In children's stories, "The End" is just the beginning. High-quality children's books have much more to offer beyond the intense pleasure of a good read-aloud. Instead of limiting books to story hour and quiet time, why not put books smack dab in the middle of the early childhood classroom, where children can reap their full benefits?

Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of reading often to young children. In a joint position statement on developmentally appropriate teaching practices, the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) concluded: "Increasing the volume of children's playful, stimulating experiences with good books is associated with accelerated growth in reading competence."

Good teachers don't need research studies to understand the benefits of extending children's experiences with their favorite books. They can see the results on the faces of the children they teach: high interest in book-related activities, increased comprehension, and last, but certainly not least, joy. Teachers who recognize the teaching potential of great books can bring them to life with extension activities that let them leap off the bookshelves and into the hearts and minds of young readers.

Book-based Activities

Let's Get Cooking
How many times has a description of food in a piece of writing made your mouth water? Cooking and tasting the flavors from a storybook offer many learning opportunities. Children can practice sequencing, ordering, measuring, counting, and taking turns. They experience properties of matter and witness the science of combining ingredients to make new and delicious compounds. Tasting the simple fruits and vegetables featured in a familiar book will make listening to the story a whole-body sensory experience. Using language to describe tastes and smells improves vocabulary skills. Teachers can find and simplify related recipes for many stories. So, put on your apron and get cooking with the kids. And the next time you read Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (1948), join Sal and Little Bear in a little blueberry tasting.

Please Do Touch!
Interesting textures are irresistible for young children. Their little fingers poke, prod, scratch, and stroke. Why not bring some of the textures from a favorite book into the classroom? Add book-related sensory materials to the sensory table, bring in textured objects for the science table, or pass around book-related objects at circle time. Have the children help you find the textures from the book. When children hold and explore real acorns, they can imagine how much work it is for a storybook squirrel to grasp and store enough nuts to last through the winter. Natural textures help children imagine aspects of the life cycle, while man-made textures give children opportunities to play with patterns and inspire them to create three-dimensional art.

Do You Hear What I Hear?
The sounds in a book involve more than just words. Books include songs; natural sounds such as those made by animals or weather; man-made sounds; and natural rhythms. Why not change your background music or quiet-time tapes to sounds that reflect their favorite books? Nature-sound CDs are widely available and add ambience to dramatic play or science activities. When something in a book that you are reading makes a noise, challenge kids to create that sound using materials from the classroom or using their own voices. Keen listening skills will benefit children in all areas of learning.

Please Join Us
Just as a book doesn't end at "The End," learning doesn't stop at the classroom door. Teachers should invite parents to contribute time or materials to book-related classroom activities. Keep parents informed about the fun projects you’re doing and the learning outcomes for each kind of play. Explain to parents the benefits of reading aloud and set up a family reading challenge with goals and rewards. Send story bags home filled with a book and related objects or puppets for children to share with their families. Have a potluck/read-in/pajama party where books are the main event. Invite parents to be guest readers at circle time. By offering a range of different ways parents can participate, you can accommodate the parents' differing schedules, personalities, and interests.

Read It Again
These three little words that I heard again and again as a teacher (and parent) convey the incredible pleasure of a great book. When children say, "Read it again!" they are responding to so many good things about the experience—the physical contact of sitting on someone's lap and listening to his or her voice; the joy and intensity of a good story; the writer's affection for his or her subject; and the visual feast of a beautifully illustrated text. When teachers respond to children's natural attraction to stories and books, they build classroom curriculum that is meaningful, engaging, and fresh.

So, what are you waiting for? Read it again!

Hope Vestergaard is an early childhood consultant with seventeen years of experience working with children, teachers, and families. She is the author of several children's books, including Hello Snow (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2004) —winner of a 2005 Oppenheimer Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Her book, Weaving the Literacy Web shows early childhood professionals how to use the books children love to build an emergent curriculum that covers areas from math and science to motors skills and dramatic play.

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