Chatting About Books:
Recommendations for Young Readers

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Episode 14—The Benefits of Repeated Readings

Book Chat

• Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney (Viking Juvenile, 2005)
  It’s time for bed, but Llama Llama in his red pajamas starts feeling frightened as he sits alone in his dark bedroom. His calls for mama start out as whimpers but build to a bellowing frenzy that causes Mama Llama to rush to his room. Any parent who has ever tried to put a child to bed will completely relate to this fun story full of rhythm and rhyme. And any child who has experienced the bedtime blues will relate to Llama Llama’s nighttime antics.
  Best for ages 4–8.
  
  
• Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney (Viking Juvenile, 2007)
  Have you ever tried shopping with a little person? It can be exasperating for everyone and, as in Anna Dewdney’s second Llama Llama book, can cause some “llama drama.” Llama Llama isn’t too thrilled to be grocery shopping with his mother and his small frustrations turn into a huge tantrum in the middle of the store. Once again, Anna Dewdney has written a book that kids and parents can connect with.
  Best for ages 4–8.
  
  
• Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney (Viking Juvenile, 2009)
  Llama Llama is off to school in Anna Dewdney’s third Llama Llama book. Llama Llama is pretty sure that he is going to miss his mama, but throughout the day he discovers instead how fun school can be and that his mama will always return at the end of the day. This read aloud is a perfect way to ease first day jitters at the beginning of the school year.
  Best for ages 4–8.
  
  
• Grumpy Gloria by Anna Dewdney (Viking Juvenile, 2006)
  Meet Gloria. She’s a bulldog who’s got a lot of grump about her. When Gloria feels like she’s being replaced by a new birthday toy, she starts feeling down in the dumps and nothing her kid owners do can help get her out of it… until Gloria finally finds a way to reunite herself with the birthday girl. The pictures and the words mesh nicely to provide a fun and expressive read aloud.
  Best for ages 4–8

Cookies and Milk
Emily meets with Selee, Ilyiana, and Ian to talk all things Llama Llama. Ian and Ilyiana share their favorite parts of the books while their mom Selee talks about the benefits of repeated readings (reading a book more than once). Ian connected to Llama Llama’s bedtime plight, while Ilyiana was able to pick out the rhyming words after only a few readings.

About the Host

Emily Manning started teaching first grade in 1999 and is now a reading intervention teacher for third- through fifth-graders. Emily’s passion is reading; she enjoys the challenge each year of finding books that will spark the love of reading in her students. Emily’s favorite books are the ones kids ask to read over and over — the ones that are worn out from so many readings, complete with wrinkled pages and loose bindings.

These include

• Bubba the Cowboy Prince by Helen Ketteman (Scholastic, 1997)
• Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (Yearling, 2001)
• The Jazz Fly by Matthew Gollub (Tortuga, 2000)
• The Magical, Marvelous, Mystical Coat by Catherine Ann Cullen (Little, Brown, 2001)
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Puffin, 2004)