Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll

Friday, October 22, 2010

Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll

Retold by: Hiawyn Oram

First line: Once there was a witch called Baba Yaga.

Why you should read this book: The virtuous are rewarded and the wicked are punished in this Russian fairy tale about Too Nice Child and her terrible siblings, Horrid Child and Very Horrid Child. While the cruel brothers send their overly kind sister off to certain death at the hands of the witch, little Too Nice depends on the encouragement of the little doll her mother left her before she died and ends up impressing critical Baby Yaga. The surprising ending may horrify adults, but is sure to delight children.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've let your brothers walk all over you for far too long, and now you're plotting your revenge.

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Studies show that children who regularly hear books read and see adults reading books have an easier time learning to read. If your children do not realize that books are fun and contain interesting ideas, they will be less motivated to learn how to read and write. Children who do not learn to read and write have difficulty succeeding in school and at life.

Even infants can enjoy books. You can check baby board books out of the library. Your baby will enjoy sitting on your lap as you read the words and point to the brightly colored pictures. If your baby wants to chew on the book, that's OK too.

Toddlers and pre-schoolers should understand how to hold a book (right side up) and how to turn the pages (left to right in English). Even if they're not ready to read, you can help your child prepare for school by teaching them how to talk about the stories they've heard. Pre-schoolers should be able to tell you something about character, setting, conflict, and resolution. After reading a story, prompt your child to tell you who the story was about, where it happened, what the problem was, and how it was solved.

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You can learn more about children's books at the American Library Association website. Your public library is a great place to introduce your children to books. They will have special programs and incentives for kids of all ages to love reading. In most systems children are entitled to their own library cards from the time they are old enough to write their own names. It's a great way to teach responsibility as well as foster a lifelong love of learning and books.

If you can't get to the library, but you have an Internet connection, you can find many full-text books on-line. For adults, Project Gutenberg offers thousands of full-text books you can download for free.

Dragon's Library

Friday, October 22, 2010