Bringing Up Bookmonsters: The Joyful Way to Turn Your Child into a Fearless, Ravenous Reader

by Amber Ankowski, Andy Ankowski

Overview

The no-stress, ferociously fun way to raise a kid who loves to read—complete with reading recommendations and activities to inspire!

Teaching your child to read is monstrously important, and there’s no better way to do it than with everyday opportunities for laughter and play. Bringing Up Bookmonsters is full of fun ways to build literacy at home—no flashcards or timers required! Feed your budding bookmonster’s brain as you:

• Turn storytime into playtime to build comprehension.
• Get giggling with games and jokes that reinforce spelling.
• Converse at family meals with varied vocabulary.
• Satisfy your bookmonster’s cravings with books they are sure to devour!

These tips and many more make it easy to help your child develop an insatiable appetite for reading—and have a tremendously good time doing it!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615195862
Publisher:	The Experiment
Publication date:	05/11/2021
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,034,947
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Amber Ankowski earned her PhD in developmental psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she extensively studied children’s language development. Her research has been published in academic journals including Child Development Research, Infant and Child Development, and Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition. She teaches psychology at UCLA and lives in LA.

Andy Ankowski studied creative writing while obtaining his BA in English at the University of Notre Dame. He is currently an award-winning advertising copywriter and creative director who specializes in explaining complex products and services in simple – and often laugh-out-loud funny – ways. He lives in LA.
 

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Bookmonster Right Under Your Nose 1

Part I Giving Birth to Your Bookmonster

1 Anatomy of a Bookmonster 12

2 The Perfect Bookmonster Call 18

3 Listening to a Bookmonster 26

4 Moving Like a Bookmonster 36

5 The Right Time to Read to a Bookmonster 44

6 The Right Way to Read to a Bookmonster 54

Part II Making Your Bookmonster Feel at Home

7 Setting a Bookmonster Trap 72

8 A Bookmonster's Natural Habitat 75

9 Bookmonsters on the Loose 85

10 Screen Time for Bookmonsters 93

11 Playtime for Bookmonsters 108

12 Bookmonsters Travel in Packs 120

Part III Feeding Your Growing Bookmonster

13 The Best Books for Your Bookmonster 128

14 Speaking a Bookmonster's Language 146

15 Working a Bookmonster's Memory 159

16 The Magic of a Bookmonster's Name 164

17 Bookmonsters Like Laughing 171

18 Two-Tongued Bookmonsters 177

Part IV Teaching Your Bookmonster Tricks

19 Bookmonsters Love to Spell 186

20 Bookmonsters Love to Write 193

21 Bookmonsters Go Wild for Weird Words 205

22 Bookmonsters Keep It Real 215

23 Bookmonsters Sweat the Small Stuff 222

24 Bookmonsters Say It Like They Mean It 233

Conclusion: Bookmonsters Can Overcome Anything 243

Notes 249

Bookshelf 257

Further Reading 265

Index 267

Acknowledgments 277

About the Authors 280

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/01/2021

Wife and husband Amber Ankowski, a psychology professor, and Andy Ankowski, a writer, follow up Think Like a Baby with a delightful guide to instilling a love of reading in children. All children have a “bookmonster” inside, the authors advise, and parents can bring it out by incorporating reading into everyday life and making it fun. Their advice comes in four sections that cover child development, reader-friendly environments (with books at eye level, or letting children take the lead at the library), a “grocery list of materials, activities, and talking points,” and guidance for advance practices such as writing. The authors write with humor and whimsy (“Cover yourself in khaki and throw on one of those big, round explorer hats. Because we’re about to go on an adventure... deep into the lair of the legendary, elusive creature known as the bookmonster”), but keep their advice practical, with suggestions, for instance, to talk to children and play word games early, read aloud with expression, and use books as a way to discuss family values. For parents looking to bolster literacy, these encouraging tips will feel like an easy-to-follow treasure map. Agent: Uwe Stender, Triada US Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A delightful guide to instilling a love of reading in children. . . . For parents looking to bolster literacy, these encouraging tips will feel like an easy-to-follow treasure map.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher