An Open Book

By Betty Bassett  (Site Is Under Construction.  More Books Will Be Added Daily)

Reading to children teaches them about people, places, and events outside of their own experience.  It also enhances children's ability to predict language whether spoken or written easing their efforts to comprehend.  With their familiarity through exposure with language, children begin to understand sentence structure and how thought is conveyed.  In school then it takes children less time to struggle with verbal or written instruction.  Their familiarity with language then aids in thought formulation and sentence construction to convey meaning.  Reading to children everyday helps them develop a keen sense of imagination.  They also acquire an emotional vocabulary to effectively communicate their feelings to others.  They, in a sense, exert more power in the world because then, they have the vocabulary in which to nestle their thoughts to convey meaning to others.  Language is powerful and to command it is power.  No wonder that children who are read to, do better in school.

Below are books that are free and in the public domain.  Clicking on Gutenberg will give you the text of the book.  Clicking on Librivox will give you the audio recordings of the book that have been read aloud by volunteers. 

TITLE: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass

AUTHOR: Lewis Carroll

GUTENBERG: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12/12-h/12-h.htm

LIBRIVOX: https://librivox.org/search/?q=Alice%27s%20Adventures%20in%20Wonderland%20&search_form=advanced

TITLE: The Secret Garden

AUTHOR: Frances Hodgson Burnett

GUTENBERG: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/17396/pg17396.cover.medium.jpg

LIBRIVOX: https://librivox.org/search/?q=The%20Secret%20Garden&search_form=advanced

TITLE: Peter Pan

AUTHOR: J.M. Barrie

GUTENBERG: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26654

LIBRIVOX:  https://librivox.org/search/?q=Peter%20Pan%20&search_form=advanced

TITLE: Captain Salt in Oz

AUTHOR: Ruth Plumly THOMPSON

GUTENBERG: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56073

LIBRIVOX:  https://librivox.org/group/527?primary_key=527&search_category=group&search_page=1&search_form=get_results

TITLE: The Cowardly Lion of Oz

AUTHOR: Ruth Plumly THOMPSON

GUTENBERG: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58765

LIBRIVOX: https://librivox.org/the-cowardly-lion-of-oz-by-ruth-plumly-thompson/

Reference

http://www.gutenberg.org/about/

https://librivox.org/pages/about-librivox/

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/why-reading-aloud-to-kids-helps-them-thrive#:~:text=But%20reading%20also%20strengthens%20children's,%2C%20hyperactivity%2C%20and%20attention%20difficulties.

https://www.cameverlands.org.uk/10-benefits-of-reading/