Take a gander at these three featured bookshelf sets. Each bookshelf issue includes 8 to 12 books and Literary Links which offer some practical ways to use the books to engage children and extend their learning.
A Child's World—Growing Every DayChildhood is a growing time, filled with learning about self and others and the world. The books in this column celebrate children, honor family, and rejoice in the routines that are part of a typical day in a young child's life. Bath time and bedtime, play and exploration, the first day of school, and cuddling time at the end of a busy, busy day—these simple activities are repeated time and again in many houses, in every country, all around our world. So gather all the boys and girls you know, and share these stories. It's time to celebrate a child's world.
Inclusive Children's StoriesOne way children begin to feel as though they are an integral part of a group is by seeing themselves (or children like them) in books, posters, and other materials used in the classroom. The National Association of Educators of Young Children has for many years required accredited programs to provide books showing diversity, and most educators make every effort to reflect diversity in the children’s books used in the classroom.
However, much of this diversity in children’s books represents cultural, language, and ethnic differences rather than differences in mobility, vision, hearing, and learning. It is important to broaden our idea of diversity as we seek to provide inclusive early educational settings for children with disabilities. Toward that end, this set of books includes stories and images of special needs who are “just one of the crowd.” The books treat the children matter-of-factly, without the goal of educating children about one disability or another. Books of this type are not available in huge numbers, so to help teachers, here are a few good stories that include children who have Down syndrome, have vision issues, or use a wheelchair to move about.
Math Books That Can Bring It Home Mathematics is not just something you “do” in school. Mathematics is everywhere, and the earlier that children can connect math to the world around them, the more easily they will understand how important math is. The picture books presented here are ones that include mathematics as an integral part of the story and that can be used to bridge the gap between home and school. They are filled with noisy clocks, countable objects, and basic shapes. Some have rhymes, some are funny, and all are entertaining!