Welcome to Toddler Terrific!

In this Tuesday's storytime, I'll be talking a little about the six pre-reading skills that help your child become ready to read. Each week, I'll demonstrate or talk about easy ways to encourage these skills. You can also find more information at http://library.utah.gov/programs/youth/documents/Talkers-2.pdf. The six skills include:

PRINT MOTIVATION: thinking that books and reading are fun

VOCABULARY: knowing the names of things

PRINT AWARENESS: recognizing print and understanding how books work

LETTER KNOWLEDGE: understanding that each letter has its own name and sounds

NARRATIVE SKILLS: being able to tell stories and describe things

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS: recognizing and playing with the smaller sounds that make up words

Our books on Tuesday, September 14 feature things that grow. You can place a hold on most of the following books by clicking on the title. We'll be reading:

We're Rabbits!, by Lisa Westberg Peters, illustrated by Jeff Mack

Ten Red Apples: A Bartholomew Bear Counting Book, by Virginia Miller

If your toddler enjoyed this book, you can find other titles featuring Bartholomew, such as Be Gentle!, where he learns how to behave around a pet, On Your Potty, and I Love You Just the Way You Are.

Who's In the Garden, by Philis Gershator, illustrated by Jill McDonald (hold unavailable)

There are lots of farmer's markets this time of year - for a fun sensory exploration, take your toddler along to sample fruits, vegetables, honey and other goodies, expanding their vocabulary and perhaps their letter knowledge by talking with them about the names of things - "look, what's in that basket? It's red and round, and starts with the letter A..." The last of the Holladay Community Garden's farmer's markets is this Saturday, September 18, from 4 to 8 in front of City Hall. The Dunmore Lasses, a traditional Irish/Scottish ensemble, will play from 5 to 8. The market in Murray Park goes Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. through late afternoon, until October 30, and of course there's the downtown market in Pioneer Park, now on Tuesday evenings as well as Saturday mornings. For a complete list of markets, see http://utahsown.utah.gov/FarmersMarkets.htm

Other garden books to enjoy with your toddler: A Garden of Opposites, by Nancy Davis, Lois Ehlert's, Growing Vegetable Soup, or What Does Bunny See, by Linda Sue Parks.