Buy “If I Could Be You Could Be” from Barefoot Books now!
The story: A young child imagines all of things he could be – a king or queen, a bird in a tree, a circus performer….but at the end of the day realized the best thing to be is himself.
- Intended for: Children ages 2-6 years old
- Published: Barefoot Books (MA), 2012
- Themes: Make-believe, travel and adventure, self-assurance. Includes a craft activity
Dialogic Reading Tips: I Could Be, You Could Beis a bright and beautifully illustrated book with little text, making it perfect for young children as well as preschoolers. The story is imaginative and easily dramatized. Your child will enjoy fighting a dragon or swimming like a dolphin as you read so be sure to give plenty of time for him/her to engage. The book ends with instructions on mask making and make believe….this is another great way to engage your child in the story.
Raising A Reader MA helps parents develop Dialogic Reading skills. Dialogic Reading is a child and an adult having a shared conversation about a book…it is interactive storytelling. Including a child in the telling of a story is not only a fun way to share a book, it stimulates the young child’s rapidly developing brain. This builds a strong foundation for future learning.
When reading interactively with a child there are three simple strategies to remember.
Ask “what” questions.
“What’s that? Yes! It’s a monkey….it’s a brown monkey!!”
If reading with a baby, simply name the object.
Expand on your child’s answer.
After you’ve talked about the monkey ask, “What kind of sounds do monkeys make? What do they like to eat? Do you like to eat bananas too?”
Ask open ended questions.
“If you were a king or a queen, what kind of rules would you make? We have rules in our house….what rules would you want to change?”
Open-ended questions have no right or wrong answers, and require thought and imagination. These are for children who have mastered “what” questions.
You can also download the Dialogic Reading Tip Sheet for I Could Be You Could Be now!