Reading a story book on a screen is a very different experience from playing a repetitive video game on the same screen. It has the same educational, mind-opening benefits as reading a traditional print book: it increases vocabulary, improves concentration and focus, and expands horizons. Reading helps children become engaged, rather than passive learners because books demand that kids to use their imagination to paint living mental pictures.

Come read and play with us!

What A Pest! by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

What A Pest!: an All Aboard easy reader. You know how little sisters want to be just like their older siblings? The sisters in this book turn that problem into a win-win solution.

BlueBeary: for pre-schoolers. We all need someone who loves us best of all and cleans us up when we fall down. BlueBeary is a story about caring and belonging.

BlueBeary, by Kathleen McMillan

Yum, Yum, Yum: for readers of all ages. A clever and engaging – but not scary -story about bugs and monsters with unique, fun graphics.

But don’t procrastinate, the apps will revert back to regular pricing by the night of Sunday August 29 US Eastern Standard Time on the iTunes App  Store!

Books aren’t the only vehicles for practicing reading skills. Board games and card games are another favorite way of mine when it comes to getting some reading practice in. Have you tried games like Apples to Apples,

A card and party game that's especially designed for beginning readers.

Clue or Pictionary with your kids? All of those games come with “Junior” versions especially designed for the younger set. Out of the Box games has a great selection of fun and educational games, including a lot of party games. In Letter Roll, players race to list words containing the three letters shown on the dice.

Letter Roll, published by Out Of The Box Games

Do you have any favorite family games that are both fun and educational? I’d love to hear about them!

PicPocket Books' "A, My Name Is Andrew" on the iPad

ended up in my hands. Well, actually, those are my husband’s hands, since he was kind enough to be a hand model for me.

From my few days with my new iPad, I have to say it is a pretty nifty device. Illustrated children’s books look beautiful on the iPad. In fact, an AOL News story recently reported that 81%, or 13 of the 16 top book applications for the iPad, are children’s titles.

While in Los Angeles over the weekend, the iPad sure did come in useful for us while navigating a new city, and looking up car dealerships and comparing prices and reviews on the iPad when we were on the go was very helpful when we accompanied my brother-in-law who was buying a car.

I wouldn’t consider myself a big gamer (I’m more the literary type), but I admit that some of the game apps that I’m discovering on the iPad are pretty compelling. I’ll have to set some limits for myself if I want to still get work done!

What do you think about the iPad?

Creative play

Everyone loves a snow day!

Unstructured outdoor playtime

I also encourage year ’round outdoor play time for my kids.

They ride bikes, start pick-up soccer games, make forts in the neighborhood and engage in elaborate make-believe games with their neighborhood friends.

We do not allow them to watch TV or movies during the school week. That is just a hard and fast family rule and the kids don’t even ask for media time during the week – although election night is an exception – and maybe the upcoming winter Olympics, too!

Photo courtesy of my daughter, who filled up my camera chip with pictures of her bookshelf

Why do kids get a lot of screen time? Because they are really drawn to this kind of media. The technologies that are new to us are very intuitive to them and will be a significant part of their lives for years to come. I don’t see PicPocket Books as replacements for print books or the valuable time parents can spend reading to their children, but as educational and culturally valuable alternatives to video games or movies, especially for families on-the-go.

Many families are short on time and e-books can be read any time, any place. I believe that if reading picture books on the iPhone means that more families are reading together and more kids have more exposure to storybooks, then they are a great option for tech-savvy families of today.

"I Can Do It Too!" picture book for the iPhone

Are digitally enhanced e-books books or games? It depends on the individual application and how faithful the app stays to the original work of the book. Some apps are games that are based on characters from a book, but have nothing to do with the original book or with reading. Reading a story book on a screen is a very different experience from playing a repetitive video game on the same screen. Reading an e-book has the same educational, mind-opening benefits as reading a traditional print book: it increases vocabulary, improves concentration and focus, and expands horizons.

PicPocket Books has a growing list of children’s picture book titles that are very faithful to the original published books that are available on iTunes: full color illustrations, full text, plus and audio track and other options, and you can take it anywhere!

Amazon Kindle

Have you ever wondered how our brains deal with digital reading?

Think about it: for years, centuries, we humans have been reading primarily from paper. Now, reading from a screen is becoming as popular, if not more popular, than reading print! Many of us read the news, magazines, blogs, and of course our mail on our computers or mobile devices. E-Books are becoming widely available too.

How do our brains handle this new medium? The New York Times Opinion article Does the Brain like E-Books? has a couple of explanations. In the article, experts address such issues as the balance between focal and peripheral attention (which, incidentally, is disrupted in reading whether from a screen or from traditional print). Do you think people read faster on screen or paper? How is comprehension affected?

Jonah Lehrer, in his article, Reading, E-Books and the Brain, reminds us that the brain is extremely adaptable and that “we excel at developing new habits.” He speculates that “before long, digital ink will feel just as easy as actual ink.”

Check it out! It’s pretty interesting to think about reading from the perspective of your brain.

Reading with friends is fun, too!

1) Read aloud to your children every day.

2) Introduce children to books that are a bit above their reading level.

Challenge your children with bigger themes and topics.

3) Encourage your children to read – to you, a sibling, the family pet, even a stuffed animal!

It is great practice for children learning to read. Often they feel more comfortable reading a story they’ve heard a few times before. Help them with difficult words if they ask, or just let them puzzle it out! It is also great practice for children who can’t read yet. Making up their own stories to go along with pictures is a fun and imaginative exercise.

4) Allow your children to interrupt the story.

If they question or comment, that’s great! Children make connections constantly. Defining new words and explaining illustrations helps children make sense of the word around them. However, constant interruptions can upset the flow of the story. Maybe ask your child save all questions for the end of each page.

5) Give children time to look at the pictures.

You may be impatient to get on with the story, but your child isn’t! Let them take as long as they want to look at pictures and figure them out. Visuals play a huge role in helping children learn and understand. Pictures will also show your children different life styles and cultures that s/he may be unfamiliar with.

6) Take children to the library!

As a child, I loved going to the library. I always bee-lined for the children’s corner and chose new books based on pretty pictures and colors. Set up library trips where a few hours can be spent browsing the shelves or just sitting on cushions, looking at new stories.

7) Choose books that you want to read.

Often children want to hear the same stories over and over, or are hooked on one series in particular (I always loved The Magic Schoolbus). Don’t feel bad suggesting different titles or picking out books you like at the library and bookstore. It’s great to let children choose, but it’s good to take turns too.

8 ) Choose books that are meaningful.

Let your child know when books are special to you. Your five-year old may not care today, but when s/he is older, remembering that “The Crystal Mountain” was Mom’s favorite book and “Horton Hears a Who” was Uncle’s will mean a lot.

9) Read with your children together, and separately.

It’s great to read to your children together, and to make family time out of reading. It’s also important to read to children separately. Make time for your three year-old, and six year-old. Different books are suitable for different ages, and each child will love to have special time with just you.

10) Take children to reading nights.

If your local library or community center has reading nights for children, try to go! Group reading gives children ground for starting friendships, sharing fun stories, and learning patience and tolerance. Besides, what fun memories!

]]> http://www.picpocketbooks.com/ten-tips-for-meaningful-reading-with-kids/feed/ 5 http://www.picpocketbooks.com/picpocket-books-releases-a-fun-new-title-what-a-pest/ http://www.picpocketbooks.com/picpocket-books-releases-a-fun-new-title-what-a-pest/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:26:06 +0000 Lynette http://www.picpocketbooks.com/?p=709 Maryann Cocca-Leffler Author & Illustrator of WHAT A PEST! shares some thoughts on the new release of her work as a digital picture book for kids on the iPhone:

Now in the iTunes App Store!

“I’m very excited that my book WHAT A PEST! will be reaching and teaching the iPhone generation! Who would have thought when I entered the children’s book industry 25 years ago that my books would make their way into the pocket of readers? Sharing books on the iPhone is another way to expose children to books and as an author-illustrator that is my goal! I am thrilled to be part of a very new industry and hope some of my other books are offered in this format.

Maryann Cocca-Leffler

My book WHAT A PEST! is an early reader about two sisters. The older one thinks the younger one is a pest but in the end they realize how important they are to each other. The story itself is loosely based on personal experiences on many levels. I have a younger sister…and I also have two daughters. Growing up, my sister, Diane, was a pest! She was always hanging around with me and my friends and getting in the way. We also sang together and one time she got the chicken pox before a performance. By blending many ideas and watching my own daughters struggle with sisterhood, I came up with the story WHAT A PEST! I hope you enjoy it!

PS: I knew then, as I know now, that sisters have a special bond. I’m happy to say, my sister and I are best friends!”

What about you? Do you have a sister who is a pest, or your best friend, or both? We’d love to hear your stories!

You can find Maryann at www.maryanncoccaleffler.com.