Early Childhood Care Providers and Educators play a crucial role in the development of the children they care for. Recent research studies have shown that early childhood experiences help determine brain structure, shaping thinking and learning. In addition, children who are introduced to books and early literacy skills from a young age are more likely to succeed when they go to school.
Many raising readers books have an activity page printed into the back of the book. These activity pages support early literacy skill-building and were developed by Susan Bennett-Armistead, PhD, the Correll Professor of Early Literacy at the University of Maine.
The Early Care and Education version of the Maine Early Literacy Calendar is a collaboration with Maine Roads to Quality and Early Literacy for Every Child (ELEC), an Early Reading First project at the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. The calendar features the books that raising readers will give to Maine children at birth and at well child visits throughout 2012. ELEC staff developed information on each title that can support early childhood educators in effectively using the books with children.
Works Cited in the Early Care and Education Version of the 2012 Maine Early Literacy Calendar
CURRENT raising readers Books
ACTIVITIES for raising readers Books
READING TIPS in English
Download READING TIPS in other languages
Download the "Emergent Literacy - Developmental Assessment Tool"
See Kids Health for information on early childhood development and children's health issues.
Calendar pages for each title and age group are available by clicking the months below. If you'd like a copy of the calendar, please email your mailing address to info@raisingreaders.org.
Note: distribution of each title may not coincide with the month the book is featured. raising readers books turn over on a rolling basis.
January
Newborn: Book!, Time For Bed, Chunky Books – 4 pack
February
2 months: Hip, Hop
March
4 months: Quack, Quack, Maisy
April
6 months: Baby Faces
May
9 months: Animals (My Little Carry Me Books)
June
12 months: Hop a Little, Jump a Little!
July
15 months: Who Hoo Are You?
August
18 months: Who's in the Forest?
September
24 months: I Can Help
October
36 months: For Just One Day
November
48 months: Homer, the Library Cat
December
60 months: Maine Stories for Maine Children: A raising readers Collection
