January Specials

I am SUPER EXCITED! This January Usborne Books & More has some AMAZING SPECIALS-

Business Opportunity Specials - Join our team in January:

As an Usborne Books & More Consultant you can experience financial freedom, earn national recognition, and travel to dream destinations. Choose the business kit that best fits your needs – Join today. It’s never a bad time to start a good business!

PLUS when you join in January, a friend can join WITH you for FREE, yes, I said FREE! What an amazing idea. We all know that we succeed when we do something new with a friend, so this is perfect! Email me for all the information you need to make the best decision of your life!

Hostess Specials - Book a party in January and receive:

Double FREE Books with a $250.00 party

PLUS

$50.00 in FREE Books with a $250 party OR $100.00 in FREE Books with a $450 party! 



Email me at Shauna@KidzBookStore.com for all the details!

Usborne Book Fairs

USBORNE BOOK FAIRS
In this day of commercialized book fairs, make a different choice!  Imagine your students choosing books about world history, geography, microscopes, astronomy, oceans, chemistry and more!  We also offer activity, art, coloring, and instructional books.  Usborne Books provide incredible non-fiction books, and non-commercialized fiction books (including some of the classics).    
WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT USBORNE BOOK FAIRS?

• LESS WORK FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION - we set up and take down the display, and can be available to work the book fair either individually or together with your volunteers.

• DURABILITY OF BOOKS - acid-free paper, sturdy bindings.

• PERSONALIZED SERVICE - we can work with you to customize your book fair to your specific needs, and can provide advice suggestions during selection of your free books!

• CONCURRENT ONLINE BOOK FAIR - with each book fair, we will set up an e-fair so that anyone can shop your book fair!  It is a great way to increase your book fair sales and earn more free books!

CAN I CUSTOMIZE MY BOOK FAIR?

Absolutely!  You can specify books in a certain price range.  Or you can specify the types of books you want at the book fair.  You can host an order only book fair, or a cash-and-carry book fair.  You can host a one-day book fair, or a one-week book fair.  We can discuss your particular situation and wishes, and I will make recommendations on what I think will benefit your organization the most.   

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

Usborne Books offers a great way to earn free books for schools and other organizations while offering families the very best in non-fiction and fiction children's books.   Our books are appropriate for all babies to about 16 years old.  Prices begin at $3.99, with most books under $10.                                 
Earn up to 50% of the sales in free books!

Please contact me at Shauna@kidzbookstore.com to schedule your Usborne Books & More Book Fair today!

Book Your January Party NOW!

Pick a date, pick your price! Book a party between January 1 and January 15 and receive any item in the catalog $29.99 and under for the date you pick. For example, book on January 1 and receive your item for $1! :) This is ON TOP of Hostess Specials already available... E-shows included! Message me today to schedule!!

Some Amazing Literacy Statistics

“Children who have not developed some basic literacy skills by the time they

enter school are 3 to 4 times more likely to drop out in later years.”

US Department of Education

“74% of children who are poor readers in 3rd grade are poor readers in 9th

grade.”

Bob Chase, President, National Education Association

“So strong is the link between literacy and being a useful member of society that

some states use 3rd grade

prison construction.”

‐level reading statistics as a factor in projecting future

Bob Chase, President, National Education Association

Only 18.5% of state prison inmates are high school graduates.

Only 2.7% are college graduates.

National Institute for Literacy

Only 29.2% of children under age 6 living at poverty rate have a parent that was a

high school graduate.

Only 2.8% have a parent with a college degree.

National Center for Children in Poverty

“To grow up reading is to grow up with power and freedom.”

Dr . Perri Klass, Director, Reach Out and Read

More information from the National Institute for Literacy:

www.nifl.gov/nifl/facts/facts.html

“To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence” is available as a

book or free 98 page document from the National Endowment for the Arts

website: www.arts.gov Publications, literature

Some Amazing Literacy Statistics

FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

How would you like a FREE Usborne Children's Educational Book? Well, it is simple. Click our Facebook link to the right, then click LIKE on our page. Once we reach 50 fans we will do a random drawing and one of our fans will win a FREE Usborne Children's Educational Book. We will do another drawing at 100 Fans, so be sure to recommend us to all your friends!

Make Time for Reading

We're all well aware of the benefits of teaching our children to love reading. Less easy to do, however, is finding regular time slots to read to our children. Here's some ideas to help you fit in regular reading sessions with your children, no matter what else is going on in your lives.

• Select a suitable time of day. The most suitable time of day is often bedtime but it might not be suitable for you. It is very important to take into account your own energy levels and availability throughout the day. If reading a goodnight story at 8pm has you yawning and trying hard to remain awake, perhaps a story before dinner, or a story in the afternoon will work out better. You need to direct this decision to make it fit in rather than miss it.

• Select the particular days. One good idea is to alternate days or to only read on certain days. For example, you might read weeknights only and not weekends. Or not read Friday and Saturday nights. Or read every second night. Provided that you set in place a regular and consistent reading routine, this will still work really well. It can help you to work around the ebb and flow of dealing with other children's activities, work-brought-home, night meetings for clubs, church, etc.

• Break down the reading. Rather than trying to go through five chapters of a large book each night, cut it down to two chapters. Rather than read five storybooks, cut it down to two. When the alternative is nothing at all, less chapters or books will be much preferred by your child.

• Read together. When you have more than one child, make reading communal. Where an older child is able to read finds this "unfair" or "annoying", suggest that they do their reading time alone (and you can check the story's content later). Another way to engage more than one child is to read a story pitched at each age group and have each of them listen politely in turn. You will also find that "family favorites" develop over time that all the children will love hearing. And don't forget recounts of your own childhood!

• Read individually. Even where you adopt the group reading, make at least one time a week per child to read individually. This is both a bonding exercise and a source of encouragement for your child.

• Talk out loud when you are reading. If you're reading a newspaper article or something online and you think it would interest your children, read it out loud to them. This can happen at any time and is a good indicator to children that reading is an everyday, useful activity.

• Visit the library once a month for story telling. Make use of your local library's story telling facilities; take your children when these are happening. While they are listening to the story, you can be relaxing or borrowing some books for your own interest.

• Praise your children. When your children read anything - be it the label off a cereal packet or a book, be sure to praise their reading at every chance you get. Creating a reading culture in your family is an important way of helping children cope with their feelings and problems, as well as answering their curiosities, and developing their imagination.

• Read everywhere. Take advantage of every reading opportunity. Play games in the car such as Who can read what a sign says the fastest, or explain to younger children what a sign says and what it means. You can do similar activities in the grocery store. doctors office, etc.

Encouraging Reluctant Readers!

It is very difficult as a parent who loves books and reading to understand a child whom is a reluctant reader. Your not alone! There are many parents and kids in the same situation. Frustrations can quickly arise when a reluctant reading wants nothing to do with books and reading and a parent feels as if they have exhausted all options and in their attempts to encourage reading.

Below are some tips that may help bring out the inner reader in children. With plenty of patience and the right resources on hand, a reluctant reading may grow to love books and become an avid reader.

Tips for Parents to Encourage Reluctant Readers:

Create the right enviroment
Reluctant readers need a safe and comfortable place to read, a small corner in the home would suffice. The area should include a comfortable place to sit such as a bean bag chair, excellent lighting, no distractions such as the TV and the area should be relatively quiet. Kids love to have their own private space and encouraging a reluctant reader includes a space where the reader can call their own where no one will bother them or invade their space. Sit reading materials in several quiet corners around the house suitable as a reading nook. Start a book basket or shelf in your childs room with a reading light.

Books for Reluctant Readers
Books need to hold a reader's interest especially a reluctant reader, finding a child's interest is of most importance and then choosing books geared towards that interest really helps to engage the child. If kids enjoy humor, some great choices are: Usborne Books, Dr. Seuss, Junie B. Jones and Captain Underpants. Graphic novels are also a great choice for reluctant readers especially boys, boys seem drawn to the graphic novels, they are very similar to a comic book read which is something many kids find very appealing. Magazines are also a great choice for reluctant readers, keep in mind the idea is to get the child to read no matter the type of literature being offered as long as it is appropriate, of course. Although as a parent, you may not find the reading material quite that appealing, keep in mind what is of interest to your child and not you. There are so many choices of books for reluctant readers, find your child's niche and run with it!

Parents as Readers
How many times have we heard that kids learn from what they see, as a role model to your child it is essential that a child sees their parent as a reader. Parents have very hectic schedules and sometimes it can be difficult to sit down for even a minute much less take the time to sit down to read but making reading in the home a priority is a choice a parent has to make and this includes sitting down to read while the child is reading. Reluctant readers especially need to see a parent, adult and/or care taker purposely sitting down to read, this small step of modeling can make all the difference in the world to a child and help to change the child from a reluctant reader to the best reader.

Books for Readers Should be at Their Level- Skill & age appropriate
One of the most discouraging aspects for a reader especially a reluctant reader is giving the child a book that is way too low for their level or worse yet, way too high. Discussing with the child's teacher the approximate reading level of the child would be beneficial and the teacher can most likely offer suggestions of books at the child's reading level. While you have the teacher in your presence, it may be helpful to ask of any reading strategies the teacher can suggest for you as a parent to work on at home with your child. If the teacher is not available or a teacher discussion is not an option, an easy and simple way to find out if a book is at a good reading level for your child is to do the five finger method which I have used over and over again with my students in the classroom. The idea is to have a child read one page out of a book, if they cannot read a word, they should put their finger on the word. If their five fingers are each on a word, the book is most likely too difficult. Kid's really understand this and it is a very tactile experience so kids typically remember how to check themselves for a book's compatibility with their own reading level.
Another aspect of this, is you may find books that are the right skill level for your child but the content may be for an age group that is not appropriate for your child. It will take some time and research to find books that will be satisfying on both levels if your child is behind or advanced in reading skill for his or her age/skill group.

Talk Lots about the Book
The best way to encourage comprehension of a book and gain an understanding of what your child is reading is by simply talking with them and asking lots of questions about the story. Kids love telling about stories and kids feel so special when a parent shows interest in something they are doing. Children should not always be required to write a report or do a diagram after a book is read, sometimes it is just fun to talk about a book and it really helps to engage a reluctant reader if they know they do not have to do some type of activity after reading the story. Many times discussing the book will draw out more information than a report or diagram would, reluctant readers really appreciate a discussion as opposed to a writing activity.

Books that offer more than words
Interactive books that make reading fun and entertaining are great choices for reluctant readers. Books that have search and find pages, puzzles, various activities, mysteries to solve and so on. Not everyone learns in the same manner. There's sight, hearing, and touch learners..Finding out what combination your child is and including books that contain those attributes will be a great help as well. Examples- books that have touchy-feely pages or books that have sound buttons.

High Picture to Text Ratio
The more graphics the better for many kids, especially reluctant readers. It helps many people if they have a visual to relate to something, this is due to many people being visual learners.