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Joe and I had a discussion about our ideal books awhile ago. His list was very different than mine and he picked his books for different reasons than I picked mine. The important thing is that your ideal books mean something special to you. 

​Here are mine:

​And, I prefer books in paperback. Unless they are signed, then I'll take them in whatever form you want to give them to me. 

What's on your ideal bookshelf?

Enjoy!

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This post piggybacks on other posts including using your local library system and setting up reading spaces in your home.

One of my friends mentioned to me awhile ago that she bought her sister a poster from Ideal Bookshelf. She had the artist create a custom poster based on favorite books. And I thought, cool!

I want one.

Except, I never got one. Because some thought was nagging at me.

It wasn't until a few weeks ago while I was perusing through articles, that the thought struck me. I love art, I love watercolor, I think the artist is really cool, and I love books. So, what's the problem?!

I realized, what I yearned for was the the real, physical books to be represented in my home. I wanted to pick the book up and feel its heft. Feel the memories in reading it.

And, this makes sense. We all know reading is necessary to our everyday lives. We want our kids to read, we want to read more as adults. The first goal I hear from parents about their kid's reading is that they want their kids to be reading for enjoyment - to be transformed, to draw back the curtain and see the magic. And, to want to continue doing it on their own without prodding.

Having my favorite books on one shelf does this. It's all of my magic in one place.

These books are thoughtful pieces of my life. They weave my life together.
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They make me reflect. They make me wonder. And, they make me happy when they are altogether. They make me want to read more.

For those of you wondering, one of these days I probably will get a poster made and I will definitely be getting some of those awesome book pins that Jane makes.

This week's tip is a thought exercise (and I will share my list tomorrow). 

Please share!

This post will piggyback on other upcoming posts including using your local library system and setting up reading spaces in your home.

Sorting books accomplishes a few awesome things:

It shows Liliana that books are important - they do have a place to go. They matter enough to have a defined place. The only other thing in our house that is that important is the underwear drawer and we all know undies are a necessity most days.

It creates a mental schema for Liliana. That book goes with the other book right next to it, because they are always in the same bin or near each other on the shelf. Now she knows the Berenstain Bear books are all similar. She can find all of her number books in one spot. If she's looking for a "book with a sticker" she knows where to look. They are all together.

It keeps me sane when books are strewn about because I know they have a particular place to go when I do decide to pick up. 

And, 
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​It shows me what gaps we have in our books. ​

1. At home, start by just sorting fiction and non-fiction. If your kids are old enough, sort the books with your kids. You may find that you are helping them to understand a genre. And you will certainly flip through more of your books. They will too.
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2. Take your time. Even though this is a short tip, take your time. This might take you a few days or even a couple of weeks. That's totally fine.

3. Take note. After you sort your home library, you'll start to see gaps. Usually, kids don't have a ton of folktales and fables at home and sometimes historical fiction is left out in the cold too. You're looking for an even mix of fiction and non-fiction as well.

4. Use your notes to direct some new book choices. Now you know where you can provide more exposure for your kids. Likely, you have a lot in one genre because your kid likes that genre and so you've fed the interest already (that's great!). Keep that up.

Supplement their book choices in the future with the missing genres - create book wishlists so other people know what to get your kids, go to the library with a genre in mind to look at, share books with other friends who may have your missing books. 

5. Maintain it! Once you've sorted your kid's books, maintain the system. Your child may be able to maintain it mostly on their own and so you can just check-in monthly. Or, you can maintain it until you feel ready to hand over your home library sorting to your child.

You will be surprised about how many genres you will acquire, so still sort them. You're doing the sorting and putting away until your child is old enough to help you. 

Many little kid books are really Animal Fantasy books (talking animals!). But, you may also end up with other genres (Alphabet, Number, Shape, Colors, Goodnight books). You may have lots of certain authors (Eric Carle, Leo Lionni, Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss) or you may have certain strong topic areas (Seasons/Weather, Holidays, Transportation, Potty Training). 

In short, still sort away. 

​Enjoy!

For those of you who ask for references:

Jones, J. A. (2006), Student-Involved Classroom Libraries. The Reading Teacher, 59: 576–580. 

​Ray Reutzel, D. and Clark, S. (2011), Organizing Literacy Classrooms for Effective Instruction. The Reading Teacher, 65: 96–109.

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Of course, this post applies to any caregiver - grandparents, babysitters, aunts, uncles - basically any adult who can read, who will be looking after your child and in your house.

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As always, these quick literacy tips are for little kids all the way up to big kids. I have tips for all age groups, so keep reading! And, tips for teachers doing this in the classroom. 

Not all books are created equally. Some books are fantastic at creating the story, immersing you in the story and just telling the story. And some books have great illustrations to help you enjoy the story more.

​These are the Caldecott Award winning books.

In the last few weeks, Liliana and I have been going through Caldecott Award winning books. Because, as she starts her reading journey, why not include some of the best?

Caldecott books range in reading levels, so we had to stick to the lower end of the reading level spectrum, so I wasn't completely over her head, but I did include some more complicated stories. And remember, books that are awarded the Caldecott Medal are geared toward children 14 and younger.
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​I know you're thinking, this seems obvious, but here's what's not. How to pick the right book to read at home with your child. 

There are a few thing to consider when picking a book - but here is one that your child's teacher would like you to consider - pick books to read at home that further your child's ability to actually read.

Here's how to do that. 

A small note. If your refrigerator is not magnetic (like stainless steel), most dishwashers are still magnetic. Some doors are magnetic. And if all else fails, we painted an under the kitchen breakfast counter wall with magnetic paint (it worked fine, I just put up 5 coats of it in about an hour).

​The adults who come to our house play with the magnet wall just as much as the kids do. The trick?

Have really cool magnets.

And, also, have a variety of magnets. We collect magnets in our house. All kinds. When we go somewhere new, we get magnets. And then we talk about them, remind ourselves of our memories, ask questions and storytell. As in all Quick Literacy Tips, this one spans the ages - little kids on up to adults.
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You guys, this is super sweet. As in, if Liliana wanted to do this for me in 20 years, I would cry but also I would really appreciate it.

Last week, as Liliana and I were recording books together we were talking about who else could record books for her. She loves to hear all kinds of readers - grandparents, babysitters, ladies at the library, poets on the subway. All storytellers. 

And then this other thought has been swimming around in my head for awhile - some of the books that I read to Liliana (and plan to read) are ones that I loved as a child. I bet I'm not alone in this. 

We read the books we like to our kids - and we should. And our parents likely did the same. So, this is how you get multiple generations reading Caps for Sale or Charlotte's Web. Because we liked it as kids, so of course our kids will like it too. 

So here's the idea...instead of a Mother's Day card, 

A book she might have read to you as a kid, a book she read to you that you loved so much that you read it to your kids.

​Maybe it's a book that you love so much you want HER to read it to your kids. 

Or, a book that she showed you and it enlightened you, inspired you, made you want to keep reading - helped to make you into the person you are today.

​Happy (early) Mother's Day!

My recording of Swatch, our favorite book. Liliana likes to listen to our recording when I'm not around. Or even if I am, sometimes she picks the recording, like she did in the above picture. She was "reading" (and practicing her own fluency) with our recorded reading. ​

Our current homemade audiobook playlist includes I Want My Hat Back, How Little Lori Visited Times Square, Swatch and Charley Harper's Animal Alphabet. It's 26 minutes of reading that she can listen to over and over and over again - well past when I would consider reading the story again. My limit is usually 3 times before I start reading poorly - but she can do this 10 times in a row if she wants to (with a well-read, not tired version).

Please share!