Mother Goose

Ages 0-7+
Yes, I know you know her, but be honest... how often do you read Mother Goose to your kids? An amazingly few number of kindergartners and first graders are familiar with Mother Goose poems. They don't know poetry, and if they have heard it they don't know it by heart. Poems are such a great tool to help little ones learn to hear the rhythm and rhyme of our language. These are incredibly important components of building language and reading skills. Your preschooler should be able to recite several of their favorite Mother Goose poems, and be very familiar with many, many more. That's how you'll know if you're reading enough poetry to them. Plus, it takes you back to your own childhood. The funny thing is I bet you never realized how twisted many of the poems are. They take on a whole new meaning as an adult reader! Mother Goose poems are short, they have wonderful rhythm and rhyme and they help your child build the background knowledge that they will use through their entire career as a reader. Please, please, read Mother Goose to your kids! Any collection of Mother Goose will do, but here are a few of my favorites.

My Favorite Collections of Mother Goose:
Tomie dePaola
Sylvia Long
Arnold Lobel
Blanche Fisher Wright
Rosemary Wells
Mary Engelbreit
*Most of these are also available in a board book version for your younger listeners.