Raising Readers

Through my doula practice, I am very proud to be part of the raising readers program. When a mother chooses me as her doula, I get to present her with a beautiful canvas tote with a selection of books, a growth chart, and information about the raising readers program. And, if I am lucky, I have the chance to read a little something from them to the new child or older siblings!

The raising readers program promotes reading aloud to children in Maine ages birth to 5 years, by providing beautiful new books to give to children. For newborns, raising readers has canvas totes with books available through Maine hospitals who provide birthing services, birth centers, midwives who attend home and birth center births, and adoption agencies. raising readers is a community partnership and works with other child health and community literacy initiatives, with a statewide advisory committee to help coordinate these activities, a collaboration of Maine's two largest health care delivery systems, MaineHealth and Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, and is generously funded by the Libra Foundation.

February

As a storyteller, being around kids, I need to be a roll model too. Most of the time this means teaching through parables and fables. It means teaching politeness as they must sit quietly through certain portions of the program, self-esteem as they are asked to be involved. February is National Dental Health month...and dental health is very importaint!

In March, Barefoot Books releases "Emily's Tiger" from which I have borrowed the above illustration. "Emily's Tiger" is now available as a pre-order on my Barefoot Books web-site. The books was written and illustrated by Miriam Latimer : Whenever Emily doesn’t get her way, she growls and roars like a tiger. She roars when her mother tries to cut her hair, she roars when she doesn’t get picked to be the assistant to the clown at a birthday party… what are her mom and dad going to do with their tiger-daughter? Then Grandma comes to stay — and she knows a thing or two about tigers and tempers!

There are many other new books coming for Spring, such as:

Bear at Work Written by Stella Blackstone, Illustrated by Debbie Harter : In the newest addition to the best-selling Bear series, we find Bear hard at work as a postman. Follow Bear as he delivers letters, parcels and packages all over town, meeting other bears, all busy working at their different jobs.

Playtime Rhymes for Little People Compiled and illustrated by Clare Beaton : Award-winning artist Clare Beaton presents this exquisite, hand-sewn anthology from her treasure trove of fabrics and bric-a-brac. We’ve paired it with a collection of forty popular action rhymes includes favorites such as “I’m a Little Teapot” and “The Wheels On The Bus,” as well as less familiar ditties such as “Fishes Swim in Water Clear” and “My Ship Sailed From China.”

The Sounds Around Town Written and Illustrated by Maria Carluccio : What do you hear when you walk outside? This story follows a baby through his day in the city, focusing on the many sounds that he hears. From birdsong in the morning to the hubbub of traffic on the streets and the sounds and smells of the market and café, this simple, interactive picture book will open up your ears!

The Real Princess: A Mathemagical Tale Written by Brenda Williams, Illustrated by Sophie Fatus : A classic with a twist, this number-crunching take on “The Princess and the Pea” features not just one princess, but three, not to mention four horses, five dogs, six grooms, seven gardeners, and all kinds of chances for young mathematicians to put their adding and subtracting to the test!

The Beeman Written by Laurie Krebs, Illustrated by Valeria Cis : Told from the viewpoint of a child whose Grandpa is a beekeeper, this rhyming text offers an accessible and engaging introduction to the behavior of bees, including: where they live, how honey is made, and what a beekeeper does.

and more! All available now for pre-order. These are also the last days of the Annual Winter Sale at Barefoot Books (until February 18th) so drop by my web-site to do some shopping...and don't forget to brush those teeth!!!