If You Give a Child a Big Book...

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

Every child deserves a good start in life. Every child deserves to experience the excitement of reading and hearing a good story. Most of the students in my pre-K class begin with a deficit. They have not yet learned to see books as accessible, fun and exciting.

Curious.

Eager. Smart. Open. Beautiful. These are the adjectives that best describe my pre-K students. The children come to class wanting to learn and make new discoveries. This is a critical time in their lives; they are shaping their views about themselves, about learning, and about the world in which they live. But other descriptors also apply to my students--descriptors that add to the challenge of teaching them: low-income, single-parent homes, English-learners. The vast majority of my students do not speak English when they enter my classroom. They come from homes headed by a struggling and often young single mother. The children have had very limited exposure to books and interactive storytelling. They have not had the experience of someone reading a story to them each night. As their first teacher, my job is to introduce them to the world of reading and literature. My goal is to make their initial experience so fun and engaging, the students will become life-long readers.

My Project

My students need a collection of big children's books and educational music CDs that will help them discover the fun of reading. Big book kits help transform literature into an interactive event. Reading becomes a multi-sensory experience:tactile, auditory, visual, sometimes kinesthetic and always fun. In my many years of teaching, I’ve witnessed the ways in which a good children’s story and music CDs can engage students. The big book kits that I've requested heighten and prolong this experience, allowing teachers to use the story as a more effective tool. With a book such as “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” students not only ponder the notion, but they can "see" the mouse in the form of a hand puppet. They will hold the cookie, and engage in other story-related activities. Students are entertained, but they are learning critical reading skills. They are learning to place themselves in the story, to think critically, to recognize words, sounds and patterns. Big books also make books accessible and inviting to very young students. These books convey a message that books are meant to be handled, read, and enjoyed.

This project is important because of the long-term impact it will have on the lives of my students.

By fostering an early love of reading, we are insuring that our students will be well-equipped to reach their fullest potential. We are laying a solid foundation that will benefit them throughout their lives. If you give a child a big book, the child will want to learn more and more!