Reading with My Mom: Family Literacy Month November is National Family Literacy Month. Family literacy focuses on the importance of families reading together. This helps kids become stronger readers. Plus, kids and parents both enjoy more time together.
When I was two, my sister was born. Even though the new baby took most of my mom's time, my mom always made time for me. When the baby went down for a nap, my mom would always read to me. "That was our special time," she told me a few months ago. My favorite book was The Poky Little Puppy!
When I was in first grade, my teacher told the kids to take home the reading book at the end of the year. She wanted us to read the whole book over again, from cover to cover. Well, I'll bet a lot of kids didn't do it. But I did it and my mom was there with me the whole time. I sat with my mom on the couch and read the entire book out loud.
Even today, now that I'm all grown up, my mom and I read together. I read a lot of books and then I share them with my mom. After that, we like to discuss them. Sometimes, my mom has the same opinion that I have; sometimes, our opinions are quite different!
Today, a group of 7 authors and book or homeschool bloggers are starting a literacy campaign called Tweet for Literacy. Each one of us has a keen interest in family literacy. In addition to that, we are giving away a lot of prizes! These prizes are all about reading and about creating strong family ties.
Click here to read more about Tweet for Literacy and to enter the contest. We're giving away a set of prizes every two days for the month of November!
Enter as often as you like. Must be at least 18 to enter.
Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story(Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:
[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10] Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look
normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble,
the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble
and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to
Kimble's mother.
The Sad, Sweet Song that Reminds Me of Kimble Before Katie met Kimble, Kimble was all alone in that big, old house for many years. At times, she was lonely and sad.
There is a song that reminds me of Kimble. I think of it as Kimble's song. It's called "Graceful Ghost Rag."
"Rag" means that the song is ragtime. Ragtime uses certain
patterns and rhythms. Often, ragtime is fast and bouncy. In
the case of the "Graceful Ghost Rag," this ragtime piece is slow,
beautiful, and so sweet you could just cry.
The "Graceful Ghost Rag" was written in 1971. The man who wrote
it, William Bolcom, did so to remember his father who had died. I
hear it's one of the hardest ragtime pieces to play on the piano!
Click here to listen and watch three different versions of the "Graceful Ghost Rag."
Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story(Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:
[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10] Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look
normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble,
the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble
and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to
Kimble's mother.
Why Twinkle is a Great, Big Dog! Our
Katie & Kimble readers know that Katie has a dog named Twinkle.
Katie named him Twinkle because he was silver, the color of the stars.
She thought that in the sunlight, he twinkled like a star.
Twinkle is a great, big dog. He is an Old English sheepdog. When I was
first writing Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story, I needed to decide
what kind of dog Twinkle was going to be. I really needed a dog that
would protect Katie. If you have read Katie & Kimble: A Ghost
Story, you'll know why! Katie has a lot of adventures and gets into a
lot of trouble! It's a good thing Twinkle is there to protect her!
For hundreds of years, sheepdogs have been trained to protect sheep.
That is why they are so good with children. They make sure the child is
safe, too.
Sheepdogs have long hair that needs to be brushed a lot. Several years
ago, I worked with a woman who had a sheepdog. When she brushed his
hair, she saved the hair. Then later, she made the hair into a sweater
and wore it to work! Yeah, that really grossed me out, I must say.
Fun Katie & Kimble Hint: On the sidebars, click on the yellow stripes to hear Twinkle barking!
Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story(Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:
[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10] Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look
normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble,
the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble
and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to
Kimble's mother.
Twinkle's Song: Twinkle, Twinkle, Great Big Dog! Twinkle, Katie Russell's big Old English sheepdog, is one of the most popular characters in the Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story series. One of our Katie & Kimble readers wondered if Twinkle had a song. Here's the answer!
Twinkle sort of does have a song! Here is what I am thinking. Well, have you read the Kimble, Kimble chant? It's over on the right sidebar and also on the last page of the Katie & Kimble books.
Well,
this chant almost fits into the melody of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little
Star." I especially like the part where it goes, "Twinkle, Twinkle,
great big dog!"
So, I guess, at this point, Twinkle's song is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Great Big Dog!" I thought that was kind of fun!
Here
is how the Kimble, Kimble chant fits into the melody of "Twinkle,
Twinkle, Little Star." You CHANT the first two lines: Kimble, Kimble is
a ghost. Katie, Katie loves her most!
Then you can either keep
chanting, or you can start singing, "Twinkle, Twinkle, great big dog."
And if you start singing there, the rest of the chant fits into the
song perfectly! I did not plan that, so I think it's pretty funny!
Give it a try!
You can listen to the Kimble, Kimble chant when you watch the Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story video here!
Or, click on Freddie on the left sidebar up at the top of this blog
page. She's the Katie & Kimble Blog host and she will recite the
Kimble, Kimble chant for you!
Fun Katie & Kimble Hint: On the sidebars, click on the yellow stripes to hear Twinkle barking!
Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story(Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:
[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10] Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look
normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble,
the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble
and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to
Kimble's mother.
Katie & Kimble Blog: A Visit from a Baseball Player! Have
you read the story about the baseball player I knew when I was a kid?
It's over on the right sidebar of the Katie & Kimble Blog. It's
called "When I was 9: The Baseball Player," and it's a true story.
When
we lived in Minnesota, Rich Rollins was the third baseman for the
Minnesota Twins. He was also our neighbor. When I created the Katie
& Kimble blog, I wrote a a true story about Rich and posted it on
the blog.
Well, one day, Rich's son, Jim Rollins, was googling his dad's name and
he came across my story on this blog. Then, when he went over to visit
his parents, he showed them the story. Here is what Jim had to say: "I showed [my dad] the story and he really enjoyed the memory." It was a lot of fun for my family to hear from Rich, his wife Lynn, and their son, Jim, too! Thanks, Jimmy!
Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story(Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:
[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10] Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look
normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble,
the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble
and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to
Kimble's mother.
Learn the Kimble, Kimble Chant! Do you like to play hand-clapping games with your best friend? Here's a new one you can learn from Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story!
You
can now learn the Kimble, Kimble chant. The Kimble, Kimble chant tells
the story of how Kimble, the ghost of a 10-year-old girl meets Katie
Russell, who is almost nine!
The words to the Kimble, Kimble chant
are below. And if you wish to hear the chant, click on our little
Katie & Kimble Blog host. Her name is Freddie and she's up in the
left sidebar of the blog. She will be happy to say the chant for you!
You can also hear the Kimble, Kimble chant by clicking on the Katie & Kimble video on the right sidebar.
The Kimble, Kimble Chant! Kimble, Kimble is a ghost. Katie, Katie loves her most. Twinkle, Twinkle great big dog Found a bow inside a log.
Kimble, Kimble put it there. Katie wore it in her hair. Friends they are and friends they'll be Throughout all eternity.
Make your own set of hand claps to go with the
Kimble, Kimble chant!
-- -- -- -- -- --
You have the permission of the author, Linda Thieman, to print this out
and make copies of it for your own personal use or any classroom use.
Fun Katie & Kimble Hint: On the sidebars, click on the yellow stripes for a little surprise or two!
Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story(Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:
[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10] Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look
normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble,
the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble
and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to
Kimble's mother.
November is National Family Literacy Month. Family literacy focuses on the importance of families reading together. This helps kids become stronger readers. Plus, kids and parents both enjoy more time together.
Our
Katie & Kimble readers know that Katie has a dog named Twinkle.
Katie named him Twinkle because he was silver, the color of the stars.
She thought that in the sunlight, he twinkled like a star.
Have
you read the story about the baseball player I knew when I was a kid?
It's over on the right sidebar of the Katie & Kimble Blog. It's
called "
