Peep Peep

Story Time with Sam E Circle... sit back and relax and enjoy the first Peep Peep book-- "Peep Peep Comes Home".

Peep Peep Quack Quack.mov

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Enjoy "Peep Peep, Quack Quack"-- a rap courtesy of Lunchpail Books
http://www.lunchpailbooks.com

Small Words are Better-- Lunchpail Books!

Have you visited our YouTube Channel?  Check it out and let me know what you think!
Thanks,
Johnnie Lunchpail
http://www.lunchpailbooks.com

Toast on my Tie

Children as Teachers!
Lunchpail Books
Being a parent can be a humbling experience… the special spirits that are under  your care and stewardship change your life forever.  Not only do you learn to let go of your natural selfishness- you learn to be humble.  One time years ago, when the kids were very young– I headed off to work early in the morning, giving hugs and heading out the door.   Half-way through the day someone pointed out something stuck to my tie.   And there it was, a small piece of toast– solidly affixed to my neck-tie via peanut butter and jelly.  It must have been transferred to me via a morning hug.  It was stuck there just like a tie-tack… about 1/2 inch square.  At first, I was horrified– all those meetings I went to, all those folks I interacted that never said a word.   Did they think toast was a fashion statement?  After the horror subsided, I removed the toast, wiped down my tie and laughed to myself… I realized then how lucky I was to express such a fashion statement… it said “Loving Dad”.   Kids are grown now, so I have to put my own toast on.

Here are some lessons that kids have taught us:

Great Truths About Life That Little Children Have Learned

• No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats.
• When your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair.
• If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person.
• Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
• You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.
• Reading what people write on desks can teach you a lot.
• Don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
• Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a tic tac.
• Never hold a dustbuster and a cat at the same time.
• School lunches stick to the wall.
• You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
• Don’t wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
• The best place to be when you are sad is in Grandma’s lap.

Very Bizarre Children's Book Titles

Another installment of “You have got to be kidding” book titles.  Yes, they are real.  There are so many great children’s book authors out there longing to be published.  It stings to know that these books have actually been published.   I found some that were in such bad taste as note appropriate for our blog.

Here are some of the bizzaros…

[Not on my top 10 fears—Interesting toilet paper holder.]

[Wow—even bilingual!  I love adolescent humor, but even for me, this pushes the line…what do you think?]

 

[Potty for dummies? Do we really need instruction for this?]

[What constitutes funny places—I’m at the age where hair is growing out my ears, but it is not what I would call a “funny place”]

Well, that’s it for now… more later.

Do you have any captions or comments to add to these book covers?  Would love to hear your comments!

Regards,

Johnnie

Children's Books in Multiple Languages

New book available at Lunchpail Books: (available in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Mandarin)

“Peep Peep Finds a Friend”

The child in all of us notices the superficial differences in everything around us; but from the standpoint of innocence-- diversity is neither good nor bad—we are just different.  Peep Peep’s new friend Gua Gua captures that diversity that draws us together, not apart.   Aren’t we more alike than we originally thought?  “Gua Gua” by the way is the sound ducks make in China.

“Peep Peep the duckling

Tries hard to obey,

But it is not easy

To be good all day.”

Don’t we all have trouble being good all day!

Peep Peep is the precocious duckling who stars in “Peep Peep Comes Home” and “Peep Peep Takes a Walk”.  This time while feeling a little bored meets an unusual looking duck named Gua Gua.  Peep Peep eggs Gua Gua along and before they realize it they are in the midst of another adventure.  Adventures when shared, bond acquaintances into friends. 

Not familiar with Lunchpail Books?  Lunchpail Books, specializes in early reader books….hmmm that doesn’t help—

What is an Early or Easy Reader Book?

Easy Readers are relatively new.  They really started in 1957 with The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel).  Before then illustrated books were mostly read-aloud stories designed to be read to children by adults or perhaps older children.  The Cat in the Hat was written with a controlled vocabulary limited to the 220-word Dolch vocabulary list.  This was ideal for the beginner reader.  This is what made Dr. Seuss so special and fun to read.  A trip to the bookstore or anywhere that is selling children’s books, you will still find a plethora of titles by the late author.  Very few other books offer such compelling story telling with such a controlled vocabulary

Lunchpail Books continues the tradition of fun, exciting easy reader books utilizing the same controlled or restrictive vocabulary.   Each book is careful crafted inside and out to provide children with sound foundation in independent reading.  We highly recommend that you start with the “Peep Peep” series and watch your early reader get excited about reading!

We are also pleased to announce that in keeping with the theme of diversity… we will be offering “Peep Peep Finds a Friend” in English, Spanish, French and Chinese…  Here Is a sample:

Peep Peep the duckling

Tries hard to obey,

But it is not easy

To be good all day.

小鸭很努力,

努力學乖乖。

乖乖不容易,

何況是整天。

Peep Peep la canette

Essaie de bien écouter.

Mais ce n’est pas facile

D’obéir toute la journée.

Reading- Building Hooks

We all know that reading and reading comprehension are paramount to success in our country or really anywhere in the world.   I was surprised to find out that my homeland (USA) ranks 21^st in literacy rates around the world.  We are behind Slovenia, Kazakhstan (wasn’t that where Borat came from?), Turkmenistan and Albania… just to name a few.  About 14% of Americans are functionally illiterate.

What’s going on?

I don’t really have a good answer, but think about this a lot.  I have talked with some illiterate folks and politely probed into what happened… most respond that they should have paid more attention in school, or in some cases did not do well in school so dropped out.  The surprising thing to me is that some of these folks actually graduated from high school!   I know my observations are strictly anecdotal, but I would not be surprised if this was a common thread.

Reading is indeed basic, but it is much more than just reading and understanding the words around you.  Reading and learning in general changes your brain:  I like to think of it like creating “hooks” that ideas, facts and thoughts can hang on to.   I used to be a professor and found that some of our older returning students really struggled with their first class back in school.  I would encourage them, having experienced the same feeling when I went back to school.  I believe that our “hooks” get rusty.  However, I found and many of these students also found that it got much easier as time went on.  I also believe that the original “hooks” were grown there from earlier learning experiences, mostly through reading.

Some children struggle with reading… I was one of them.   Reading was hard.   I could recognize words pretty well… but to sit down and enjoy reading…never!   Perhaps today, I would have been diagnosed with ADD, but I don’t know for sure.  I can tell you that I fumbled my way through reading time, often feeling traumatized in our reading groups.  However, I really loved Dr. Seuss.  Sadly, I was still reading and enjoying Dr. Seuss well past the target reading group… I think I was still popping out the “Dr. Seuss Sleep Book” or “If I Ran the Zoo” well into 5^th grade.   I enjoyed them… fanciful, rhythmic, easy!

I think I am still a slow reader, but can “sprint” when I need to—just not for long periods of time… I can scan a page in a few seconds, but to sit down and read through “Harry Potter” doesn’t appeal to me.  Consequently, I read principally non-fiction; and have learned a lot.  In spite of my challenges, I am passionate about reading the fundamental skill for life- long success… no matter where you live.

Now, I have turned the tables and am an author… not of novels, but children’s books.   I am trying my best to capture the fun that I did find in the books I read as a child… the silliness, the rhyme the rhythm. So, I have created Lunchpail Books.   I designed them for readers like me… it’s got to be fun… I want to be anxious to turn the page.

So, how do we improve literacy?

Encourage your child to read… have books in your house!  The library is great—but owning a book and being able to pull it out anytime, is a treat!  I have raised a bunch of kids… and I spent lots of time teaching them to read.   I am very proud that every one of them reads better than me.  Their minds have been expanded and their “hooks” are in place.

I have spent considerable time and effort bringing you high quality books that are designed for the beginner reader. The world of children’s books is quite competitive- so what makes us stand out?  Like the great Seuss, we use a very controlled vocabulary… this makes it easier for the young reader to read the words on their own.   Many other children’s books although delightful and more artfully illustrated—fail to use words appropriate for the early reader.  

Also, we have taken this one step farther, by including translations in Spanish, French, Italian, and even Chinese… written with the same careful vocabulary, rhythm and rhyme.  Take a look at our multiple languages.

To make book ownership, even more special we are offering personalization.   You can personalize each book with a message directed at him or her.  Think how special it will be for them to see their name in print!

See what you think… check it out and let me know!

http://www.lunchpailbooks.com

Key Is To Build Reading Activity Into Routine

Parents are continuously urged to have their children read or be read to… through out the year.  Now that summer is upon us, can we work reading into our “busy” schedules? 

Children who maintain their reading skills or younger ones who are read to on a daily basis will be on target for back-to-school or back-to-regular routines in the fall. Those who don't typically have to pay catch-up in the classroom, which can set the stage for a challenging year.

Do you have a reading routine?  Is there a set time each day to read?  Do your children see you read?  Some of us don’t necessarily run a tight schedule, and reading (which can appear boring) often gets left off the “to-do” list.  So how do we jump the boring hurdle?  Is it like eating your spinach?  Making your bed… let’s put some spark into reading.

The key is to make reading an event!  Make it special in some way… something to look forward to!  Here are some suggestions I found in About.com

Take advantage of weather by dangling the reading carrot in fun ways. Be adventurous and make it a game as to where you should read to your child and how. In warm weather, read next to a pond or lake, under a tree, by the pool, or even in the tree house. Be bold and carefree. One mother reads to her young child in their blow-up children's pool in the backyard during the summer months. Another mom finishes the much-anticipated daily trip to the park in the spring or fall by reading a book before they leave. Cold months can mix reading activities by having books about snowmen, snowfalls, winter holidays, or sports such as ice-skating. Day care centers or child providers can add reading fun into the mix by tying it into a planned activity for the week. If the theme for the week is "Under the Sea," then the books can be about the ocean or fish.

Consider a reading series. There are countless book series tailor made for your child's age, and a good experience with one means there is a high likelihood your child will enjoy others about the same characters. There are series on action heroes and princesses, popular characters such as Bob the Builder, the classic Dr. Seuss collection, and about young heroes and heroines. There are series about beginning school for the first time or about going on vacation. Older children like series such as Harry Potter.

Build reading into the schedule. Parents and child providers can and should build a reading activity into the daily schedule. While evening or before-bedtime are popular times to read, reading after breakfast or before children go to an activity, sets a routine that most children embrace. Providers can set a daily story time and let parents know what book is being read and how it matches enrichment and learning activities for the week.

Plan ahead with exciting books on vacation. Vacation is a prime time for reading enjoyment, when family is together and fun is in the plans. Reading is a great activity for around the pool or in the hotel room in the evening.

Build a reading activity into life's planning. Children of all ages should learn the connection between reading and knowledge. If your family is adding a flowerbed, have children read about how to prepare a bed and what flowers and shrubs are optimal for the area of the country and whether it is in sun or shade. Getting a new family pet? Read up on varieties of dogs, care required, and even stories about children and their pets first. Traveling somewhere? You guessed it, read all about your destination first and you and your children will have the added benefit of knowing more about the area when you arrive.

Involve the entire family. Studies show that moms have the tendency to read more to their children then dads, robbing both children and fathers of positive reading experiences. Make reading time with dad or grandpa a priority. Dads read books aloud with children differently then moms do, and children will flourish with the perspective and experience of both.

Ask for your child's feedback. Evaluation and discussion is an important part of a positive book-reading experience. Ask your child simple questions, such as: Did you like the book? Why or why not? Who was your favorite character? What was your favorite scene? Did you like how it ended? Would you like to read it again someday? Don't be surprised if your child wants to re-read the same book again! That means you did your job well and helped foster a love of reading.

Also, don’t forget to get the right book.  Find something with age appropriate vocabulary that a child we feel proud to know that they can read the book all by their selves.  There are many sources to find such books.   You may wish to star with Lunchpail Books, which promises books that are both fun and easy to read. 

You Tube Channel

Lunchpail Books is pleased to announce its official YouTube Channel.   Take a view at...

http://www.youtube.com/user/LunchpailBooks

Make sure you check out story time by SamECircle (Peep Peep).

Do You Love Pickles?

What do you love about pickles?

Here are some types...

Types of Pickles

• Fresh-pack (or quick process) pickles are cured for several hours in a vinegar solution or are immediately combined with hot vinegar, spices, and seasonings. Examples include dills, bread-and-butter pickles and pickled beets. Quick Process is what these instructions (below on this page) show. 

Other types are:

• Fermented pickles are vegetables soaked in a brine solution for 4 to 6 weeks. During this time, lactic acid bacteria, naturally present on the surface of vegetables, grows. Other microbes are inhibited by salt. The color of the vegetables changes from bright green to olive/yellow-green, and the white interior becomes translucent. Examples include dill pickles and sauerkraut. See this page, if you'd rather make fermented pickles.
• Refrigerated dills are cucumbers marinated for 1 day to 1 week in a salt and spice brine (in the fridge) and then stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. No canning is required! See this page for refrigerated dill pickle directions!
• Fruit pickles are whole or sliced fruit simmered in a spicy, sweet-sour syrup. Examples include spiced peaches and crabapples. See this page for directions to make spiced peaches!
• Relishes are made from chopped fruits or vegetables that are cooked to a desired consistency in a spicy vinegar solution. Examples include corn relish and horseradish. See this page for cucumber pickle relish directions!
• NEW! Low salt / reduced salt dill pickles

What do you love about pickles?

Lunchpail Books, new book: "I Love Pickles" coming soon...  what happens if you love pickles too much... read along sing along with Lunchpail Books

You Tube Channel

Lunchpail Books is excited to launch our YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/LunchpailBooks

Let us know what you think-- would love to have some feedback to make it better.

Thanks!!
Johnnie

More on Where Stories Come From

On a previous blog, I shared a personal story that still makes me laugh.  However, the fabric of our lives is woven of tougher thread.   Our lives are a beautiful mix of tragedy and comedy.   Where we focus our mental and emotional energies has a profound impact on the way we perceive life in general.  We are here to learn, and it never hurts to ask ourselves “what did I learn from that experience”.

Here is an example from my life….

Date August 9, 1991:

Just celebrating my youngest son, Seth’s 8^th birthday. ..  We had just got home and were sitting around the table, and I was busy serving cake and ice cream.   Suddenly, there was a strange sound—sort of a rumbling.  As we lived out in the country, my first inclination was that a truck must be coming along our gravel lane.  Looked out the front… no truck.   Still carrying a plate with cake and ice cream, I casually looked out the back and same a little smoke.   My first assumption was that our neighbors were burning some leaves… but the rumbling still persisted.   It seemed to be coming from the garage.   I zipped over to the door into the garage and to my horror; the garage (with two cars) was in flames –floor to ceiling!

Got the family out the back and directly past the flaming garage just before the gasoline in one of the cars exploded shooting a fireball a hundred feet scorching the top of a nearby elm tree.   We watched in horror and disbelief as our house was engulfed in flames.  Fortunately a neighbor called the fire department (volunteer)… they were quite speedy, but I can tell you it seemed like an eternity as we watched this gas-fed fire start at one end of the house and rapidly burn it way across.   There we all stood, the kids frightened and shocked and me standing there barefoot on the gravel road.   The house burned for hours and the next day it was still smoldering.   It was a complete loss… nearly down to just the foundation.   Everything was lost…. Toys, pictures, albums, keepsakes, everything!   It was a tough time for all of us.   Now and then we would stop and just cry… that emotion needed to be released.  The youngest (Temple) was only 3 at the time.   She doesn’t have much recollection of the event.  At the time her favorite toy was one of those plastic Fisher-Price kitchen sets.  I took her back to her room to help understand.   I asked her… where is your kitchen?   She replied matter of factly, “It burned up.”   Where are your toys?  “They burned up” was her reply.  She did not seem to be upset. 

Perhaps she was just too young to comprehend what this all meant… or perhaps she knew what was really important.  We were all safe!  We made it out of a burning/exploding house… all safe.  We only had the close on our back—I didn’t even have shoes… but we were all safe.   Stuff is stuff.

I always knew that… it is just stuff…family is most important.  Deep down, I knew this, but to experience it was profound.   In Viktor Frankl’s books “Man’s Search for Meaning”, he discusses the meaning of life.  One way he writes, “… is to experience a value.”  This changed my life forever.   I am certain it did for the children as well… all six of them!  In different ways—Most of them still live a Spartan existence… not a lot of stuff accumulation, but comfortably.

There is much much more to the story, but for now this will suffice… experiencing a value does lead to the discovery of the meaning of life.

If you have had a life altering experience… please feel free to share it in the comment section.  Would love to publish them here.

--Johnnie
www.lunchpailbooks.com

 

Peep Peep on YouTube

A fun video trailer for the "Peep Peep" adventures put to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."  Let me know what you think!

Peep Peep ... quack quack

 Peep Peep's first rap video...

Peep Peep quack quack

Where Do Stories Come From?

I was recently asked what inspires me to write... specifically where do stories come from?
For me they come from all over!  Sometimes, it is just imagination—such as “What would happened if I ate too many pickles?”  Often though, ideas come from those little (or big) life experiences.  As a parent of a large family there was never a shortage of events… some comedic, others tragic… some superficial and others life altering.  Taking one step back and examining the story (event) can give you insights into the human condition or simply make you laugh.  Both types weave the fabric that makes life interesting… I cherish both (tragic and comedic); but I can tell you—those moments that made us laugh are the ones we seem to relay over and over again.
Sometimes I found it a challenge not to laugh!   Here’s what I mean:
When my #2 son Noah was about 6 years old he created a complete family out of balloons.   He hand decorated them with markers, cotton and a collection of taped on accessories.   He made a little balloon replica of each family member and decided to take them for a ride in his little red wagon.  So, he loaded them up and headed outside.  It was a blustery day that morning in Arizona as Noah proudly pulled his balloon “family” outside.  A gust arrived and his “family” became airborne leaving him standing in the backyard devastated, as he watched them quickly drift over the fence.
Undaunted, Noah set to recreating his little family... this time however, he carefully taped the family members to the bottom of the wagon.  He was so excited to show me his creation—he ran to get me as soon as I walked into the door.  He ran to the backyard to proudly show off his little family taped securely to the wagon.  At that moment another gust came, but this time the balloon stayed put.  Unfortunately, a large tumbleweed came flying over the neighbor’s fence landing directly on the red wagon and sadly Noah’s balloon family!  For those who may not be well acquainted with tumbleweeds: They are round, aerodynamic and full of tiny thorns.  “Pop, pop, pop” balloons decimated.
Noah was in tears and needed comforting… I have to confess, that I found it very difficult to hold back the laughter.  I tried very hard to keep a straight-face and look sympathetic to his loss.  Biting my lip, I tried my best… but the overall humor of the situation for me was unbearable and a burst of laughter just popped right out….bad parent!
Well, Noah survived; in fact he just graduated from law school.   I wonder if you can sue tumbleweeds?
[Note: to learn more about the inspiration of some of my stories check out Lunchpail Books for more information]

Build Reading Activity Into an Event

Parents are continuously urged to have their children read or be read to… through out the year.  Now that summer is upon us, can we work reading into our “busy” schedules?

Children who maintain their reading skills or younger ones who are read to on a daily basis will be on target for back-to-school or back-to-regular routines in the fall. Those who don't typically have to pay catch-up in the classroom, which can set the stage for a challenging year.

Do you have a reading routine?  Is there a set time each day to read?  Do your children see you read?  Some of us don’t necessarily run a tight schedule, and reading (which can appear boring) often gets left off the “to-do” list.  So how do we jump the boring hurdle?  Is it like eating your spinach?  Making your bed… let’s put some spark into reading.

The key is to make reading an event!  Make it special in some way… something to look forward to!  Here are some suggestions I found in About.com

Take advantage of weather by dangling the reading carrot in fun ways. Be adventurous and make it a game as to where you should read to your child and how. In warm weather, read next to a pond or lake, under a tree, by the pool, or even in the tree house. Be bold and carefree. One mother reads to her young child in their blow-up children's pool in the backyard during the summer months. Another mom finishes the much-anticipated daily trip to the park in the spring or fall by reading a book before they leave. Cold months can mix reading activities by having books about snowmen, snowfalls, winter holidays, or sports such as ice-skating. Day care centers or child providers can add reading fun into the mix by tying it into a planned activity for the week. If the theme for the week is "Under the Sea," then the books can be about the ocean or fish.

Consider a reading series. There are countless book series tailor made for your child's age, and a good experience with one means there is a high likelihood your child will enjoy others about the same characters. There are series on action heroes and princesses, popular characters such as Bob the Builder, the classic Dr. Seuss collection, and about young heroes and heroines. There are series about beginning school for the first time or about going on vacation. Older children like series such as Harry Potter.

Build reading into the schedule. Parents and child providers can and should build a reading activity into the daily schedule. While evening or before-bedtime are popular times to read, reading after breakfast or before children go to an activity, sets a routine that most children embrace. Providers can set a daily story time and let parents know what book is being read and how it matches enrichment and learning activities for the week.

Plan ahead with exciting books on vacation. Vacation is a prime time for reading enjoyment, when family is together and fun is in the plans. Reading is a great activity for around the pool or in the hotel room in the evening.

Build a reading activity into life's planning. Children of all ages should learn the connection between reading and knowledge. If your family is adding a flowerbed, have children read about how to prepare a bed and what flowers and shrubs are optimal for the area of the country and whether it is in sun or shade. Getting a new family pet? Read up on varieties of dogs, care required, and even stories about children and their pets first. Traveling somewhere? You guessed it, read all about your destination first and you and your children will have the added benefit of knowing more about the area when you arrive.

Involve the entire family. Studies show that moms have the tendency to read more to their children then dads, robbing both children and fathers of positive reading experiences. Make reading time with dad or grandpa a priority. Dads read books aloud with children differently then moms do, and children will flourish with the perspective and experience of both.

Ask for your child's feedback. Evaluation and discussion is an important part of a positive book-reading experience. Ask your child simple questions, such as: Did you like the book? Why or why not? Who was your favorite character? What was your favorite scene? Did you like how it ended? Would you like to read it again someday? Don't be surprised if your child wants to re-read the same book again! That means you did your job well and helped foster a love of reading.

Also, don’t forget to get the right book.  Find something with age appropriate vocabulary that a child we feel proud to know that they can read the book all by their selves.  There are many sources to find such books.   You may wish to star with Lunchpail Books, which promises books that are both fun and easy to read. 

Diversity and Ziblets

As a follow up to the diversity blog, found an interesting related study. 
The original article was called:
Childlike wonder good for memory

In a study conducted by Ohio State University researchers, adults had better recall of pictures of imaginary bugs than familiar animals like cats. Why? When we categorize people and objects, it lowers our ability to remember individual differences between them. In the first experiment, adults and children were shown pictures of animals such as cats, bears, and birds, and later asked to identify which pictures they had seen before. The younger the child, the better he or she did. In a second experiment, the real animals were swapped for imaginary creatures. From OSU Research News:

...In this new experiment, adults were shown three different types of imaginary, insect-like creatures that (cognitive science professor Vladimir) Sloutsky calls "ziblets." In this experiment, adults performed as well as children did in the first study in remembering which ziblets they had seen before without having many "false positives."

The difference here was that the adults had no previous knowledge that allowed them to easily categorize the ziblets without paying close attention to each picture.

"They remembered them because they had to pay close attention," Sloutsky said. "They remembered the details."

So what does this have to do with diversity? Adults rely on that mental categorization of our environment… I believe in young children things are more or less equal.  Wow! You’re different!  Now let’s play.

Do you agree?

Diversity for Children?

What is diversity?  In the corporate world this usually refers to race-- Sometimes to physical abilities.  Isn’t diversity much deeper than that?  Isn’t the surface differences, color, size, abilities, etc…just that- superficial?  Isn’t background, perspective, personality, background add much more to the interaction?  How do children approach diversity?

During preschool years, children begin to notice physical aspects of identity. At about age 2, children become increasingly aware of gender. This is followed by curiosity about skin color, hair color and texture, eye shape and color, and other physical attributes. Awareness of disabilities tends to come later; however, some toddlers begin noticing more obvious disabilities, such as a person using a wheelchair. Usually between the ages of 2 and 3, children will begin to notice cultural aspects of gender influence. For example, they may take note of the fact that girls tend to play with dolls while boys play with trucks. They may also begin to recognize ethnic differences, noticing that children eat different foods and celebrate different holidays or, conversely, do not celebrate or recognize certain holidays. As they begin to notice differences, 2-year olds may show signs of "pre-prejudice"-they may act afraid or uncomfortable. Not necessarily possessing the vocabulary to express their concerns, they may avoid or ignore a child they perceive to be different.

Or perhaps, they really don’t care.  As adults we tend to look and judge things based on our world view.  That person is different… that is good or that is bad.  I don’t believe young children look at the world that way… we just project our adult perspective on them.   I think it is more like puppies… some are black, some are brown, some are white, some spotted, etc.  Don’t you think children view others like puppies?  They may learn from their environment to attach some judgment to individuals, but they pretty much start with a clean slate.

In “Peep Peep Finds a Friend”, I take that child-like perspective on diversity.  Oh, look at you… you look different than me… cool let’s play!  This is the third book in the series and Peep Peep’s new friend “Gua Gua” is an odd duck!  Literally, we never learn what kind of duck Gua Gua is or even if it is a male or female.  When you are a duckling, it doesn’t really matter.   Well, in reality baby ducks are imprinted on recognizing like kind, but for our story it doesn’t really matter.  A friend is friend.

Have you ever had a discussion with a child about diversity?  What were the circumstances and how did it go?

Johnnie

Writing From a Child’s Perspective

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What books were you forced to read as a child or youth?  I have wracked my brain, trying to remember what I read as a child—The only thing I can recall is “Mad Magazine”.  I knew who Alfred E. Newman was, but sadly not Oliver Twist.  I was carried away in the battles between “Spy Vs Spy”, but not Long John Silver.  Perhaps, I missed out on something, but many of the books that were required reading, were flat out boring.

Why were they boring?  A trite answer would be because they were uninteresting.  Every adult and every child has his or her own preferences and tastes when it comes to anything.  Same with books.  Most books are written by adults from and adult’s perspective.  Even awards given to children’s books are decided by panels of adults.  Parents by books because, it is on a reading list, they like the book, or it won some award.  Parents are in charge anyway, right?

What about the perspective?  Children have a unique voice and often with a beautifully innocent view of the world around them.  Little or no bias as to what is what, what is good, what is bad, what is normal, etc.  Imagine that you are a little duckling almost ready to hatch.  You have managed to peck a small hole in your egg, just big enough to look through with one eye.  Imagine what this new world would be like?  Looking at the environment with a blank slate.  I tried to address this perspective in one of the first “Peep Peep” books—“Peep Peep Comes Home”.  This is the first in the series.  Peep innocently observes her new world around her through a small hole in her egg. 

This book was crafted to make it readable by beginner readers, just new to children’s books.  You may have fun reading it (or other books in the series) to your early reader, or better yet have them (or help them) read it to you.  “Peep Peep” adventures are both kid and teacher approved.  Moms and Dads should like them too, as they have adventure, humor and a subtle message of love and family.  Take a look and let me know what you think.

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Foniks versus Whole Language

Did you learn to read phonetically or by sight (whole language) reading?   You may not know.  

There seems to be a battle between the phonics camp and the whole language camp—but which is the bet way to learn to read?  There are arguments for both sides, but my opinion is the sight-reading or whole language is the way to go.  Why?  Phonetics is based on a false premise… that there are actually consistent rules when dealing with English.   Is this were so, then we would be spelling it “fonetiks”.

If you want to read fast—you have to shift to sight-reading.   Yes, you will use “foniks” to “sound out” a word… then it gets filed into the brain into the sight-reading mechanism.

Here is some background on this battle—let me know which side you lean—

Proponents of phonics point to a purported decline in reading test scores in the 1990s that they saw as a result of whole language instruction and "scientific" studies that indicated phonics instruction produced better reading scores than other methods. Whole language advocates point to other reasons to explain those instances of declining reading scores such as students living in poverty and to ethnographic studies of students in classrooms to support their position. As shown in Figure 1, reading scores for students as reported by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress showed little change from 1992 to 2005.

Figure 1: National Assessment of Educational Progress 4th Grade Reading Scores 1992-2005

As education moved from the home into schools in the eighteenth century, textbooks were developed to teach reading. The McGuffey Readers were among the first of these. They consisted of a graded series of books that are now called a basal reading series. The first and secon d grade books were specially written to include stories that emphasized the sounds of letters in words, but the readers for older students were anthologies of stories drawn from a variety of sources. As well as helping teach reading, the McGuffey readers emphasized values like the rich helping the poor and being kind to animals. Teaching in the eighteenth century tended to be teacher-centered with students doing a lot of rote memorization.

At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the Progressive Education Movement pushed for instruction that focused more on the interests of students and what science was discovering about teaching and learning. More and more stories were included in basals that emphasized particular sounds or other targeted reading skills. These specially written stories with controlled vocabularies were often of little interest to students and did not include ethnic minority characters. In the 1950s the "Dick and Jane" readers published by Scott Foresman used a "whole word" approach to teaching reading where words were repeated on each page enough times that, according to behaviorist research, students could remember them.

Phonics proponents led by Rudolph Flesh in his 1955 book Why Johnny Can't Read attacked the whole word approach because it did not get students into reading children's stories that did not have carefully controlled vocabularies. Phonics advocates focus their efforts on the primary grades and emphasize the importance of students being able to sound out (read) words based on how they are spelled. A problem with English is that it does not have a one-to-one sound symbol relationship that would make reading much easier. The many homonyms in English such as to, too, and two create difficulties for students, even at the university level in regard to spelling.

While knowing basic phonetic rules helps students sound out words, other very common "outlaw words" still need to be memorized as sight words because they don't follow any but the most complicated rules. It is estimated about half the words in the English language cannot be pronounced correctly using commonly taught phonic rules. Other problems with phonics include the differing size of students' vocabularies and differing dialects of English that vary in their pronunciation rules

Phonics is considered a "bottom up" approach where students "decode" the meaning of a text. The advantage of phonics, especially for students who come to schools with large vocabularies, is that once students get the basics down, they can go to the library and read a wide variety of children's literature.

Whole language is a currently controversial approach to teaching reading that is based on constructivist learning theory and ethnographic studies of students in classrooms. It is particularly associated with the work of Ken and Yetta Goodman at the University of Arizona. With whole language, teachers are expected to provide a literacy rich environment for their students and to combine speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Whole language teachers emphasize the meaning of texts over the sounds of letters, and phonics instruction becomes just one component of the whole language classroom.

Whole language is considered a "top down" approach where the reader constructs a personal meaning for a text based on using their prior knowledge to interpret the meaning of what they are reading. Problems associated with whole language include a lack of structure that has been traditionally supplied by the scope and sequence, lessons and activities, and extensive graded literature found in basal readers. Whole language puts a heavy burden on teachers to develop their own curriculum.

So, where do you stand?  Whole Language or Phonics?

Phonics versus Whole Language

© Jon Reyhner, Northern Arizona University, Revised December 13, 2008