​​Each week, I'll share one Sunday story that I've recorded for her - a bit about the book itself, why I recorded it and how we've used it. You are welcome to use these recordings with your own kids in case you can't record your own.

​brown part in her heritage is affirmed through that simple reminder about food. Rice is more popular than sandwiches, I usually tell her. My daughter felt seen by Jacqueline Woodson in those pages.

​We hope you enjoy as much as we do! 

Please share!

Anytime we go to bookstores, Liliana and I both make big stacks of books that we want to read. We sit on the floor and go through them - sometimes together and sometimes apart. Inevitably, we end up with more kids around us than when we started. And this makes it so much fun.

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"I want to read Tikki Tikki Tembo..." Liliana says to me.

My response? "Great! Go get it!"

Organizing mounds of books can be a daunting task! Especially if kids are in and out of them all day long or in charge of putting them away. But it's one worth doing.

Liliana knows how to go find the book she's looking for because they are organized. She knows she can browse her books because she can see her books and this makes her more likely to search, sort and read whatever books she wants to - whenever she wants to. The act of gathering books is easy for her - and that's what you want.

You want it to be easy for your kid to browse books, pick a book and sit down with it to read. 

Here are a few tips to help you get started on organizing your books on a bookshelf. 

Please share!

I'm really glad that I've introduced Liliana to the world of Alexander.

The first time we read the book together, she kept repeating, "terrible, no good, very bad day." The reading teacher in me wanted to tell her that's not how it goes and that she forgot horrible, but the mom in me overrode that thought. Thank God. 

I'm thankful that I've introduced Liliana to Alexander because when I am the one having the terrible day, we can pull that book out and read it together. The same goes for her. Sometimes she will pick it off the shelf because she is having a bad day. And, sometimes, Liliana will even ask me if my day will get better. I'm glad she's so sweet and thoughtful.

And honestly, reading this book usually makes my day better. In my classroom, I used to leave the book on top of a pillow in the corner with a sign nearby labeled, "Australia." Any kid who needed to get away and go to Australia, could. It was a great self-managing behavior tool.

Today, our puppy has diarrhea and just farted something awful. Our cat is still jealous that we have a puppy. The cat is on happy pills because otherwise all of his days would be terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. Everyone else is napping in the house, except me - I am on puppy diarrhea watch at the moment. I've even already gotten to do puppy poopy laundry today. I get to bring puppy poop to the vet tomorrow too. 

I know it's not really a terrible day and that actually I'm pretty lucky and that really the puppy is having a terrible day, but sometimes, I can relate to Alexander and his desire to go to Australia too.

I'm sure Liliana and I will read this book later and it will lead to reading the other book that she loves...

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​I cannot take credit for the name of this tip. It comes compliments of William Pope.L, an artist. 

​Last week, I took a break from writing a quick literacy tip on purpose. There is a lot going on in real life that is tense and I wanted to give myself some time and space to be uncomfortable, engage with others, reflect on my own thoughts and actions and be ready to re-engage. I think it's important to do this in order to grow and learn as adults and be ready to teach our youngsters. 

In order to teach, I need to understand. I spent time listening and learning from others - hearing the fabric of our country speak. I am talking about the state of race relations and power structures in our country.
​

Please share!

​This post is part of a series on organizing your physical space to encourage literacy.

Awesome photography and memory captured by Shaina Fishman. Thank you!

A couple weeks ago, Liliana and her new puppy, Noodles, went to a photo shoot. We'd only had Noodles for two days and Liliana knew Noodles was going to be her buddy. But, she wasn't sure how predictable that buddy was yet. He nipped, he barked, he peed wherever he wanted to (still does...).

And this photo captures her trepidation perfectly. She's willing, but unsure.

It's also a perfect prompt for me to tell the story of Liliana and Noodles' budding friendship. How she enjoyed bringing him to puppy playtime, how she taught him how to sit, how he was nervous on his first subway ride and how he peed in his carrier in my lap which made me look like I peed in my own pants - and how she bellowed in laughter and asked incredulously, "Mommy, did you have an accident?!" 

I will print this photo (and others from the shoot) and put them on our walls. It won't live on my phone, in my email or on my desktop.

​This awesome photo and story will live on my wall. 

​We all want our kids to read. And, we want our kids to understand what they're reading.

And! The real kicker - we want them to enjoy reading.

This seems obvious, but sometimes getting there is not obvious and it takes some quirky roundabout turns to get there. Enter, printed photos on your walls.

​
​"There is something very powerful in touching your fingers to an actual print,” says Craig Steinberg, a licensed psychologist who works with children ages five through 13. He goes on.
​

​There’s a lot of stimulation of the brain when you have that sensory experience. That is a bit lost in the move to digital. You are touching a keyboard, mouse or a touchscreen but you are not touching the image.”

So, please print your photos and talk about them. 

Tell your kids about your favorite memories, your life experiences, your stories. When you do, you will be writing out loud for them. Showing them how to put together a good story, a bad story, one that someone wants to listen to. You'll be showing them how to use the picture to start a story or how a picture better explains a story. You will build their self-esteem and their confidence.

​You will also be storytelling them your life. And their very important place in your life.

Enjoy!

P.S. I will also share some of my favorite, easy and creative ways to put photos on your walls in the next few days.

These two photos were the ones Joe and I loved the most from the photo shoot. 

Again, photography done by the amazing Shaina Fishman!

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​
​Enjoy!

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One of my past tips involved sending mail, but this one is all about getting mail.

I was going through our firesafe box the other day. Among our passports, birth certificates and social security cards, I found two handwritten letters. 

One is from my cousins who live in Pakistan. They wrote to me after I visited. Even then, reading was important to me - I left them my copies of Harry Potter books that I read on the flights over to Pakistan. They loved them and were getting the next book. Yay! 

Another, is from my grandfather who passed away in 1994. He worked hard to learn English and he used some of his English to write me letters. He wrote about missing his homeland and wanting the area to be peaceful. 

I cherish these letters. 

And, the whole point of getting mail is to read it. It's one other meaningful way to read.

1. The number one way to get mail...is to send mail.

People will answer you. Usually in the same format. If you send a postcard, you might get a postcard back. If you send an email, you will likely get an email in return. Since we've started sending postcards, we've been getting lots of postcards too! It's so much fun.

2. Ask other people to send mail to your kid.

If your kids are young, encourage others to send your kids mail. Grandparents, friends, aunts, uncles and teachers are all great candidates. You can read the mail with your child and they will feel special that they got their own mail.

3. Join a penpal club.

Here is an awesome website to join - and they welcome kids. It's called Postcrossing.
The goal of Postcrossing is to allow anyone to receive postcards from all over the world. The main idea is: if you send a postcard, you will receive at least one back from a random person somewhere in the world. 

4. Write letters now to be delivered later.

Sometimes, the best letters for your kid are the ones that are delivered later. Tell your story. Have grandparents tell theirs. And, don't forget to have your kids write their stories. Here are a few good options to prompt.

Sidenote: This literacy tip is great because it also spurs writing! It's one of my favorites. Everyone loves getting real mail!


​Enjoy! 

Please share!

And, what would the Ideal bookshelf posts be without Liliana's ideal bookshelf list. Here is her list at the moment. Remember, she's three so she revisits this list often. Every few weeks we talk about this bookshelf and if anything needs to be added to it or removed from it.

Without further adieu...

Enjoy!

Please share!

​This post is part of a series.

It's no secret...

I love books.

And we...

Gather favorite books.

One of the best ways to use your physical space is to gather favorite books. It's calming to have favorite books in one spot. You'll always know where to find them. If you're still reading bedtime stories, that's a great place to pick one or two or eight.

Plus! There is research to support having physical books around in your house - and their outcomes on increasing reading comprehension later for kids.

• Ask your kids what their favorite books right now. They can change over time, so emphasize the here and now.
• First, let them bring as many as they will call favorite. If you start to notice that they have brought you half their bookcase or are talking about 25 books, start explaining what favorite means. The best of the best. Requiring a curated list makes them think about why the books are the best for them.
• Have them gather the books, if they have them. If they don't, go to the library or bookstore and collect them.
• For each book they talk about, ask why it's a favorite book. Don't judge their answers. Just let them be, but still have the conversation and be encouraging. Fake smile if you have to.
• Favorite books are special books so decide on a physical space to put their favorite books all in one place.

​We put Liliana's books in a basket on the wall. They are easy for her to pull out and put back in. A basket like this would work.

​Have so much fun with this!