Excellent resource for parent wanting to teach their child to read!
592726
I came across this book twice before actually buying it, at first thinking it was just another "Teach Your Child to Read..." book.
One thing I like about this book is that it incorporates phonemic awareness lessons to be done before actually beginning the reading process. This surprised me, because most parents don't think to do this kind of "work" with their child. I had already done some of the suggested activities with my little ones (when I bought the book I had four 2-4yos in my daycare - two were mine.)
We started the program with the oldest three who were at or near age 4. All three had fun "playing the letter games" as they called the lessons. All three began reading very quickly. Two went off to public school, while I homeschooled my daughter. She is now 5, has started her "official" kindergarten year, and is reading at a late 2nd grade level. I have now started teaching my youngest with this program. He is a bit tougher, and doesn't beg to play, but the method is working with him, and he is beginning to understanding the "sounding-out" process!
I have to give this program 5 stars because I have seen it work...not with just my own children, but with other children, too!
Blessings!
2383792
My 9 year old really enjoyed reading this book. In fact, especially because you can choose your own venture, he has read it several times. My younger child and I have been taking turns with big brother to read it, as well. It had been hard to successfully motivate my kids to continue reading during the summer break from school! After exhausting our choices at our small town public library, my eldest decided to re-re-read his Captain Underpants collection, but I really wanted him to read something new. We had never watched or heard of this apparent show on Disney Channel, but somehow I came across this book, and even better it has multiple paths the reader can take so that they really are reading something new, each time! My son would not stop talking about this book; he could not wait to tell us about the different paths he would take. Many times he would tell us he failed "the mission", but you simply go back to the chapter you came from and take the other path. One downside: My son had to use two bookmarks to keep track, one to mark the current page, but another to mark the last chapter he came from, in case he did "fail," because each venture you choose has you skipping around the entire book so it can be hard to remember which page you came from. It's appears to be in random order, you'll be reading from the back of the book, then back to the front, then the middle, etc. Some ventures are barely two pages and then it has you skipping to another place in the book, but my son seemed to enjoy this. I love that my child loves this book and also that the content is kid friendly. I love that they did included some color pictures in the story along with two small posters in the back of the book, as well. I purchased the hardback cover and was very impressed with the quality. I had to finally tell my son to STOP reading, and go to sleep!
2343754
I tried teaching my 7 year old son to read using several different methods over a two year period. A lot of it stuck but none of it actually got him to read. This program is graded, in other words, it starts easy and the difficult increases from there, it is simple to receive a lesson and give one. It has been an absolute pleasure for both my son and I to do. We are 61 lessons into it now and he actually demands I give him two lessons per day including on the weekends. He is now reading independently and has plans to get his skills up to the point where he can read some stories he has his eye on. I can not recommend this course highly enough. I taught my son to read, in a short time, in a way both of us enjoy. Very highly recommended for anyone helping your kids to learn how to read.
3336582
My children all learned to read with this book, and I am very happy with each child's reading level. I love having a book that doesn't require prep time (seems to be a rarity in homeschooling)! Toward the end of the book, we would get creative in reading the longer stories (I would allow a child to do a simple activity, such as a handstand while I hold legs up, or a stretch, while he/she reads), which kept it from seeming too long. We also made sticker charts for each child (a sticker for each lesson completed). Sometimes the little things make such a difference.
44769
These books have facilitated a way for my children to teach their children to read and be successful!  We started with set one and now our 4 year old granddaughter is on set 8!! Thanks Reading for All Learners!!
4004635
This book is a great resource for parents who are interested in raising their child to be bilingual. Adam Beck does an effective job of outlining the challenges parents can expect on the journey, but he also makes a compelling case for how rewarding it is for both the child and the parent. The book provides both personal reflections, along with research-based practices. The recommendations he gives throughout the book are great for not only learning another language, but are useful for any parent. The author's passion for the topic is evident, and readers should come away excited to start implementing the tips and recommendations he offers.
506528
This work book covers many different reading strategies in an attempt to cover all the different ways that kids can learn and comprehend.  My son likes and seems to benefit from the Mind maps and the Problem and Solution lessons, but he does not care for the Doodle Pad.  But that is fine, not all kids learn the same way and I think it is excellent they have included so many different ways attack reading.  Your job as a parent will be to pick what works best for your child or follow their lead and hone in on the areas that seem to work best.  You don't HAVE to complete the whole workbook to get benefit, and you wouldn't want to make your child become frustrated with parts that don't click with them.  The goal is to have fun while learning.

I LOVE the fact that this work book is in vibrant color.  It makes it more appealing to the eye and to kids.  Rather than seeming dry or boring, immediately interest is sparked with big colorful pictures and words.  Don't underestimate the power of "eye candy".

To sum up I think this is an excellent tool and resource for parents (and probably teachers).  I would recommend this reading workbook to any parent who wants to help their child have success with reading.
3103774
I'm using this book to teach my third child how to read, so I think it's high time I wrote a review of it. Parents, this is the only book you need to get started on the most important skill they'll ever learn. And YOU can be the one to teach them!

There are lots of fancy-schmancy phonics programs with bells and whistles -- and games and prizes and treasure chests and eight million little stickers and tiny books to keep up with. If you like all that, and need all that, then more power to you. I can barely keep up with everything else I have going on, much less a complicated method of teaching my child to read.

Simplify your life, and just get started. For less than 20 bucks, you'll have your child well on his or her way to reading.

OK, the title is a little misleading. It's not EASY, by any means. Especially if you have an active four-year-old boy. Let him do his lessons standing up, lying on the floor, jumping up and down the stairs, out in the yard -- he's active, and let his gross motor skills be used while he's learning. It takes 10 minutes of super-focusing -- but in between the different parts of each lesson, let your child move around. You want him to love reading!

Also, don't feel like you have to do the writing task of each lesson. My girls love to write, so this was fun for them. But I skipped it with my son until he was more ready to hold a pencil. Actually, we did some lessons out in the driveway, with a fat piece of chalk. He had a great time and usually ended up drawing a whole train system or town after we finished his lesson.

It works. It really does. And it's amazing to be sitting next to your child the first time they learn to read the word, "see." Or "mom." ("Mom! I just read the word 'mom!'" they'll say.) It's something you'll always remember doing together.

You don't have to be a reading teacher. You don't need any special skills or experience. You read the script in red print. You stay on task. And you finish the lesson. Then you praise your child and tell her how smart and wonderful she is!

With each of my kids, we made a VERY SIMPLE chart that had 100 squares on it. I just used a ruler and made some lines and put numbers in them -- didn't even use the computer. It took 5 minutes. Then, after we did a lesson, I let the child put a sticker over the number. Any kind of sticker. All those hodge-podge sheets of stickers you end up with -- they work great for a reading chart.

I let each child pick a reward they wanted to receive when they finished all 100 of the lessons. That gave them great incentive to get through the whole book.

For extra practice, I recommend the Bob Books, which you can see listed on this site. Kids love these books -- they're adorable. Scholastic makes a good set of beginner readers as well. But you don't need anything else besides this one book -- the little Bob readers can just help reinforce.

As a busy parent, this is one of the most enjoyable things you'll ever do with your child. But don't feel like you have to rush -- do a few lessons, and if you need to take a break, then do. I highly recommend Raymond and Dorothy Moore's BETTER LATE THAN EARLY if you're the type to freak out that your three-year-old can't write his ABC's. Too many parents push their children and ruin their eyesite at a young age.

Have fun watching the light go on!

--Reviewed by Heather Lynn Ivester, Mom 2 Mom Connection
2552928
As a full time educator, this book is an excellent resource! I work with all grade levels and this book provided me with plenty of information to determine the reading level of my students.  Also, the author provides tips for helping students increase their reading comprehension skills.  I have noticed that many student struggle with reading comprehension and this book is a resource that I will continue to use.
1534563
If your a parent wondering how in the world you can teach your child to read,  buy this book.
After 7 months I can say we have finished this book.  My son is now wanting more lessons.  I can honestly say this book works and he can read at a very good level.  I can remember when we first started, lessons 90 through 100 looked impossible to him.  He could not believe that he would be able to read a page and a half.  Now he does it without hardly any help.  From some of the earlier reviews, I have read how they are teaching there 3 years old to read.  This book will help the very young, but could also be used for older students (I would say up to 3rd or 4th grade) understand the basics.
The book is very easy to understand.  The adult reads the RED print, the child will read the very large black print. Almost impossible to mess up.
The lesson are broken down into 7 to 8 tasks. These tasks will reinforce the what they are learning through rhyming, repeating sounds in different words, sound writing and various other method.  These tasks will gradually increase in difficulty and will start with the child learning the sounds of each letter and will progress to reading words (cat, dog, big) and then to short sentences.  Finally they will read paragraphs and short stories.  Each lesson will review in some aspect what they have learned before.
This is a great book for you parents who want to teach your child to read.  It will take time and dedication on your behalf.  You must be the one to take the time to set time aside to do the teaching.  It took us 7 months to get through this book.  Some days you  need to step away from the book when the lesson is not going well.  If you stick to it, you will be amazed in the improvement of your child's read ability.
739536
Great book for all parents to learn their children!
1210236
My mom found an older copy of this book (the CD was missing) at a local second-hand shop when my son was starting to read.  He whizzed through it and that was that, but he was the type of reader that just suddenly "got it" and was reading chapter books a month later.

My daughter is now in Kindergarten and at the early reading stage of sounding out words.  She adores this book!  It's brilliant that the text is set up so that the top line is for the early reader and the text below the illustrations is for an older reading buddy.  She can read the stories on her own by just reading the top lines, or with us for shared reading time.  Granted, the stories aren't thrilling, but they're not as cloying as those tv character books and the humor appeals to the 5 year old set perfectly.
3904025
The Reader's Odyssey is an excellent resource for helping you to create a high school literature course that is specialized and individualized for your student(s).  Ms. Luchsinger is very clear and thorough in her explanations for not only how to build this course, but also the benefits from creating it this way...both for your student and yourself.  Over the Christmas holiday I read (I should say devoured) this book and was sold right away on its benefits.  My husband and I had a date to a used book store to continue our book collecting.  (We already owned quite a lot of books that could be useful in a literature course.)  Our 9th grade daughter has LOVED the switch.  She loves getting to choose the books herself and the order in which she reads them.  I love that while she is choosing, I only place book selections on her bookshelf that I feel would be appropriate for her age and maturity.  I do agree with the author that true choice means there are lots more book choices than the number required to read.  Our daughter also liked the clear cut requirements and expectations laid out in the checklist.  The author recommends several different ways of outlining the few requirements for the course; we chose the checklist style.  We tweaked her ideas to fit our expectations, but it has worked very well.  I also like that the minimal requirements constitute what would be for a "C" grade in the class.  That way the student plainly sees and knows what is required for each grade and can choose where they want to be.  Our daughter has chosen to exceed the expectations and earn an "A" as I expected her to.

After reading this book, I realized the benefit to personal choice and in that spurring on readers to love reading.  While my younger daughter is only in 6th grade, I saw benefit to making her her own literature book shelf as well and placing appropriate books on it for her.  So while this book is geared toward creating literature courses for high schools, one can tweak the ideas to be for middle school as well.

Since reading this book and implementing its ideas, I have bought and read her two other  books as well, "Out of the Holding Tank" which is about language arts for middle school students (Excellent read!!) and "Grading with a Purple Crayon" which is about composition for high school students.  (Another excellent read although I haven't completely finished it and I don't know that I will implement exactly as she outlines but still worthwhile reading for certain.)

Highly recommended!!
125134
Disclaimer: I am not an elementary teacher or reading teacher, but have children that are at the age of learning to read, and whom I want to grow up with a love for reading. This Rime Magic program engages the student (of any age or reading level) with the building blocks of words and sounds in the English language, to practice and master these to establish the fundamentals of reading. One of our teachers tells the kids to "chunk it" when reading a long word, and I have a pretty good feeling that this is what she means--dividing the word up into its component parts to pronounce. We've only just begun to engage our little reader with this kit, but I can tell it will be helpful and is revealing the struggle areas and sounds, as well as showing what is already mastered. As we go through the program more completely, I will update our review with further feedback and details, but as far as we've experienced so far, its a great reinforcement for their phonics, and is designed also for classroom use with a teachers guide and step by step instructions on how to implement it in teaching children to read. Great resource!
1219983
I am a HUGE fan of this book! My daughter learned to read by memorizing sight words (we did not use this book) and I used this book to teach my son how to read where he learned the basics of reading: phonics and then blending the sounds to form words. Now that they are both good readers, my son does a much better job at decoding words he does not know....while my daughter just guesses (and usually guesses wrong). Just by comparing my two children and the different ways they learned to read, this method is far superior!!! I will definitely be using this book to teach my third child!!!
2263937
This guide has offered helpful insight into studying the book with your child.  It suggests exercises that not only help your child to understand what they have read, such as the meaning and pronunciation of unfamiliar words, but to to also bring it all together.  I'm only part way through with reading the book with my child and utilizing the guide, but so far I can say that I am very pleased that I purchased it.
2670758
Let me start by saying I've become thrifty since I had children.  Given that I don't work outside the home as much as I once did, I've been getting my books from the library at least as much as I've been buying them, but this is a book I have to own!

Jim Trelease is "preaching to the choir" with me, as we read to our children before they were even born, and then continued since the day they were born.  My husband and I are both big readers, and we enjoy reading to our children every day.  I initially got this book (from the library) to look at the list of suggested titles to read aloud.  I wanted suggestions that would make sense for my children and their respective ages/abilities, including titles I might not otherwise come across....I thought I'd skim quickly through the front half of the book (the research which is meant to inspire parents to read to their children) since I was already motivated to do so.  I wanted to get to the list of titles.  But I found myself stopping to read the research with excitement and added motivation.

I picked up tips about the types of books to choose, the fact that we can read (and should read) aloud to our kids until they are teens (my sister whose children are 9 and 12 had mistakenly been thinking that she shouldn't read to them much anymore in order to force them to do most of it themselves....she was thrilled to hear that she should continue to read aloud to them and went immediately to the library to get some books), the ways to present even more opportunities to our children to read, etc.  For example, this morning I read a section in The Read Aloud Handbook about how to get a 12 year old to sit still for a reading, and the author suggested reading to the child while the child is washing the dishes. The book shows a photo of the author doing this with his own son when the son was 12 (the son is now ~40). The author goes on to say that when he suggests this to parents, he gets some funny looks, and he points out to them that if there is a 12 year old in the house who doesn't have to do the dishes, then that child has a higher IQ than the parent  ! :-)

This morning, my husband read a little to my son, who is 5 1/2, while he was eating breakfast, and when I wanted to motivate my son to come brush his teeth before school, I lured him with the book. I got no complaints about coming (which I usually do), and between my husband and I, we knocked off a chapter in the book!

There are so many little tips in the book, and the book is an incredible source for suggestions of books to read aloud.  The author has a website which includes many of these book recommendations, I think, and even updated ones since the book went to print in 2006.

Yes, I got this book out of the library, but thrifty as I am, I am going to have to buy a copy of this book as it has so much information for the many years to come that I know I'll want to reference it again and again as I choose books to read to my children.