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BOOK/S OF THE WEEK
Our Junior Librarian from 2JB, Laoise, has chosen the Book of the Week. It is not an easy task selecting a book which the librarian believes will appeal to our entire Grimsdell community – from Nursery to Year 2. However, I feel sure that Laoise’s choice will provide a wealth of reading opportunities for all our children.
Laoise recommends Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae and illustrated by David Wojtowycz
Laoise’s reason for her choice:
“I enjoy the rhymes in this book and trying to guess the animal before I look at the picture! I think lots of children will enjoy this book!”
Mrs Harvey has no hesitation in recommending Laoise’s choice of book. Giles Andreae is the author of several children’s books, including the best-selling Giraffes can’t Dance. We have many of his books in the library. In this selection of poems, we are encouraged to dive into the ocean for a noisy rhyming animal adventure. There’s a commotion in the ocean: the dolphins are squeaking, the jellyfish are jiggling, and the lobsters are clippetty-clapping snippety-snapping. The personification of the various fish such as the angelfish being vain and the jellyfish enjoying jiggling, helps to stimulate children’s imaginations and broaden their understanding of the way the world beneath the water might exist. Animal by animal, Giles Andreae takes us through the underwater adventure, with short, snappy poems.
A few weeks ago, I stressed the importance of rhyme in developing early reading skills, thus it is no surprise that parents and schools alike have been drawn to Andreae’s books to engage and motivate children to read. He understands the importance of rhyme in early literacy development and its crucial role in helping children to read. Rhyming teaches children how language works. It helps them notice and work with the sounds within words. Rhymes help children experience the rhythm of language. He understood that texts need to be engaging if children are to be encouraged to read. His play with words is a wonderful way to get emerging readers to play with language, become more word conscious and word aware.
I have written previously about the importance of poetry in building reading, speaking and listening skills. When children are listening to poems, they are building their listening skills and learning to attend to the word they hear and to think about what those words mean together. When sharing a poem, children are strengthening their reading skills and building fluency through repeated reading. Poems encourage children to explore language and vocabulary. Poetry often contains worlds that rhyme for effect. Children can learn about phonics and letter sounds by listening for and locating rhyming words. Poetry builds vocabulary: they get exposed to words they have not heard before, and they listen to them in context.
As children learn to read, it is important to expose them to a variety of styles and types of text. At Grimsdell, we are committed to building a love of reading in every child. Poetry plays a crucial role: it can create enchantment and wonder in a child’s mind. It encourages them to imagine new worlds and experiences.
Happy Reading
Mrs Harvey
