Reading Resources for Families and Caregivers
Federal Offices or Federally Funded Clearinghouses That Provide Information on Literacy and Learning
U.S. Department of Education (ED)
ACCESS ERIC
Toll Free: 1–800–LET–ERIC
http://www.eric.ed.gov/resources/parent/parent.html
Provides referrals to all ERIC clearinghouses. ERIC—the Educational Resources Information Center—is a national education information system supported by ED. ACCESS ERIC is the source for ERIC Parent Brochures series, including “How Can I Encourage My Young Child To Read?” Two ERIC Clearinghouses that deal specially with early childhood and literacy and language development are:
ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education and the National Parent Information Network (NPIN) at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (http://npin.org); and
ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication at Indiana University at Bloomington (http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec).
Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA)
University of Michigan School of Education
610 East University Avenue, Room 1600 SEB
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109–1259
Phone: 734–647–6940
http://www.ciera.org
CIERA is the national research and development center on early childhood reading. It is funded by ED. CIERA’s mission is to improve the reading achievement of America’s children by developing and offering solutions to persistent problems in the learning and teaching of beginning reading.
Even Start Family Literacy Program
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
400 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20202
Toll Free: 1–800–USA–LEARN
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE /CEP
Even Start provides support for family-centered education projects to help parents learn the literacy and parenting skills they need to help their young children reach their full potential as learners. It makes grants to local education agencies, community-based organizations, and other nonprofit organizations. To find out about programs in your state, contact your state department of education or your local school district office.
National Institute for Literacy (NIFL)
800 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20006
Toll Free: 1–800–228–8813
http://www.nifl.gov
Jointly administered by the Secretaries of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services, NIFL is an independent federal institute. The NIFL Hotline is available 24 hours a day to provide free referrals for potential students and volunteers to outstanding programs in their area. Also provides free copies of current publications on literacy.
National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20208
Phone: 202–219–1935
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/ECI/
Sponsors research that focuses on early childhood development and education, especially school readiness, child/adult relationships, and children’s resilience.
No Child Left Behind Parents Tool Box
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20202
Toll Free: 1–888–814–NCLB
http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/parents/index.html
Provides information of particular interest to parents about the No Child Left Behind legislation.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Early Head Start/Head Start Program
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children, Youth, and Families
Washington, DC 20202–0001
Phone: 202–205–8572 (or check directory for your regional HHS office)
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/hsb/
Head Start programs nationwide provide comprehensive services for 3- to 5-year-old children of low-income families. Grants are made to public school systems and nonprofit organizations to fund services covering education, health care, family involvement, and social services. Early Head Start programs—modeled after Head Start—provide services to low-income pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers. To find out about programs in your state, contact your state department of education or your local school district.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Clearinghouse
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
P.O. Box 3006
Rockville, MD 20847
Toll Free: 1–800–370–2943
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/publications.htm
Provides information about government-sponsored research on human development over the entire life span. Includes topics such as prenatal care, learning disabilities, AIDS, and mental retardation.
Private Organizations That Deal with Literacy and Reading
For information about adult and family literacy programs in your community, be sure to check at your local library. Other resources on literacy and reading include:
American Library Association (ALA)
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Toll Free: 1–800–545–2433, ext. 2163
http://www.ala.org/alsc/
ALA/ALSC sponsors “Born To Read,” a program that builds partnerships between librarians and health care professionals to reach out to new and expectant “at-risk” parents to help them raise children who are “born to read.” Publications and online resources include materials for parents, caregivers, and children.
International Reading Association (IRA)
800 Barksdale Road
P.O. Box 8139
Newark, DE 19714–8139
Phone: 302–731–1600
http://www.reading.org/
IRA is an organization of teachers, librarians, researchers, parents, and others dedicated to promoting high levels of literacy for all. Its Online Bookstore offers books, videos, and software for parents and caregivers.
Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA)
635 James Street
Syracuse, NY 13202–2214
Phone: 315–472–0001
http://literacyvolunteers.org
LVA sponsors more than 350 community programs nationwide that offer free literacy help to adults and their families.
National Center for Family Literacy
Waterfront Plaza, Suite 200
325 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202–4251
Toll Free (Parade Family Literacy InfoLine): 1–877–326–5481
http://www.famlit.org
Parade Family Literacy InfoLine provides referrals for family literacy programs at the local level. Accessible 24 hours a day; operators are available 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday–Friday.
Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF)
P.O. Box 23444
Washington, DC 20026
Toll Free: 1–877–RIF–READ
http://www.rif.org/
Develops and delivers children and family literacy programs that help prepare young children for reading and motivate school-age children to read. Trains literacy providers, parents, and others to prepare all children to become lifelong readers.
Resources If Your Child Has a Reading Problem or Learning Disability
Federal or Federally Funded Clearinghouses
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education
1920 Association Drive
Reston, VA 22091
Toll Free: 1–800–328–0272
http://www.ericec.org/
This clearinghouse provides research-based information on a variety of topics, including learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder (ADD), and behavior disorders.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Clearinghouse
Toll Free: 1–800–370–2943
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/publications.htm
See a complete description under “Federal Offices or Federally Funded Clearinghouses That Provide Information on Literacy and Learning.”
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
P.O. Box 1492
Washington, DC 20013–1492
Toll Free: 1–800–695–0285 (voice & TTY)
http://www.nichcy.org
This clearinghouse provides referrals and information on disabilities and related issues for families, educators, and others, with a focus on children and youth (birth to age 22). Funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education—the federal office that administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Other Awareness and Advocacy Organizations
Learning Disabilities Association of America
4156 Library Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15234
Toll Free: 1–888–300–6710
http://www.ldanatl.org
This is a nonprofit volunteer organization advocating for individuals with learning disabilities. The association has more than 60,000 members and 600 state and local affiliates nationwide.
National Center for Learning Disabilities
381 Park Avenue South, Suite 1401
New York, NY 10016
Toll Free: 1–888–575–7373
http://www.ld.org
This is a national nonprofit organization that is committed to improving the lives of those affected by learning disabilities. Provides materials designed to increase public awareness and understanding.
Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities
c/o Communications Consortium Media Center
1200 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005–1754
Phone: 202–326–8700
http://www.ldonline.org/ccldinfo/
This is a collaboration of leading national learning disability organizations dedicated to improving awareness and understanding about the nature of learning disabilities.
Federal Source of Materials for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20542
Phone: 202–707–5100
http://www.loc.gov/nls/
This is a free national library program of Braille and recorded materials for blind and physically handicapped children and adults.
Books for Parents
The following books are just a few of the many excellent books on reading with children. Check with your librarian for titles of more books and for children’s book lists.
Beaty, Janice J. Building Bridges with Multicultural Picture Books: For Children 3–5. Prentice–Hall, 1996. Contains a listing of selected multicultural picture books for young children. Includes activities to do with children that are based on the books listed.
Butler, Dorothy. Babies Need Books: Sharing the Joy of Books with Children from Birth to Six. Heinemann, 1998. Discusses the importance of reading to young children and gives summaries of books by age level.
Hall, Susan L., and Moats, Louisa C.Straight Talk about Reading: How Parents Can Make a Difference During the Early Years. NTC Publishing Group. 1998. Provides practical advice, games and activities, and lists of children’s books and resources that parents can use to help their children read.
Muse, Daphne (Ed.). The New Press Guide to Multicultural Resources for Young Readers. The New Press, 1997. Includes reviews of hundreds of children’s books from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Trelease, Jim. The Read-Aloud Handbook. Penguin, 2001. Discusses the importance of reading aloud to children. Includes a “Treasury of Read-Alouds”—hundreds of recommended books annotated by age and grade level.
Some Other Informative Web Sites for Parents and Caregivers
Children’s Software Revue:
http://www.childrenssoftware.com/
Family Education Network:
http://www.familyeducation.com
Kidsource:
http://www.kidsource.com
Parent Soup:
http://www.parentsoup.com
Resources for Children
Here’s a sampling of books, computer programs, and Web sites that you and your child can enjoy together. Check with your local librarian for more suggestions.
Babies
Brown, Margaret Wise. Goodnight Moon. Harper Collins, 1997. A little rabbit says goodnight to all the things in his room and, finally, to the Moon.
Johnson, Angela. Mama Bird, Baby Birds. Orchard, 1994. Joshua and his sister, two young African–American children, watch a mother bird feeding its babies.
Wells, Rosemary. Max’s Bedtime. Dial, 1998. Even though Max’s sister offers him her stuffed animals, he cannot sleep without his red rubber elephant.
Play Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Carle, Eric. The Very Busy Spider. Philomel, 1984. Farm animals try to keep a spider from spinning her web, but she doesn’t give up and she makes a beautiful and useful creation. Pictures may be felt as well as seen, making this a great book for visually impaired children.
Hill, Eric. Where’s Spot? Putnam, 1980. In an interactive lift-the-flap book, children help Spot’s mother, Sally, search the house to find him. This book has been translated into a number of languages, including a sign language version.
Kunhardt, Dorothy. Pat the Bunny. Golden Books, 1990. In this touch-and-feel book, Paul and Judy smell the flowers, feel Daddy’s scratchy face, look in the mirror, play peek-a-boo, and, of course, pat the bunny.
Lacome, Julie. Seashore. Candlewick, 1995. Small fingers can poke through the holes in the pages of this board book about the beach, and seem to change into fins, wings, or crawling legs.
Alphabet Books for Preschoolers–First-Graders
Kitamura, Satoshi. From Acorn to Zoo and Everything in Between in Alphabetical Order. Sunburst, 1995. Each page shows an assortment of things that begin with the same letter—all clearly labeled. For each page there is a question (and a clue) that can be answered only by looking carefully at the picture.
MacDonald, Suse. Alphabatics. Bradbury Press, 1986. The letters of the alphabet are transformed and placed in 26 illustrations so that the hole in b becomes a balloon and y turns into the head of a yak (an ox with long hair).
Rankin, Laura. The Handmade Alphabet. Puffin, 1996. This book presents the handshape for each letter of the manual alphabet (American Sign Language) accompanied by an object whose name begins with that letter.
Shannon, George. Tomorrow’s Alphabet. Mulberry Books, 1999. A is for seed—what's going on here? The seed is tomorrow’s Apple! An imaginative alphabet puzzle that encourages children to think and make predictions.
Shelby, Anne. Potluck. Orchard, 1991. A multicultural collection of friends having names starting with A–Z bring a variety of dishes to a potluck.
Wordless Picture Books for Preschoolers–First-Graders
Carle, Eric. Do You Want to Be My Friend? HarperCollins, 1995.A little mouse asks all kinds of animals, “Do you want to be my friend?”
dePaola, Tomie. Pancakes for Breakfast. Voyager Books, 1990. A little old lady’s attempts to have pancakes for breakfast are hindered by a lack of ingredients and the help of her pets.
Mayer, Mercer. A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog. Econo-Clad Books, 1999. A boy and a dog try unsuccessfully to catch a frog.
McCully, Emily. School. HarperTrophy, 1990. The eight oldest mice in a family prepare for the first day of school. After everyone leaves, and the house is too quiet, the youngest mouse decides to go discover what school is all about.
Wiesner, David. Tuesday. Clarion, 1991. One night a town is invaded by extraterrestrial frogs flying in on their lily pads.
Rhyming Books for Toddlers–Kindergartners
Christelow, Eileen. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. Clarion, 1989. This counting rhyme shows five little monkeys getting ready for bed and getting sidetracked by some serious bed-jumping.
Cole, Joanna, and Calmenson, Stephanie. Eentsy, Weensty Spider: Fingerplays and Action Rhymes. Morrow, 1991. This book, illustrated using children of diverse cultural backgrounds, includes fingerplays and action rhymes that have been chanted, sung, and loved by generations.
Dyer, Jane. Animal Crackers: A Delectable Collection of Pictures, Poems and Lullabies for the Very Young. Little, Brown, 1996. This picture book contains a collection of Mother Goose classics, modern poems, lullabies, and simple stories, many of which celebrate special times in a child’s first years.
Martin, Bill, Jr., and Archambault, John. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Simon & Schuster, 1989. The rhythmical story of letters of the alphabet climbing and falling from a coconut tree.
“Predictable” Books for Toddlers–First-Graders
Aardema, Verna. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain. Dutton, 1993. Told in verse, this is the story of how Ki-pat, a herder, makes it rain on the dry Kapiti Plain.
Hutchins, Pat. Rosie’s Walk. Macmillan, 1968. Rosie the hen goes for a walk and manages to avoid many attempts on her life by a predatory fox. Also available in Spanish.
Lowell, Susan. The Three Little Javelinas. Northland Pub., 1993. This southwestern tale, based on “The Three Little Pigs” and illustrated with Native American and Latino characters, is about three little javelinas as they try to outsmart the coyote who had hoped to eat them with red chili sauce.
Martin, Bill, Jr. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? Holt, 1996. What children see is a surprising cast of animals!
McNaughton, Colin. Suddenly! Harcourt Brace, 1995. Time after time, Preston the Pig outwits a hungry wolf that is trying to catch and eat him.
Multiple-Language Books for Preschoolers–First-Graders
Brown, Ruth. Alphabet Times Four: An International ABC. Dutton, 1991. Beginning with the letter A and ending with Z, this book offers a word that happens to begin with the same letter in four languages, English, Spanish, French, and German, accompanied by creatively bordered pictures.
Garza, Carmen Lomas. Family Pictures. Children’s Book Press, 1990. In this bilingual text (Spanish and English), a young girl remembers her day-to-day family life while growing up in Texas in a Mexican–American culture.
Hirschi, Ron. Seya’s Song. Sasquatch Books, 1992. A young S’Klallam girl follows the seasons of the salmon, interweaving aspects of the life and culture of her Pacific Coast tribe and using words from her native language.
Lee, Huy Voun. In the Park. Henry Holt & Co, Inc., 1998. Xiao Ming and his mother go to the park, where they see a variety of people of different cultures, ages, and disabilities. At the park, his mother teaches him how to draw and pronounce some Chinese characters.
Rattigan, Jama Kim. Dumpling Soup. Little, Brown, 1993. Marisa, a 7-year-old girl who lives in Hawaii, explains the traditions her family celebrates at the New Year. Hawaiian, Japanese, and Korean words and phrases add to the English text.
Stock, Catherine. Where Are You Going Manyoni? Morrow, 1993. Manyoni lives in Zimbabwe and on her way to school she passes many beautiful areas, wild animals, and birds. The book includes a picture glossary of wildlife and a key to pronouncing African words.
Beginning Readers
Eastman, P. D. Go, Dog. Go! Random House, 1989. Big dogs, little dogs—black, white, yellow, and blue dogs—they are all very busy going places and doing things.
Krauss, Ruth. The Carrot Seed. Harper Collins, 1973. A little boy knows a carrot will grow from the seed that he planted no matter what anyone else may say or think.
Early Read-Aloud Chapter Books for Preschoolers–First-Graders
Cameron, Ann. The Stories Julian Tells. Knopf, 1981. Julian tells great stories, He can make people, especially his younger brother Huey, believe almost anything, which sometimes leads to lots of trouble.
Milne, A. A. The House at Pooh Corner. Dutton, 1991. The book is about the timeless adventures of Pooh, Piglet, Christopher Robin, Owl, Tigger, and Eeyore in the Hundred-Acre Woods.
Children’s Magazines
Babybug
P.O. Box 9304
LaSalle, IL 61301–9897
(http://www.babybugmag.com)
Board-book magazine with illustrated rhymes and stories for parents to read with children. (Ages 6 months–2 years)
Click!
P.O. Box 9304
LaSalle, IL 61301–9897
(http://www.clickmag.com)
Contains science and social studies stories, both informational and fiction. (Ages 5–6)
Sesame Street Magazine
Children’s Television Workshop
One Lincoln Plaza
New York, NY 10023
(http://www.ctw.org/sesame/
or http://www2.cdsfulfillment.com/SST/subscriptions.cgi)
Sesame Street characters are featured in stories, poems, puzzles, posters and more. (Ages 2–6 years)
Your Big Back Yard
National Wildlife Federation
8925 Leesburg Pike
Vienna, VA 22184
(http://www.nwf.org/ybby/)
Includes stories, poems, riddles, and games, with color pictures of animals. Simple text designed to encourage early reading. (Ages 3–6 years)
Computer Programs
Living Books: Interactive Animated Stories
(Ages 3–7)
These programs provide a place for children to hear a story, read along with the narrator, or read by themselves. They also can interact with characters and objects and play games that teach the alphabet, simple words, rhyming, and other reading skills. Each program also comes with the matching book. Some examples of titles:
Just Grandma and Me
The Cat and the Hat
Arthur’s Birthday
Dr. Seuss’s ABC
Many include versions in Spanish, French, and German along with the English text.
For more information, contact:
Broderbund Software, Inc.
Toll Free: 1–800–567–2610
http://www.broderbund.com/
Bailey’s Book House
(Ages 2–5)
This software features Bailey and his friends as they encourage young children to build literacy skills and develop a love for reading. It includes activities to help youngsters explore letters, words, sentences, rhyming, and stories. No reading skills are required; all directions are spoken.
Let’s Go Read! An Island Adventure
(Ages 4–7)
Children join Robby Raccoon and his friends in their adventures on an island inhabited by the alphabet. Included are activities to help children learn reading basics such as letter sounds and how to sound out and build simple words. Children can command the computer with their voices and record and listen to themselves reading.
For more information, including Spanish titles and a catalog for children with special needs, contact:
Riverdeep
Toll Free: 1–800–362–2890
http://www.riverdeep.net/edmark/
Young Children and the Internet: Places to Learn and Play
Arthur: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/arthur/
Barney: http://www.barneyonline.com
Disney: http://disney.go.com/park/bases/familybase/today/
Dr. Seuss’s Seussville: http://www.randomhouse.com/seussville/university/
PBS Homepage: http://www.pbs.org/kids/
Children’s Television Workshop: http://www.ctw.org
Smithsonian Institution–National Zoo: http://www.si.edu/natzoo/
Bibliography
Adams, Marilyn J., Foorman, Barbara R., Lundberg, Ingvar, & Beeler, Terri. (1997). Phonemic Awareness in Young Children: A Classroom Curriculum. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Armbruster, Bonnie B., Lehr, Fran, and Osborn, Jean. (2001). Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read. Kindergarten Through Grade 3. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy (available online at www.nifl.gov)
Burns, M. Susan, Griffin, Peg, and Snow, Catherine E. (Eds.) (1999). Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children’s Reading Success. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Clay, Marie M. (1979). The Early Detection of Reading Difficulties (3rd Ed.). Auckland, New Zealand: Heinemann.
Dickinson, David K., and Tabors, Patton O. (2001). Beginning Literacy with Language: Young Children Learning at Home and School. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Hart, Betty, and Risley, Todd R. (1995). Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Hannon, Peter. (1995). Literacy, Home, and School: Research and Practice in Teaching Literacy with Parents. London, England: Falmer Press.
Hiebert, Elfrieda H., and Raphael, Taffy E. (1998). Early Literacy Instruction. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
International Reading Association (IRA) and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (1998). Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children—A Joint Position Statement of the IRA and NAEYC. Washington, DC.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (1996). Technology and Young Children Ages 3 Through 8—An NAEYC Position Statement. Washington, DC.
National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Neuman, Susan B., Copple, Carol, and Bredekamp, Sue. (2000). Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Snow, Catherine E., Burns, M. Susan, and Griffin, Peg (Eds.). (1998). Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Notes: A good private English tutor will be able to give you feedback on your reading skills and give expert tuition on English vocabulary and grammar.Adapted from U.S. Department of Education
Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs
Helping Your Child Become a Reader
Washington, D.C., 20202
