friend started kindergarten at a private school with a great reputation. But it turns out that so many parents have kept their children back a year that, at 5 years old, he’s one of the youngest in his class. And T, this little boy, is a bright kid, a sweet kid, a truly special kid whose parents are involved and loving and accomplished themselves. But during his parents’ first parent-teacher conference, the teachers said to them, “T can’t read.” As if he were behind. So now his mom is working with him at home, using flash cards, to catch him up, although really, he’s right where he ought to be. Because he’s five and he’s in kindergarten, and once, not so long ago, kindergarten was for going over the alphabet and coloring and taking naps, and everyone was all right with that. Then kindergarten became the grade in which kids were taught to read. Now, it seems, at least in some schools, kids are expected to arrive at kindergarten already reading.

And that, my friends, is just messed up.

…

Aviva Luria recently created the blog Old Mom, Young Child, which can be found at omyc.wordpress.com, a glimpse into the mind of a sometime writer who became a mom at the ripe age of 42. Aviva, who has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s in English and creative writing, has published work in an array of places, from The San Francisco Examiner and The National Post(one of Canada’s national newspapers) to the literary journals The Mississippi Review, Kalliope, andGrain,and the magazine Canadian Living. A radio junkie, she also contributed stories to a couple of CBC radio programs. (That’s in Canada, eh?)

Having grown up on Long Island, she has lived in London; San Francisco, Berkeley, and Davis, California; Ontario, Canada; and other odd and wonderful places. She lives with her husband, a physics professor, and their son, born in 2007, who is the wonder and light of her life.

We’ve been thinking a lot about classic books lately here at the JTRB office, in light of our Contemporary Classics Quiz, which highlights some of the best books for adults from the last 75 years–many books that were written decades before I was born, and that I love. That’s the thing about really good books–they have staying power.

The phenomenon of classics also applies, perhaps even more so, to children’s chapter books. It’s no surprise that what we read when we’re young tends to stick with us. Maybe that adage that you never forget your first love applies to books as well as people. The first books we read and fall in love with are often the ones we remember most fondly and vividly. And there are many, many examples of children’s classics getting new life today, some in their original forms and some updated for a new generation of readers. Parents are re-reading these beloved books and introducing them to their children.

HarperCollins just this week published The Betsy-Tacy Treasury – the first four books in Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series. Pamela Paul mentioned in the New York Times’s Arts Beat that her six-year-old daughter is enthralled by the stories, which are set in Minnesota more than 100 years ago.

Publishers are also adapting traditional beloved children’s books to the modern-day mediums. For example, many titles in The Boxcar Children series are now available as e-books.

And I hope that recent movie versions of classic kids’ books are encouraging young readers to explore older books like Beverly Cleary’s Ramona series, Thomas Rockwell’s How to Eat Fried Worms, and of course C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia.

And while all of these books are beloved by yesterday’s and today’s young readers, we can’t deny the power of adult nostalgia, either. It’s what prompted Wendy McClure, who loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder’s  Little House series as a child, to retrace the pioneer journey of the Ingalls family and immerse herself in Little House culture for her book The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House in the Prairie. In fact, it almost makes me want to go to South Dakota to visit some Ingalls sites on my next vacation… or at least re-read the entire Little House series.

Is there a young reader in your life who would like to be turned on to the classics? Give the gift of reading with one of our subscriptions for kids. Tell us what kind of books he or she likes, including any of the above titles or anything at all, and we’ll send just the right book, guaranteed!

…

Kira Baum is Content Manager at Just the Right Book. A life-long book lover with a master’s degree in English, she spent nearly a decade as a project manager and copy editor at major publishing houses in New York City before returning to her home state of Connecticut and joining Just the Right Book.

It’s been a couple of months since school started, and I bet your kids are starting to show some signs of stress. Maybe you’ve even had a call home from the teacher already.  And then you start to show signs of stress. The antidote: humor, creativity and play.  And some alone-time (hint – that’s where the books come in).

Helping my three kids find the best way to diffuse stress was like diving for pearls. Sometimes I would come up with something that glowed. Sometimes I just got a handful of seaweed. Like when I mistakenly thought that routines were a good idea. They are, of course, to some extent, but the more I tried to get them to sit down and a chat about their day, the deeper the seaweed got.

After a day of schedules and expectations, they really just needed true, unscheduled down-time. Not veg-in-front-of-the-tv time. Real, all-about-them down-time. My son needed to organize his toys and read. My older daughter needed to go outside and play with friends. My youngest needed to pull the pots out of the cupboard and drum on them like the rock star she is. Instead of drilling them about their day, we found ways to laugh. And then they would begin to talk about their day.

Some kids experience a level of stress far beyond the norm. For these kids, getting through a week of school without a call home is a magnificent accomplishment. Why not reward them in a way that will also help them cope? Book series are great for this. My son, now 20, refuses to give up his Discovery Kids or Star Wars book collections. He worked too hard to get them; they brought him many hours of stress relief; and they feel like long-time friends. He gets very nostalgic about them. And there are some great book series out there:

For preteen boys and girls:

Maximum Ride series by James Patterson: Shows that girls can be tough. Full of fantasy, flying creatures and video-game type action.

Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker: Clementine is the new Amelia Bedelia for kids age 7 – 10. No matter how hard she tries, she only seems to make things worse. A fun series, especially for kids who might not be strangers to the principal’s office.

Everything Butt Art on the Farm by Brian Snyder and local artist Alexis Moniello. Talk about a stress buster! The first in a two-book series with more in the works, and an iPad app, this book is guaranteed to spark creativity, giggles and conversation.

Of course, all of these titles are available when you sign up for a Kids’ Series subscription at Just the Right Book. Teen and Fantasy Series (for titles like Maximum Ride) also available. Choose from hardcover or paperback or a mix of both, with monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly delivery. Titles chosen just for your child based on his/her reading level and preferences. (And if Mom or Dad need a little pampering…Indulge Yourself!)

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Beth is the Marketing Director at Just the Right Book, matching books and readers daily. After studying South American literature at UConn, she got an MBA and worked in Brand Management for many years while raising her three kids. She’s also been a Girl Scout leader and Destination Imagination coach.

One day when my kids were little, an audio book fell into my hands, unsolicited and out of the blue. It was Patricia Cornwell’s Isle of Dogs. When I put it in the tape player (yes, it was that long ago), something unexpected and wonderful happened. My kids gravitated to the Southern drawl emanating from the stereo the way they might have followed the scent of cookies to the kitchen. The family ended up listening to Isle of Dogs as a group over dinner – that night and every night after until we’d heard the whole book.

Enjoying the ritual and the conversation it sparked, we next chose The Life of Pi (read in rich Indian accents and taking us all out to sea, stretching our imaginations as we ate our meal at the earth-bound dining room table). Then DaVinci Code. Then Agatha Christie. And the rest is history. A family tradition had firmly taken hold.

I sometimes think that audio books have an unfair reputation as somehow less than. They get short shrift, as though they’re a cop out and as though we should only read – and not (good god, no!) – LISTEN to books! I’ve found that sharing literature as a family is a really satisfying way to connect with one another, while working an under-utilized part of our brains…that part that probably got a lot of exercise half a century ago when neighbors would cluster together in a living room and listen to a radio play. Audio books let kids experience adult literature with their parents. Perhaps most importantly, it exposes us all to that special and age-old theatre of story telling, with animated voices and strange accents and nuanced intonations.

Today in our family, audio books are a staple of vacations and weekends. They’ve even dictated how we tell time. Recently my sister asked me how long it took to drive from Los Angeles to Yosemite, a drive I had done with my family a few years earlier. I told her, “as long as it takes to hear Angel and Demons.”

Want to start the audio book tradition in your family? Start Here:

To introduce classic fairy tales to younger children (This was our bedtime routine until, um, high school!):

The Emperor’s New Clothes The classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale retold by celebrities on the included CD. This combines the beauty of illustration with the magic of talented voices narrating. The bonus is that the kids can go back and read the text on their own later.

Conversation starter for older kids:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, read by Allan Corduner. Set in Nazi Germany, it describes a young girl’s (named Liesel Meminger) relationship with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa, and the other residents of their neighborhood, and a Jewish fist-fighter who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II. Published in 2005, it has won numerous awards and has been listed on the New York Times Children’s Bestseller List for over 190 weeks.

Classic, in observation of Banned Book Week Sept 24 – Oct 1:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, read by Garrison Keillor. An American classic read by an American classic. A great story read by one of the best storytellers.

Just the Right Book! Quarterly gifts, where books (no audio, yet) come 4 times a year, start at just $49. Visit our website at www.justtherightbook.com/sc/kidhaven.

…

Beth is the Marketing Director at Just the Right Book, matching books and readers daily. After studying South American literature at UConn, she got an MBA and worked in Brand Management for many years while raising her three kids. She’s also been a Girl Scout leader and Destination Imagination coach.

About this time each summer, I struggle between thinking that summer should never end, and looking forward to the more structured days of fall.

The kids have been to every summer camp I can afford, exhausted the contents of our craft box and worn out the trails of our local park. If you find yourself running out of summer activities, especially for a rainy day, take a minute to visit Just the Right Book online, www.justtherightbook.com. You’ll find a bookmark template right on the homepage (click on Fun Activity). When you download the bookmark template and print it out, three things will happen:

1. The kids will have an instant craft project to use up the last of the glitter, glue and crayons, or whatever else you have on hand.
2. By uploading a photo of them and/or their favorite book with their decorated bookmark, they can win a free ReadKiddoRead T-Shirt. Just go to www.Facebook.com/JustTheRightBook.
3. You’ll create another opportunity to read a great book together. Real literature. A chapter book that requires a bookmark. (No, do not agree to yet another reading of that picture book they bring to you constantly – this time you get to choose)

If #3 requires a trip to the bookstore or library, take a minute to take our updated summer reading quiz so you can pick up a new title for yourself, as well: www.Justtherightbook.com/Quiz. Answer ten questions about what you like to do, movies you enjoy, etc, and in an instant three book recommendations appear like magic. If you’ve tried it before, try it again – we’ve added new titles and questions.

Also new to the Just the Right Book website is a Summer Reading Guide, www.justtherightbook.com/summerreadingguide, with book recommendations to make you laugh, to put you on the edge of your seat, or to transport you to another place. And for the little ones:

• Merrilee Mannerly and her Magnificent Manners by Connecticut authors Mary Cashman and Cynthia Whipple introduces 5 – 8 year olds to manners.
• Get Happy by Malachy Doyle for your budding 3 – 6 year old optimists.

School may be just around the corner, but don’t let these last days of summer slip by without getting some time in behind the pages of a good book!

PS. Remember to consult our favorite bookstore in Madison for fun kid-centered activities throughout the month: www.rjjulia.com/event/2011/08/01/month/all/9/1

Is it really the middle of July already? I know time flies when you’re having fun… changing diapers, applying sunscreen and chasing your little one away from the edge of the pool!

Remember when summer days included plopping down in the sand or on your beach chair and getting lost in a great summer read? Actually, do you remember the last time you had a chance to read anything that didn’t involve animals or little engines that could?

I’m here to remind you to take some time for yourself with a book for you.

Just the Right Book can help you do just that. If you can find 2-minutes to get in front of your computer, check out our Summer Reading Quiz (www.justtherightbook.com), it’s a fun and easy 10-question quiz that will give you personalized recommendations based on the list of ‘must read’ new adult fiction we put together with help from our book experts including RJ Julia’s booksellers and the book editor at O Magazine!

If you’re looking for a few immediate recommendations that you can read in short spurts, check out:

Original Sin by Beth McMullen – Mix together a Bond-like character gone bad, a ‘retired’ female spy and an adorable 3 year-old. Yes, mayhem ensues! – and Bossy Pants by Tina Fey – laugh out loud funny and definitely worth reading!

Try the quiz (www.justtherightbook.com) and let us know what you think of the recommendations. If you need some time to sit down with a good book again, rope a good friend or family member into reading that kids book for the umpteenth time!

Just a friendly reminder to find some time for yourself and rediscover the joy of reading!

Enjoy the summer!

P.S. There are some great kids events coming up at RJ Julia if you’re in the area (including a Star Wars meet and greet!) – check out the calendar here – http://www.rjjulia.com/event/2011/07/01/month/all/9/1

What’s better than getting your kids to read?

Getting them hooked on books for a lifetime.

Two teams of experts are combining this summer to meet that goal.

Since 2008, bestselling author James Patterson’s website ReadKiddoRead has helped parents, teachers, and librarians ignite the next generation’s excitement about reading by recommending books carefully chosen by an expert panel for their ability to spark a child’s love of reading…

Just the Right Book!, the personalized, literary e-gift and subscription service founded by Roxanne Coady of award-winning, local R.J. Julia Booksellers and fueled by booksellers with a combined experience of over 100 years, has been lauded since its launch last year by InStyle, U.S. News & World Report, More.com and others for its uncanny ability to match readers of all ages with books they’ll love.

Eager to see more dog-eared paperbacks sticking out of camp duffles and among the toys in beach bags this summer, these two groups have joined forces for the benefit of kids (a.k.a. future book worms) everywhere.

From June through August, customers can order a ReadKiddoRead subscription through Just the Right Book! The subscriptions start at just $29. Chosen from ReadKiddoRead’s most popular selections and based on your child’s reading level and interests, the books arrive gift-wrapped and can be sent weekly or monthly.

“It’s not enough to rely on the schools to get kids to love books,” says Patterson. “It really makes a difference when parents have a hand in the book choices.” Rather than trying to do all the research themselves, he urges parents to take advantage of the experts out there.

“Just the Right Book lives up to its name. I think you’ll find your kids will gobble these books up, and leave them wanting more,” he says, in reference to the collaboration’s offering of books carefully chosen for kids based on their interests.

“It’s not enough to rely on the schools to get kids to love books,” says Patterson. “It really makes a difference when parents have a hand in the book choices.”

Roxanne Coady, founder of Just the Right Book! and RJ Julia Booksellers, agrees that tailoring books to young readers is really the only way to grow a book-lover from the ground up. “We’re always hearing, after recommending a title, ‘I never would have chosen that book on my own for my child, but he/she loved it.’ It’s the greatest thing to hear, because you know that the child’s strong connection with that first book is very likely going to send her back for more.”

For more information on Just the Right Book!, please visit http://www.justtherightbook.com.

For more information on ReadKiddoRead, please visit http://www.readkiddoread.com/.

Here’s a list of summer reading picks for kids (all are available through the ReadKiddoRead subscription at Just the Right Book!)

Baby to 4 years old

• Clip Clop by Nicola Smee
• Duck Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
• United Tweets of America by Hudson Talbott

(These books are not only fun reads for the kids, but will keep parents entertained, too!)

5 to 8 years old

• Art & Max by David Wiesner
• How Rocket Learned to Read
• Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride

(We know this can be a tough age as kids may be in between being read to and reading on their own.)

9 and up

• The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
• Summerland by Michael Chabon
• Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

(These are great chapter books that will get your kids asking for more!)

Free Week of the Young Child events are scheduled for:

• Tuesday, April 12 & Thursday, April 14

11:00 am

The Little Read and more …

New Haven Free Public Library, Downtown Branch, 133 Elm Street

Join the talented children’s librarians as they do a story time at the downtown branch of the New Haven Free Public Library.  Children will hear The Little Read book, Whoever You Are/Quienquiera que seas, and take home a copy for their home library.

• Tuesday, April 12

shows at 7:00 pm & 8:00 pm

IBEX:  Search for the Edge of the Solar System.  See the sun journey thru the Milky Way.

Leitner Family Planetarium @Yale University, 355 Prospect Street

Experience the stars and the sun at the Leitner Family Planetarium and take home a book about the planets, The Planets in Our Solar System; to celebrate the sky’s the limit during Week of the Young Child!

• Wednesday, April 13

9:30 – 11:00 am

Nature Pals Play Group with Ranger Harry Coyle

Edgewood Park, 720 Edgewood Avenue, Register at (203) 946-8027

Join Park Ranger Harry Coyle for a fun morning exploring the park and its beautiful fauna.  Take home a book about birds, Feathers for Lunch, to continue learning for Week of the Young Child!

• Wednesday, April 13

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Children’s Art Exhibit

Gateway Community College, Room 160

Enjoy the colorful and unique artwork of preschoolers at the art exhibit at Gateway Community College!  Continue to celebrate Week of the Young Child with a book, The Dot, to inspire young children to be creative and to draw.

• Saturday, April 16

11:00 am

Creating Musical Readers with the NH Symphony reading Manuelo the Playing Mantis

New Haven Free Public Library, Downtown Branch, 133 Elm St

Join an amazing cello player from the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and hear the book that matches the performance!  Continue to create musical readers by taking home a copy of the book!

• Saturday, April 16

2:00 pm

Featuring musician George Melillo reading This Jazz Man

Connecticut Children’s Museum, 22 Wall Street   **Children get in FREE today!

Visit the Children’s Museum all afternoon and then attend our Creating Readers program at 2:00 pm where a local musician will be playing This Jazz Man with the children singing along!  Young children can add to their home library after enjoying the program!

• Saturday, April 16

2:00 – 4:00 pm

Alexander & the Wind Up Mouse, a building project

Eli Whitney Museum, 915 Whitney Avenue, Hamden   **FREE admission & kit

Visit the Eli Whitney Museum and build your own little wind-up mouse.  Go home with a mouse and a matching book, Alexander and the Wind Up Mouse, to celebrate the inventiveness of children and to build home libraries!

Click here to see a flyer with further details about these events