Helping Children Make Their Own Simple Books

1. Helping Children Make Their Own Simple Books Singapore Book Development Council 7 July 2007

2. Thanks to the Book Development Council & Toa Payoh Library gmjacobs@pacific.net.sg Internet: www.georgejacobs.net 9389-8360

3. Agenda • Why books are important • Encouraging reading & choosing the right books • The why and how of children making their own books • Lots of chance for you to make books

4. Why Books Are Important • Language learning • General knowledge • Self-initiative • Imagination • Academic and career success • Positive attitudes towards reading

5. Ways to Encourage Love of Reading • Read aloud to children • Be a model for reading • Make books easily available • Help children find books that are right for them – suggestions to follow

6. Authors • Joy Cowley • Dr Seuss • Suchen Christine Lim • Roald Dahl • Judy Bloom • James Lee

7. Books from Movies, TV Shows • Finding Nemo • Barney • PowerPuff Girls • SpongeBob SquarePants • Cars

8. Pictures and Drawings • Do the children like the drawings and pictures? • Do drawings, etc. help kids understand?

9. Length • Some books are long • Some books are short • Which length do the children prefer? • We hope they will gradually move towards longer books, especially if they like the book • “Home Run” books – “Milestone” books

10. Ask Friends • What books did they like? • What books did they not like? • Are friends exactly the same as you? • Tell friends about the books you read

11. Learn Categories • What types of books are there • What topics • Where to find them in bookshop/library • In libraries, children’s books are categorized by ages

12. Award Winners • Caldecott • Newbury • International Reading Association: www.reading.org

13. Ask Older Kids and Adults • What books did they like when they were your age? • What books do they think you will like?

14. Rereading • Another way to find a book to read is to reread • It’s great to read the same book again • Books become our friends – It’s nice to see our friends again • We can see new things when we read a book again

15. Choose Carefully • Read the book a little bit before choosing it • Are there too many hard words? • Maybe it is better to have a book that is too easy than a book that is too hard • Is it interesting?

16. It’s Okay to Change Our Minds • We can choose a book • And then return it before we finish it • If we do not like it

17. Your Turn • What are your experiences with children choosing books? • Which of the ideas suggested have you seen children use? • Which ideas might work with the children you know? • What about when you choose books?

18. + Reading skill + Writing skill Demystifies books and authoring + Self-esteem Provides appropriate reading material + Organising skill + Observation skill + Communication + Love for reading + Self-reliance + Bonds between kids and adults Why Children Should Make Their Own Simple Books

19. Your Turn • When you were a child did you ever write something, no matter how short or simple? • Have you ever written something for children or seen children write? • Any other reasons to help children write?

20. How to Help Children Make Their Own Books • Use other books as models • Tap children’s life experiences • Connect to children’s interests • Help as little or as much as needed • Story boarding • Don’t forget non-fiction

21. Place Time Characters Objects Plot Ending Moral Type of art, e.g., cartoon Length Title Sequel/Prequel E.g., Cinderella Use Other Books as Models: Change ______

22. Tell Your Stories • A Kannada story narrated by A K Ramanujan, who collected and edited collections of Indian folktales • There once lived a woman who knew a story • But she kept it to herself; she never told anyone the story

23. Imprisoned within her, the untold story felt choked, trapped • It decided to run away • One day, as the woman slept with her mouth open, the story escaped • It turned into a pair of shoes and sat outside the woman’s house

24. The new, unknown pair of shoes caused the woman’s husband to be very suspicious • That evening, in a rage, the husband picked up his blanket, and went off to the nearby temple to sleep

25. The flames in the lamps of the town, once they were put out, did not really go out • Instead, they moved to the temple, gossiping together • On this night, all the lamps from all the houses had reached the temple - • except one, which came in much later

26. "Why are you so late?" the others asked when the last lamp arrived • "Because at my house, the couple quarrelled late into the night about some new shoes", said the flame • The other flames asked: "But where did the shoes come from?"

27. "The lady of our house knows a story but she never tells the story • So, the story felt suffocated, escaped and turned into a pair of shoes • Seeing this made the husband furious • It seems the story has taken revenge"

28. The husband, lying under his blanket in the temple, heard the Lamp’s explanation and forgave his wife • He went home, woke his wife and asked her about her story

29. "What story?" she asked • She had, sadly, forgotten it. • The End • Moral of the story: Write your stories into books, so that you won’t forget them!

30. Your Turn • Look at the possible changes on the next slide. Any questions? • Select 3 of the possible changes and give examples

31. Place Time Characters Objects Plot Ending Moral Type of art, e.g., cartoon Length Title Sequel/Prequel E.g., Cinderella Use Other Books as Models: Change ______

32. Tap Children’s Life Experiences • Where they study • Trips they have taken • People they have met • Future plans

33. Connect to Children’s Interests • Hobbies • Favourite foods • Favourite tv shows/movies • Computer games

34. Your Turn • What about the children you know? • How can you connect to their life experiences, to their interests?

35. More Tips • Vary materials – cut out shapes, magazine pictures, leaves • Rebus • I Singapore • Pop-ups, lift-ups • Add words to wordless books • Do a drama; then make it into a book

36. Writing Tips • Write as often as you can • Carry a notebook • Keep a diary • Write about what you know

37. When writing poems, they don’t have to rhyme • Experiment with different styles • Don’t expect things to turn out great the first time • Be easy on yourself and others

38. Good writing requires lots of rewriting • Sometimes the ideas just don’t come – so, try again another time • Good writers read a lot – “Read like a writer”

39. Age Level • Children who can write, draw or even paste can do their own book • Never too old – depends on type of book • Never too late to start

40. What Else Besides Books? • Letters/email • Birthday cards • Newspapers • Brochures • Games – e.g., Concentration • ?? • ??

41. Your Turn • What else besides books could you help children to write? • Pls give specific examples

42. WordWrights • Society for Reading and Literacy http://www.srl.org.sg/www/index.shtml

43. Please Thank Your Partners