For students at the Soboba Tribal Preschool, reading is part of their daily routine. Whether it’s listening to a story read by their teacher or sitting in the reading and listening area of their classroom, they are surrounded by books.
Hosting a Scholastic Book Fair in the fall and spring gives parents the opportunity to purchase some of their children’s favorite stories to enjoy when they are not at school. Preschool Director Lenora “Ponie” Mojado was pleased with the strong turnout.
“The parents, students and teachers always enjoy the book fair; I also invited managers and other departments to join in,” she said. “We estimate that over 100 books were sold. This is a wonderful outcome for our preschool and kindergarten classrooms, providing funds for student gifts and new books that will enrich their learning environments.”
Mojado enjoys purchasing the Monster Truck books for her little cousins, and is also a big fan of Jory John, the author of The Smart Cookie, The Bad Seed, and The Cool Bean.
“The book fair has some Halloween and fall-themed books by Jory John, and I’m hoping to add those to my collection as well,” she said. “He’s my favorite author.”
The most popular book characters among the preschool children are Monster Trucks and Bluey, along with Paw Patrol and there were many titles in those series to choose from.
“Whenever they see their favorite characters at the book fair, they get so excited,” Mojado said. “Many of them enjoy picking out books and setting them aside at the register with their names on them. They often ask, ‘Can I write my name on the sticky (note) so no one takes it?’ and I always tell them yes, of course. The children truly enjoy all the books from the book fair. The girls especially love Disney Princess books, cat-themed stories, and journals with a lock and key. Overall, a wide range of genres is popular. When the children see the books, their eyes light up—it’s wonderful to watch.”
The teachers also enjoy the opportunity to promote reading to their students. As adults with interest in genres that range from non-fiction and romance to true crime, mysteries and inspirational, all enjoy reading to the kids in their classes.
Popular titles for the teachers to read to children in all three classrooms with children ranging from 3 to 5 years old include books by Eric Carle, especially The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
“It is very relatable to them because kids love to eat, and they love the science of the caterpillar morphing into a butterfly,” kindergarten teacher Betsy Post said. “They are in absolute disbelief when they finally see a beautiful butterfly emerge from its cocoon. Such a fun story!”
The Pete the Cat series is also popular.
“The catchy songs and themes in these books are great attention grabbers for children,” preschool teacher’s aide Jess Thompson said. “Also, any child-friendly books that are based on sharing, hygiene, how to be kind, ways to calm down, etc. are also my favorites. These types of books are a great way to introduce or review self-help and social-emotional skills.”
Pre-kindergarten teacher Ana Garcia said her students also enjoy Pete the Cat. “The students stay engaged because of the catchy repetitive songs and storytelling,” she said. “Children love to move and dance and sing along, making a fun interactive experience.”
Julissa Garcia loves sharing Pete the Cat and Llama Llama with her three-year-old students. “I love how Pete the Cat books have a musical tune to it so I can be more animated as a reader and they have fun learning concepts like counting, colors, problem-solving, and more,” she said. “Llama Llama books have a big selection that cover relatable topics for our preschoolers.”
She said reading to her students is an engaging way to connect/bond with children. “You never really know how often your students are read to at home, so as a teacher in the classroom, I take any opportunity to nourish their interests in books,” Garcia said. “It helps develop their language skills and builds their reading comprehension while gaining more understanding of the world around them. Children can also relate to certain characters in books they are exposed to, or they can even use their imaginations with more fictional characters.”
Pre-k teacher’s aide Amanda Juarez feels reading to children is important because it helps them develop language skills, it helps improve their cognitive development, helps with bonding and helps them with school.
“Reading to children is the foundation for everything they will learn later,” Ana Garcia said. “Reading to children introduces them to new words and teaches them language sounds.”
Post said kids thrive when they use their imaginations, especially while reading a book themselves or as they are being read to. She said their fluency grows and their understanding of new vocabulary explodes as they read.
“Children are like sponges. When reading to them, they pick up on all the words coming from the book, whether you notice it or not,” Thompson said. “Exposing them to different words or stories expands their vocabulary and also builds their literacy skills. From experience, I’ve noticed when reading to a student one-on-one, our bond grows. Being able to connect to something or someone in a story with them makes our connection stronger. Even if there is nothing to relate to in the story, just taking the time to read a book together allows them to see that they are important and a priority of mine.”
Each shared their thoughts on the most important skill students should develop to help them begin reading on their own, which is a goal at the preschool.
Julissa Garcia said being able to actively listen to a story first, then begin to retell the story in their own words is critical. “Utilizing props like visual cards to sequence the order of events in a story, puppets and dolls/figurines, and simply answering questions about the book are all great practices to build on those skills,” she said. “Students should also acknowledge books by learning the parts of a book (front cover, backside, spine, title, author, illustrator) and reading/turning pages from left to right. Also, beginning to understand that letters are symbols that make words, and that text has meaning is very important.”
Ana Garcia believes the most critical skill is letter sound and recognition combined with a love for books. She said that once children learn letters that represent sound it helps build confidence they will need to start reading words independently.
“In my opinion, phonics, print recognition, and vocabulary are great skills to develop before being able to read individually,” Thompson said. “Being aware of how text in books flow from left to right and understanding that words have sounds would be a great start.”
Juarez feels learning phonological awareness will help students begin reading on their own. Post said having confidence in themselves is the skill that helps new readers become fluent readers.
“The more they practice reading, the more fun reading becomes,” she said.
