NPL Read to Rise

A Neighborhood Walk, A Musical Journey by Pilar Winter Hill, a violinist prodigy, is a celebration of a wonderfully musical neighborhood based on Pilar's own childhood in Brooklyn. Little Penelope and her mother set out on a Saturday morning for the Farmer's Market when they encounter music in the air and they discover someone playing a saxophone. A few streets later, they discover a drummer in the subway station and so their morning goes with discovery of a flutist, a guitarist and more until they arrive at the Farmer's Market where Penelope hears a violin. Penelope is absolutely mesmerized and pictures herself playing the violin. This book is a great introduction to many musical instruments and would be really fun to listen to music featuring each of the instruments after reading.

Nashville Children's Librarians have created a monthly calendar for parents and caregivers of young children. Download one today at library.nashville.org/readtorise and start doing simply activities with your little ones to boost their brain power!

For your child to learn to love books, they need to have access to them! Make sure you have books in every room of your house, in your bag for when you're out and about, in the car, and everywhere. Your little one will be more likely to pick them up and "read" if they have easy access.

Our friends at Bringing Books to Life have some great tips for learning while visiting the grocery store!

I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha Spillett-Sumner is the story of a mother preparing for the birth of her child as she gathers items that will become a part of her child's medicine bundle. In the author's note, readers discover that the Inninwak nation, that the author is member of, and other Indigenous peoples believe that a baby chooses their parents before they are born or conceived. The medicine bundle is an item the child can carry throughout their life and remember their parent's love and links to their identity. A sweet story to share with your little one and celebrate your love for them.

Oops! It's Tip Tuesday on a Wednesday! Play I-Spy with your kiddo. Start out by choosing something simple and pretty obvious and work your way up as your child learns and grows. Let them have a turn, too, of course. Have fun!

Remember, written by Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, is an adaptation of the same poem and emphasizes our importance and how we are a part of the earth. Bright, beautiful illustrations by Michaela Goade draw the eye from page to page. Harjo is a member of the Mvskoke Nation and Goade is a member of the Tlingit Nation. Prepare to spend time contemplating your life and our place on the planet when you finish reading this story!

Your babies have little brains like sponges - constantly soaking up knowledge! Talk to them throughout the day including meal times. Talk about what they're eating and use great descriptive words - sweet, soft carrots or crunchy puffs. The more words and experiences your baby is exposed to the more the brain will be stronger and smarter! And as always, have fun!

I Am Okay to Feel is the story of a father and son taking a walk and discussing how happy they feel and things that make them happy. As the day turns cloudy and dark and the rain falls, the child's emotions turn darker as well. He's scared of the strong winds and lightning but his father quickly helps him recognize and describe his feelings and comforts his fear. This is a great book about feelings and how it's ok to feel whatever you're feeling. A resources and activities section in the back will help you have discussions with your children about feelings as well.

Choose a word of the week and immerse yourselves in it. Write the word so your child can see the letters that make it (and let your child write it however they can). Read books about your word and watch short videos about it. Just have fun learning about the word!

April is National Poetry Month and Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer is a great story to share with your little one. On Monday, Daniel visits the park and finds a sign that says "Poetry in the Park" Sunday at 6:00. All week long he asks the different creatures in park what poetry is and they answer with the sights and sounds that they experience like "sun-warmed sand" and "bright stars." When Sunday arrives Daniel is ready to share his own poem at the park. Take a walk with your child and see what seems poetic to you and share with your child. Also, the library has lots of books with poetry for young children so stop by and check some out!

Reading the latest John Grisham or Emily Henry? Feel free to read out loud to your infant. When they're itty bitty words are important but so is the cuddling that takes place. Your baby needs to know that they're loved, safe, and warm so breaking out the Tolkien is perfectly ok! Just enjoy this precious time together.