Raising Star Readers is grateful to have regular reminders from Anita Dualeh’s Reading Team that reading aloud isn’t an activity reserved only for families with small children. Instead, sharing and talking about books as you read them aloud together is something a family can grow into …
As we bring this year-like-no-other to a close, Raising Star Readers contributor Constance Van Hoven shares a reflection on the power that books hold to connect us in so many ways: across time, across space, and across generations. Here is Connie’s moving reminder that “’tis the season for Reading Team angels”:
Here’s my reading team ready to head outdoors.… more
Raising Star Readers is delighted to introduce a new Reading Team, this one led by children’s book author Catherine Urdahl. Here, Catherine shares some heartwarming reading moments, with enough book-love and remembered summer sunshine to take the chill out of the coldest of December winds:
I read to my daughters from the time they were infants, and now I have the joy of reading to my two-year-old granddaughter Juni and my new grandson Colby.… more
Despite the coronavirus pandemic and a way-too-long physical separation from her Reading Team, Connie Van Hoven has continued to find creative ways for them to enjoy books together. Here, Connie describes some of the tactics she’s using — including technology and canine love — to assist her in Raising Star Readers:
My Reading Team is going to the dogs!… more
Raising Star Readers is delighted to drop in again on Deb Andries and her Reading Team as they celebrate diverse new offerings from Deb’s local library. Here’s how Deb describes the books that are helping to bring her joy:
Reading remains a joy. Reading remains a treasured moment and a teachable moment. Reading is shared.
Joyful reading occurs when the twins, Myles and Hayes, now 14 months, make every attempt to “sit” and “eat” the book!… more
It’s always fun to catch up with one of our Reading Teams and see what titles have become new favorites for them. This month, however, Anita Dualeh and her sons are revisiting OLD favorites: picture books that were once beloved by Anita’s boys, but that they have now outgrown at ages 10 and 12. Below, Anita describes what happens when her Reading Team reexamines these childhood favorites through their more “grown-up” eyes:
One evening a few months ago, I came down to our office to find my son Adam finishing up The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.… more
Raising Star Readers is delighted to hear that Brenda Sederberg’s Reading Team has added to its membership: welcome, Baby Phoebe! Brenda is also focusing on adding something else — she is expanding on the list of her Team’s old favorites by intentionally looking for books that are diverse and inclusive
As our Raising Star Readers column kicks off another school year, educators and caregivers both continue to face the kind of challenges few of us could have imagined last fall. Here, Ann Angel describes how her Reading Team is countering the “pandemic bubble” by adding nonfiction books to their list of favorite reads:
Hey there, parent or grandparent, raise your hand if you’re a pandemic teacher.… more
In this Raising Star Readers update, Ann Angel shares how reading aloud helps carry on her family’s heritage of storytelling. Here’s how Ann describes it:
With Stay-at-Home a requirement in most states, mine included, I only see some of my grandkids via Skype and Zoom. But I have a daughter and grandson living with us.… more
We’re especially delighted to celebrate with Deb Andries (a.k.a. Grammy) this month as she launches her newest Reading Team. Here’s how Deb describes the experience:
My heart has always felt this “explosion of love” when we’ve welcomed a grandchild into our family. I vividly remember when our grandson Parker, now 14, was born, and the pure and elevated joy I felt.… more
In this addition to Raising Star Readers, we check in again on Anita Dualeh and her Reading Team. Along with many of us, they’re using books as a distraction and a consolation while living with the massive changes brought about by the threat of COVID-19. Here’s how Anita describes this shared moment of history-in-the-making:
In the past month, my kids haven’t had much formal schooling.… more
In this addition to Raising Star Readers, we check in again on a Reading Team that morphs each time we meet them (depending on who’s willing to sit still long enough!). This time around, Connie (Gigi to her grandchildren), is celebrating a reading milestone that will resonate with every book lover. Here’s how Connie describes it:
I brought along several book choices on a recent Colorado visit to my Reading Team: Priya (3 years) and Nikhil (15 months).… more
Norma Gaffron is thrilled to have this chance to share her family’s long tradition of reading aloud. Her children and grandchildren are now grown, but they took the time during their Christmas Eve celebration to share a picture book together. Norma’s son Tim took the photos of Lauren (21), Norma (88), and Erik (25) enjoying Tuesday by David Wiesner.… more
Raising Star Readers relishes this chance to catch up with Ann Angel and her multigenerational Reading Team. For this entry, Ann was especially focused on how the words and visual art in picture books lead kids to think and to dream. Here’s how Ann describes it:
Long before I had kids and grandkids, I thought I’d grow up to be a visual artist.… more
Raising Star Readers is delighted to introduce a new Reading Team, one that highlights how rewarding it can be to continue a practice of reading aloud with children as they grow older.
Anita Dualeh’s Team includes her sons Adam, age 12, and Caleb, age 9. As Anita explains, “While I encourage independent reading, I believe reading aloud is equally important, and for every age.… more
