by Lisa Ripperton
June 6, 2019
Parents, they say, have it in their power to give their baby the gift of words. And they can do that, not just by reading to him, but by engaging in conversation with him, hour after hour and day after day.
Wonder why you should read to your baby?
Here are ten benefits the authors list for reading aloud to your baby from day one:
Setting the stage for reading aloud to an infant
The authors make a number of helpful suggestions for getting started with reading aloud to an infant, including casting aside the notion that books must be read from start to finish, with no omissions and no interruptions!
Specific suggestions on how to proceed
What distinguishes Every Word Counts from other titles about books for young children is that for each of the ten or more books recommended for each stage, there are helpful tips for using the books, including what to talk about.
Other information in each of the stage chapters
Each stage chapter begins with a lengthy descriptive snapshot of a child in that stage. Then follows a catalog of expected developmental milestones: their listening abilities, their ways of vocalizing, their visual capacities, as well as their ability to move in various ways
Frequently asked questions
A whole chapter is devoted to frequently asked questions. Discussion of challenges that arise while reading aloud continues. Some examples of reading aloud with special needs children are offered. But the greater part of the chapter is devoted to two topics: how to handle TV and other screen media, and what to do if more than one language is spoken in the home. With this last topic, all sorts of situations are considered: what to do when parents speak different languages, what to do when the language used at home is different from the language used at school, what to do when the caregiver speaks a different language than the one used in the home, and so on. The answers the authors provide are grounded in research, and seem both sensible and practical.
The Takeaway
Jim Trelease, author of the million-copy bestseller The Read-Aloud Handbook, says of Every Word Counts: “If I were in charge of American parents, my first law would be that all new parents had to read (or listen) to this book. It’s not only soundly researched, but also filled with practical strategies that any parent can use.”
I concur wholeheartedly. In fact, I am going to make it a practice to give it as a shower gift to all expectant parents in my neighborhood, along with a basket of read-alouds recommended for the early months.
How about you?
Will you join me in putting a copy of Every Word Counts into the hands of as many prospective parents as possible? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Purchase Books at Amazon
The Eskimo Twinsby Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Dutch Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Japanese Twinsby Lucy Fitch Perkins
Read Online
- Read Seed Babies at Gateway to the Classics
- Read The Dutch Twins at Gateway to the Classics
- Read The Japanese Twins at Gateway to the Classics
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Get access to the ebook editions of The Eskimo Twins, The Dutch Twins, and The Japanese Twins by purchasing the Yesterday’s Classics Ebook Treasury, Volume 1