My Shining Star: Raising A Child Who Is Ready To Learn

By Rosemary Wells

Book Overview

One of America's most popular children's book author/artists is galvanizing teachers all over America with her inspiring and powerful parenting guide that will help children get ready to learn!... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 043984701X
• ISBN13: 9780439847018
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 0.5" x 6.3"
• Age Range: 3 years and under

Customer Reviews

great message for parents

While most of Rosemary Wells' books are for kids this is definitely for parents. I don't think many parents would buy this for themselves but I think it would make a great baby shower gift. She gives us ten suggestions as parents to help our children learn. This is a sweet book with cute illustrations and a truly important message for parents.

"Give Me a Child Who is Ready to Learn, I'll Give You a Shining Star in Return!"

In "My Shining Star: Raising a Child Who is Ready to Learn," it's parents who learn what's important when it comes to raising their kids and getting them ready for school. This book features ten simple, but very important lessons that can be a cornerstone for raising kindly, well-mannered children. The book starts right off with Rule #1 --- Respect. It says basically that when children are treated with respect, they will have self-respect and will learn to have respect for others. Another great rule is #6 --- Honesty, which says that children need to be taught to respect the truth and see justice used at home. Never heavy-handed, but plainly put, these lessons are golden. The book of the book contains endorsements from Robert Coles (a child psychologist at Harvard University) and Jason Kamras (2005 Teacher of the Year.) But I think after you read it, one if its biggest endorsers will be you. The book is illustrated in the familiar Rosemary Wells style, using her classic rabbit characters seen in book such as "Read to Your Bunny."

Perfect gift for new parents

This lovely little book is a primer for parents---very simply written with a direct message about how to be sure children are ready to learn when they begin school. Patience, honesty and good habits are mentioned, among others. I teach kindergarten and have convinced my principal to buy it for all my parents next year. Love this book!

A MUST read for all families

Rosemary Wells is known for her commitment to children's literacy. Her "Read to your Bunny" campaign rolled out across the country a few years ago. Wells addressed a group of librarians recently and passionately discussed the education challenges facing our schools and our nation. Young children are struggling more than ever in school. The reasons are numerous and familiar to most of us. Rather than continue to bewail the whys and wherefores of the issue, she used a brilliant analogy to explain what we need to do. She pointed out that if a building was on fire and hundreds of people needed to be saved it would take the clear voice of a fireman, issuing simple commands to evacuate everyone to safety. (Instead of dithering about discussing why the fire started and how fires really are a problem for certain kinds of structures, the important thing is to get safely away.) Her book "My Shining Star: Raising a Child who is Ready to Learn" was written with input from teachers and librarians all around the country. Wells lists ten virtues which parents should promote to prepare their child for the most wonderful adventure of all, education. She addresses parents in the preface: "All children bring to school what they learn at home. This book is about creating a home full of harmony and the preparation of a successful child. You are your child's first teacher." Her virtues include Respect, Listening, Patience, Trust, Work, Honesty, Time ("Children spell love T - I - M - E,") Reading, Writing, and Habits. This little book is only 13 pages long and only has about 25 words (at most) per page. Wells's lovely rabbit drawings warmly illustrate each virtue. She lays out a path for raising a child who is ready for school. It seems so simple and so obvious but so many children arrive in Kindergarten ill-equipped to learn. If you know a family with young children, present them with a copy of this tiny treasure. This little book is going to be my gift to new parents along with Goodnight Moon and a Mother Goose book. During her speech she also related a story about a principal she knows who works tirelessly to awaken parents to the needs of their children. He tells them to "Grow up! Pay attention! Be Responsible for your child!" I did not know that, nationally, only 26% of all parents attend their kids' Open House or Back to School nights. The alarm has sounded and Rosemary Wells has given us ten simple steps to help children get ready to learn.