Linking to my feelings the importance of putting books in our children’s hands comes this post. I plan to place our thoughts of a few of our favorite books from time to time. My hope is to track pieces of literature that have been an important part of learning in the lives of my children.
The first book I chose was “The Big Red Barn” by Margaret Wise Brown. I selected this book because it is hands down a favorite for all three, the title I have placed in each of their baby books, and the single title we have put in the hands of our expectant mother friends for their new babies. Intended as a board book for baby to toddler, as both Abigail the toddler, and Isabela the baby, truly adore the pictures, holding the book, and imitating the sounds as they play farm. I can say it is timeless, as my five year old emergent reader continues to enjoy.
Animals seem to captivate the attention of every eye, at least the eyes of my three! It is one of their first connections to the world around them. The animals here are so calm and friendly. “In this story the children are away. Only the animals are here today.” This story celebrates life on the farm from the perspective of the animals where “they play all day in the grass and in the hay”. The wonderful illustrations include the “big red barn in the great green field” as well as every animal a child associates living on a farm. There is even “an old scarecrow leaning on his hoe in a field of corn”. All of this living takes place from the early part of the day and concludes when “the moon sailed high in the dark night sky”.
“The Big Red Barn” has simple rhyming vocabulary with wonderful pictures. This story celebrates all things farm life and animals. The rhythm of the book has a tranquil flow almost like a song. The simple text is easily memorized therefore making it an easy pick.
I remember when Jackson was around two he sat with this book and recited word for word the story. His confidence booming, his heart beaming with excitement, as he felt he knew how to read. Over and over he “read.” In the car or on the floor he continued to take the first steps of reading, linking his brain to the words he had heard many times before. Words that were concrete in his memory. Going through the phases of mocking me with his finger moving across the words quickly, to even being proud that he could shut the book and read the words without looking!
As an emergent reader, I watched him one Saturday several weeks ago realize he knew the words on every page. He not only knew them from memory, he could actually READ those words. That is the beat to a teacher’s heart when she realizes her student can read, when a student discovers the joy of really knowing the text word for word.
He had been reading since about March some of the things I had placed in front of him during school, but this was the first connection to something familiar. He was proud! Right there he felt like a reader. He realized the fun of words and most importantly the fun of learning something new!
An amazing book for our family. A classic treasure.
Cultivate their love of literature, share a good book!
Isabela LOVES the horses, we LOVE her imitation!
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