This book is an anthology of six picture books, each created by an author or illustrator from Maine. It contains the wonderful picture books The Big Meow, illustrated by the artist Cynthia Jabar who was raised in Maine; The Bugliest Bug, illustrated by Peaks Island artist Scott Nash; Farmer Will, written and illustrated by the picture book creator Jane Cowen-Fletcher; That's Are What Friends Are For, illustrated by Maine artist Holly Meade; Weslandia, illustrated by Gorham artist Kevin Hawkes; and Zachary's Ball, written and illustrated by Maine picture book creator Matt Tavares!
Identifying the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in spoken words like dog or sit
Saying new words by changing the beginning sound, like changing rat to sat
Starting to match words they hear to words they see on the page
Sounding out simple words
Starting to recognize some words by sight without having to sound them out
Asking and answering who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about a story
Retelling a story in order, using words or pictures
Predicting what happens next in a story
Your child likely will learn all the letters and their sounds this year. Some combinations of letters are still tricky for children to hear but they’re learning all the time. By making these connections, your child can also start to write and decode some easy words and begin reading short books to you. Their comprehension of what’s going on in the more complex stories you are reading to them will help them understand the simple stories they can read themselves. Continuing to read to your child, even when they’re able to read, will give you both a chance to talk about more complicated books and continue the beautiful relationship you started together 5 years ago. Reading together can still be the very best part of the day for you and your child!
Click here to see a full list of milestones for your 5-year-old as well as tips and activities for you and your child!
Why did we select this book?
Each year we work with a publisher to find books that are created by talented writers and artists in our state. This year we worked with the Boston publisher Candlewick Press, and they designed this beautiful book for Maine families. We make this special book because it is the final book in the Raising Readers program. We hope it sends the message that Raising Readers, the books' authors, illustrators, publishers, and, most importantly, your healthcare providers, have all enjoyed helping you raise a reader.
Related Activities
There is something special about knowing there are people in our state who spend their days creating and illustrating stories just so that families like yours will have wonderful books to read together. Let your child know that this book was created for them. There is a biography or description of each Maine author or illustrator. Read those biographies with your child. They might like to know how and by whom this book was created.
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