By Julie Rebboah; illustrated by Loryn Brantz
Lightning Bug Learning Press
www.lightningbuglearning.com
16869 SW 65th Ave., #271
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
877-695-7312
The Magic Letters and Magic Words books by Julie Rebboah are some of the best
I've seen for young, emerging readers. These books are colorful, engaging, and
fun. An audio CD can be purchased separately or along with the book set. This
CD includes the read-along version and the read-out-loud version of each book.
Magic Letters: The Keys to the World of Words is an alphabet book of sorts. There are 26 stories--one for each letter of the alphabet. Stories are short, repetitive, and patterned, giving young readers a chance at successfully reading a story on their own. Parents can read the book to the child, one story at a time over the course of several weeks, and then allow the child to read a bit. Once the child has heard the story enough times, he will have memorized parts of it so that he can go back and read it alone. The CD can also be used for the child's quiet reading time. He can listen to the stories all the way through and then use the read-out-loud version to give him a chance to read a word on each page. This method of learning to read can be very successful, especially for auditory learners. This book will give a child the basics of letters and sounds, along with some sight words.
The next book in the series, Magic Words: Discovering the
Adventure of Reading, is a little bit more advanced. With this book, a child will learn the short vowel sounds. Word families are emphasized with the rhyming text of each story. This book takes a child beyond just letters and sounds, teaching a child how to put words together. Sight words are also part of each story. Just by learning a few sight words and CVC words from this book, your child will have a good foundation for reading. As with the other book, your child can use the CD to help him read on his own.
I have struggled in teaching my six-year-old daughter how to read. After getting half-way through one of the best phonics programs out there, I almost gave up. My daughter just was not learning the way that I, a former classroom teacher, had been taught how to teach her! I had to take a step back and figure out the way that she learns best. I decided to start working with her on memorizing sight words. Then, as she became more confident with them, I would introduce a few CVC words. We found very few materials that worked for her. Then, along came the Magic
Letters and Magic Words books. I am not exaggerating when I say that these books changed our lives! These were the first books my daughter was enthusiastic about reading. She could not wait to read each story, and we had to read at least two from each book every day. When her dad got home from work, she would pull a book out and read to him. She finally became excited about reading. Now she is well on her way to becoming a confident, fluent reader. I attribute that to Julie Rebboah's books.
I recommend Magic Letters and Magic Words to anyone with young children who are just starting to read or who are struggling with reading. I am so glad to have discovered the Lightning Bug Press books, and I plan to order more books from them in the future. It is refreshing to find reading materials for students who do not learn in a conventional way. You will not be disappointed by these beautiful, high-quality books.
Product review by Jenny Thompson, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, March 2010
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