( 
)Want to find a fun and effective tool to help your young kids learn to read? Clifford the Big Red Dog may have an answer! Clifford & Company readers and activity books provide themed educational tools that are designed with reading and fun in mind.
What are Clifford & Company Readers and Activity Books?
Clifford & Company readers are hardcover books published by Scholastic, Inc. They are specifically written for beginning readers. Clifford & Company activity books are softcover books that combine the advantages of a coloring/activity book with the advantages of a reader. You will find that each hardcover reader has a softcover activity book published with the same title. You can tell Clifford & Company books from other Clifford books by the "Clifford & Company" banner, found on the front of the book next to the title.
What is the advantage of having two themed books with one title?
People learn differently. Some people learn by reading, some by listening, some by watching, and yet others by doing. Although kids also tend to have one area of learning in which they are stronger, they learn best when differing approaches are used. For example, an auditory learner might learn even better is while listening to an adult read the story, the child can color the accompanying images in the activity book. A child who learns best by "doing", may learn even better if he can read the story that goes along with his coloring or maze problem solving. Clifford books are teaching tools that provide several different avenues of learning to be utilized. Furthermore, teaching a child to learn through all of his/her senses leads a an even greater skill . . . critical thinking. Problem solving requires much more than memorization.
How do Clifford & Company books encourage critical thinking?
Clifford & Company Readers are rhyming books. The stories flow similar to other children's books that utilize rhythms. Dr. Seuss was the master of this technique, although his writing utilized words that were not real, whereas Clifford & Company books stick to actual words. Rhyming books teach kids relationships between words and phrases. They exercise many different areas of the brain at the same time. Here is an example from "A Puppy to Love":
I looked at Puppy Number One, I looked at Puppy Two. But Puppy Three was made for me. No other pup would do. "This dog's a runt," my parents warned. "He always will be small." "That's okay," I told them. "He needs me most of all." (A Puppy to Love, pgs 5-6).
Clifford & Company readers differ from Big Red Readers, in that they do not have a comprehension quiz at the end of the book. What they do have is a letter to parents in the front of the book. The letter, written by an educational specialist, explains the objectives of the book. For example, in the Clifford & Company reader entitled, "A Puppy to Love", the letter explains how Emily Elizabeth learns about unconditional love through loving Clifford. Expounding on this, the letter explains how this story can help children and adults understand what feeling "small" can do to one's psyche, and just how unconditional love can help such a person feel wanted and so very special. This is a skill that can't be taught through words alone. Only if a child can see the problem from every angle, can a solution be formulated. In this case, Clifford is very small and helpless as a puppy. Emily Elizabeth seeing this chooses the best of several options. She could be mean to Clifford, which would be easy since she is much bigger. She could ignore Clifford, which wouldn't require much either. She could engage Clifford and learn how to care for him, assuring that he has the best chance of growing up. Of course, Emily Elizabeth chooses the last option.
Now how can you use this information in helping your child read? First of all you must realize that there is much more to this than "reading". This requires reading with your child, discussing what you have read, and supplementing the learning with the actitivities in the activity book.
How does the activity book help?
Each page of the activity book has a paragraph for the child or adult to read. The paragraph will connect the activity to someone or something in the hardcover reader. By completing the activity, the child actually reviews what he/she read in the book! So not only does the activity book allow the child an artistic outlet, but it reinforces learning from the reader. A great system if you ask me!
What are the Ten Reinforced Values found in every Clifford book?
Every Clifford book, whether picture book (from which each Clifford & Company book is based on), Big Red Readers, or otherwise, is based on 10 enduring principles. They are: 1. Be a Good Friend. 2. Play Fair. 3. Share. 4. Help Others. 5. Be Responsible. 6. Be Kind. 7. Have Respect. 8. Work Together. 9. Be Truthful. 10. Believe in Yourself. These values are simple and something that most any child can learn.
While Clifford & Company books are written with all these 10 values in mind, each book specifically focuses on one of these values. For example, "A Puppy to Love" has an overall message of "Be Kind". This is writen on the back of the book (another help for parents in choosing the right book).
Back of "A Puppy to Love"
Clifford & Company hardcover readers and softcover activity books. Great teaching tools from the most trusted (and used) educational publisher in the world . . . Scholastic, Inc. Add a few to your "arsenal" of teaching tools. You might just like the results!
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