Storytime and Beyond: Having Fun with Early Literacy - Paperback

by Kathy Barco (Author), Melanie Borski-Howard (Author)

Join the world of balloons, pancakes, and musical instruments--just a few items to help improve early literacy in the library, the classroom, and at home. Literacy-builders covered range from music and instruments to magnetic letters, alphabet beads, and food.

Literacy is a popular topic of discussion among librarians. Especially important is "early literacy," what children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write. In this book, experienced librarians Kathy Barco and Melanie Borski-Howard share hands-on techniques that they have used to successfully promote early literacy and encourage family involvement.

Storytime and Beyond teaches readers how to use "literacy doodads"--inexpensive props that add excitement to storytimes and can be used outside the library or classroom--to enhance the basic components of any early literacy program: talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing. Many of the doodads can be created as family do-it-yourself projects, and some can be adapted to work with non-readers of any age. Instruments can also be a great way to get children's attention and teach literacy skills, whether it's a drum to beat while reading a story or a maraca for children to shake during a song, and lesson plans for musical storytimes address how to use rhythm, singing, and dancing to make early literacy fun.

Author Biography

Kathy Barco is a freelance library consultant, having retired as literacy coordinator at Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System. Her book READiscover New Mexico: A Tri-Lingual Adventure in Literacy won a 2008 New Mexico Book Award.

Melanie Borski-Howard is currently a youth services specialist at the Boulder Public Library, in Boulder, Colorado, where she leads four to five storytimes a week and stars in the monthly television show Read With Us.