Reading to Your Children

 

 

 

You know, it’s funny. There are all kinds of programs out now about increasing your child’s IQ. One of the main components is reading to them. So we have this huge influx of mothers reading to the babies in utero.

Every night moms are reading to their tummies, playing classical music for their tummies, and having conversations with their tummies. Let me be the first to applaud them for their efforts. All of this is good.

I love how mommies and daddies are taking it a step further. They’re reading to their infants, showing them flash cards of of words and colors, and generally helping their children get a head start in the world of education.

Then there’s the group of special mommies that continue to read to their pre-school children. They take them to story-time at their local book stores and libraries. And some mommies keep the practice going even after their babes are in first and second grade.

With all of this focus on reading and trips to the library their children become readers themselves. Celebrate! You’ve done a great job…but it’s not finished yet.

Just because your children can now read for themselves is no reason to stop reading to them. There is no way to place a value on time you spend doing this. The benefits are astronomical!

Allow me to list a few of them: increased comprehension, increased appreciation for written language, improved language skills, improved attention skills, improved auditory comprehension. Remember these are only a few, not to mention the benefits your children will glean relationally; and you too.

 

So when is the age you should stop reading to your children? My answer has to be the day after you no longer want these benefits for your children.

Thanks for stopping by. As always, I welcome your comments, questions, and requests for book reviews. Sunday I’ll be posting a review of Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans. See you then.

Reading Michael Vey: A Book Review

 

 

Hi All, as promised here’s the review of the book Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans.

Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25 is the story of a high school freshman who doesn’t quite fit in. There are several reasons for his not being part of the ‘in crowd’: 1) Michael is small in stature. 2)He has Tourette’s syndrome (a tic disorder). 3) Michael has an affinity for electricity. His attraction for electricity is what gets him into trouble, but it is also this odd ‘superpower’ that saves the day.

The plotline is that Michael is one of seventeen children who developed a superpower related to electricity. As usual, there is an evil villain who is trying to gain control of all of these children to exploit their powers.

The villain captures Michael, his mother, and some of his friends, and tries to force him to do his bidding. Michael is able to escape, save a few of the other children that are like him, and wins the heart of the popular girl in school.

I had been told that this book had good values, but I never know what people mean when they tell me that. When I read it I was pleasantly surprised. There is not one word of profanity in the book, there is no sexual content, and the ‘fight’ scenes are wonderfully light-weight and handled in a manner appropriate for children to read (and possibly emulate).

I have two cautions: 1) In the final battle, the villain’s army shoot guns at the escapees, but no one is hit. And 2) the popular girl becomes the hero’s girlfriend and thanks him for saving her life with what appears to be a brief peck on the lips.

Overall the story is entertaining, clean, and action filled. I would say that it is a ‘safe’ read for ages 10 years and up. I would have no problem with a parent reading this book to their 8- or 9-year-olds.

I would be glad to answer any further questions you might have about this book. I am also open to suggestions for my next book review.

Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to Moms’ Break Room

Hi and welcome, this is the Moms’ Break Room. A place for moms to take a moment to relax, get refreshed, and find out what’s happening in the world of children’s books.

I’m Stephanie Jefferson, debut author of the new Princess Kandake series. I retired from working as a psychologist with a specialty in children and adolescents. What I do now is write books for kids ages 10 years and up, I’m a Small Group leader at church for 7th and 8th grade girls, and I play with my grandchildren every chance I get.

My plan for this blog is to provide the kind of information that would be helpful for moms. We can talk about reading. We can discuss and review books that are for children, especially focusing on the books for independent readers. And because I am a psychologist, I don’t mind answering questions on growth and development and how the books your babes are reading impacts that.

Before we go much further I’d better come clean with who I am and what my perspective is. I am a conservative Christian, so everything I say comes from that set of values. This applies to my psychology background as well as my writing. I can guarantee that every book I have written and I write will be ‘safe’ for your children to read. That means I will not be including sexual situations, profanity, or other things that I believe do not honor God.

Wow! They sure left in a hurry.

Oh well, I may as well tell you the rest of it. The other thing is that from time to time I will bend you ear (or eyes) with the promotion of one of my books. And while I’m confessing…each book I write has an underlying theme: the building of our children’s character and teaching them to stand up for what they believe in.

So now you know that I’m a writer for the ‘Tween audience and each and every book is written for the purpose of entertainment and character building.

Oops, I almost forgot, one more thing. I’m an action writer. My stories always have something going on and the characters do get into fights.

Well I think that’s it. So what do you think?