The ABCs of Literacy: Reading in Toddlerhood (Book Talk Tuesday)

I was so excited to read that fellow teacher-author Deanna Jump has decided to host a weekly linky talking about the books we love!

The ABCs of Literacy by Cynthia Dollins is a book with ideas for parents of toddlers to help make “read-aloud” moments fun at the same time that we encourage literacy. This is a book that I first read when my oldest child (my son) was 26 months old. Ironically, right now my second child (daughter Strawberry) is 26 months old! Definitely time to revisit.

The book has two parts. The first part focuses on the “whys” to reading aloud to toddlers: it’s a bonding time between parent and child, it helps them learn about the world, it helps them learn how printed reading works, and it teaches them vocabulary and phonemic awareness. Then Ms Dollins provides more comprehensive ideas. She covers the issues of which books to choose (what makes a picture book “quality” literature), the best methods for reading books out loud, and other ways to promote literacy.
Obviously, I did not need a book to tell me these things. I love books myself, so I do tend to let that show as I read with my kids. Nevertheless, I love her detailed explanations, the reminders, the facts and evidence, and the suggestions as to how to make reading with a toddler educational as well as delightful fun.

Sometimes reading with a toddler can feel like a wrestling match! It’s good to keep the priorities (and the whys behind the choice to read to a toddler) in mind.

The last section of the book is an 80-page annotated listing of some books that she considers classic, well-written, and thoughtful and that teach vocabulary or phonetics or concepts.I love book lists, so this is definitely a fun resource.

As regular readers know, I’ve been blogging about books at Rebecca Reads since 2008. When I posted about this book in 2010, I decided to challenge myself to read 1000 books with my son before he started kindergarten. We did it in less than three years, and by the end, he was reading himself.

Although I know I can’t credit the reading of this book, the use of Ms Dollins suggestions, and so forth to my son learning to read at a young age, I do know that creating a love of reading for him as a toddler contributed to his interest in learning.

I highly suggest this book to parents who want their toddlers to develop the same love of books that they have!

Parts of this review appeared in different format on Rebecca Reads in 2010. Note: I am an Amazon affiliate.

Do you want more ideas for teaching a toddler?