This illustrated, rhyming book for beginning readers helps preschoolers develop language skills.
In the first part of this book for emergent readers, friendly animals—a dog, sheep, and mouse—demonstrate the fun things that can be done with balls of various kinds. Balls can be big or small, bounce or roll, go up or down, make different noises, and so on. Animals juggle balls, play basketball, baseball, tennis, and other ball games. They go to the beach and the Ball House Café (with specials like “Matzo Ball Soup”). Children are invited to spell the word “ball” and to write it, whisper it, and shout it. Finally, the book suggests, you could grab a ball and play with a friend. Cheerful, colorful homemade-looking drawings help illustrate the concepts. Scanlon (My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development, 2012), a certified and licensed pediatric speech-language pathologist, asks parents to read the 17-page guide for parents before sitting down to read the book to children. The guide offers seven steps to success—e.g., “Focus on One Skill at a Time” or “Go on a Picture Walk”—while three action guides (on oral language, phonological awareness, and print awareness) offer examples, strategies, and exercises for enhancing reading readiness. Oral language, Scanlon says, can be improved through using an appropriate reading style (describer- or performance-oriented), making connections, providing synonyms and antonyms (examples are listed), and having children tell stories. Phonological awareness is also developed through attention to word sounds, such as rhyming and alliteration. To develop print awareness, parents can use strategies like following words with a finger while reading out loud and asking children why some words are bigger or colored a certain way. Also, several pages have blank spots for children to fill in information such as hometown or street address. All this may seem like overkill for a very simple book, but parents of children with language delays or anyone interested in language development will find this guide thorough and useful.
An amusing, educational book for kids and a helpful resource for parents.
Pub Date: April 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1505343205
Page Count: 48
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
This guide to Black culture for White people is accessible but rarely easy.
A former NFL player casts his gimlet eye on American race relations.
In his first book, Acho, an analyst for Fox Sports who grew up in Dallas as the son of Nigerian immigrants, addresses White readers who have sent him questions about Black history and culture. “My childhood,” he writes, “was one big study abroad in white culture—followed by studying abroad in black culture during college and then during my years in the NFL, which I spent on teams with 80-90 percent black players, each of whom had his own experience of being a person of color in America. Now, I’m fluent in both cultures: black and white.” While the author avoids condescending to readers who already acknowledge their White privilege or understand why it’s unacceptable to use the N-word, he’s also attuned to the sensitive nature of the topic. As such, he has created “a place where questions you may have been afraid to ask get answered.” Acho has a deft touch and a historian’s knack for marshaling facts. He packs a lot into his concise narrative, from an incisive historical breakdown of American racial unrest and violence to the ways of cultural appropriation: Your friend respecting and appreciating Black arts and culture? OK. Kim Kardashian showing off her braids and attributing her sense of style to Bo Derek? Not so much. Within larger chapters, the text, which originated with the author’s online video series with the same title, is neatly organized under helpful headings: “Let’s rewind,” “Let’s get uncomfortable,” “Talk it, walk it.” Acho can be funny, but that’s not his goal—nor is he pedaling gotcha zingers or pleas for headlines. The author delivers exactly what he promises in the title, tackling difficult topics with the depth of an engaged cultural thinker and the style of an experienced wordsmith. Throughout, Acho is a friendly guide, seeking to sow understanding even if it means risking just a little discord.
This guide to Black culture for White people is accessible but rarely easy.Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-80046-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Essential guidance on proactively navigating the challenges of gender-diverse student bodies.
A comprehensive look at gender-diverse youth in the classroom.
As the transgender student population continues to become more widely visible, navigation tools have become critical for educators and parents alike, notes Key, a veteran gender diversity educator. While written with parents of trans+ children in mind, the book is primarily directed at teachers, administrators, and school staff who directly impact students’ lives on a daily basis. Key shows readers what is involved when a child considers a gender transition process, and he confronts the challenges of gender inclusion, which may be a new topic for some readers. Particularly striking are the stories from parents of trans+ students who are managing the stages of their own apprehension alongside those of their child. Key incorporates learning points on gender vernacular and fighting community stigmatization. Personal anecdotes and timely discussions from school educators complement instructive illustrations and Q&A sections that answer sensitive questions regarding sports participation, bathroom choices, and changing areas. In an encouraging, consistently positive manner, Key addresses the overt political and/or cultural resistance that proliferates within heated debates and public forum discussions, and he asserts that accurate information is the best way to educate and collaborate. He stresses the importance of delivering practical, real-world discussion tools and assistance to parents and educators of trans+ children, who often find themselves without resources, advice, answers, or support to fortify what can often be an overwhelmingly complex experience. Key’s checklists of suggestions successfully bridge the gap between trans+ kids, adults, and school educators with strategically supportive approaches and behaviors. Authoritative yet written in pleasant, straightforward language, this book is an invaluable resource for understanding what it clearly means (and doesn’t mean) to be transgender while ensuring that every student has access to an optimal learning environment free from discrimination.
Essential guidance on proactively navigating the challenges of gender-diverse student bodies.Pub Date: June 27, 2023
ISBN: 9780190886547
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
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