Read & Grow
Preschoolers
by LearnX Reading
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Tall Tales
What are Tall Tales?
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Stories with unbelievable elements, told as if they were true and factual
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Stories with “larger than life” heroes, sometimes based on a real person
Tips for Telling Tall Tales
Dramatise the story. Use your voice, body language and facial expression to make the story come alive. You can also make simple costumes or props and use them to tell the story. Encourage your child to do the same by letting them read parts of the story or even act out different characters.
Ask your child which parts of the story sound true and which parts sound impossible. If the story is based on a real person, find out more about them and see if your child guessed correctly.
Early Literacy Activities You Can Do with Your Child
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Make simple costumes and props using paper, cardboard, and colouring materials. Use them to act out different characters and encourage your child to do the same.
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Talk about feelings and expressions with your child. Ask them how characters feel as the story progresses and how they would express themselves as the characters. For example, would they jump about to express excitement or curl up when they are sad?
WATCH ME!
Imagine Your Story: Tall Tale Week - Intro.
This video introduces the origins and characteristics of tall tales and shares a few famous examples.Source: Bootheel 4-H. (2020). Imagine Your Story: Tall Tale Week - Intro [Video]. Youtube. Retrieved December 8, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt1GJBXDO8k
Tall Tale Week - Storytime: Mike Fink.
With lively writing and vibrant illustrations, this story depicts the exciting journey of Mike Fink, the renowned Keelboat Captain in America.Source: Bootheel 4-H. (2020). Tall Tale Week - Storytime: Mike Fink [Video]. Youtube. Retrieved December 8, 2023, from https://youtu.be/VHpEUunsZNo
Let's READ!
Title: The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer…
By: Davide Calì & Benjamin Chaud
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC, 2023Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).
Find a Friend
By: Seymour Chwast
Publisher: United States: Minerva, 2023
Call No.: English CHW
Section: Early Literacy Picture Books
Sir Boris the Brave and the Tall Tales Princess
By: Marc Starbuck
Publisher: London : Egmont UK Limited, 2018.
The Incredible Book Eating Boy
By: Oliver Jeffers
Publisher: London: HarperCollins Children's, 2006Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).
The copyright to all book covers belongs to the relevant publishers or illustrators.
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Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Contemporary realistic fiction are stories that are not real but could happen today. Through these stories, children can learn more about the world around us.
Watch Me
Join our librarian, Maliah as she shares with us how contemporary realistic fiction can teach children to navigate life, including the good days and bad days.
Source: Contemporary Realistic Fiction (2021). NLB Singapore. Retrieved 2022, October 22.Let's Read
The Boy Who Talks in Bits and Bobs
Author: Eva Wong Nava
Publisher: Singapore: Armour Publishing, 2019
Owen is a boy like any other ordinary little boy. He loves to play the ukulele and he loves to sing. But speaking does not come easily to Owen. He talks in bits and bobs. And he finds that anything is possible with love, kindness and patience.Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).
Always by My Side: A Stuffie Story
Author: Jennifer Black Reinhardt
Publisher: New York: Random House Children's Books, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC, 2021
A celebration of the special connection that exists between a young child and their comfort stuffed animal.
Follow a little boy as he gradually outgrows the need for the constant presence for his comforting companion—a stuffed green dinosaur. But as the stuffed animal narrates, none of us grow out of loving our favourite toys, and, perhaps, they never stop loving us back. When you need a loving hug, or a cuddle of reassurance, or just someone to play with, fuzzy creatures big and small, short and tall, will always be your friend.Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).
The Smallest Girl in the Class
Author: Justin Roberts
Illustrator: Christian Robinson
Publisher: London: Two Hoots, 2022
Sally McBrass is the smallest girl in the youngest class - but Sally knows you don't have to be big to be strong. From kites stuck up trees to howling dogs to stray cats in the car park, little Sally notices things that others don't, and when she sees people being mean at school, she is brave enough to speak up.Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).
Little Owl's Bathtime
Author: Debi Gliori
Publisher: London, England: Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2021
Little Owl doesn't want to have a bath. He wants to finish building his moon rocket. He wants to stomp around in his dinosaur suit. Besides, bathtimes are boring - aren't they? But what if this bathtime involves a giant invisible penguin, a bunch of slurping towelly-gators and a trip to Bubble Mountain? It looks like Little Owl is about to have the best bathtime EVER!
Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).
The copyright to all book covers belongs to the relevant publishers or illustrators.
Parenting Tips
Contemporary Realistic Fiction are great stories to read with your child. They can help to start a conversation about things that matter to your child, be it about simple daily routines such as taking a bath or even about difficult situations like standing up to bullies.
Reading fiction with your child can also help instil empathy in them. And Contemporary Realistic Fiction helps to expose them to a variety of life situations that can occur.
Sources:
Hammond, C. (2019, June 3). Does reading fiction make us better people? BBC Future. Retrieved October 25, 2022 from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190523-does-reading-fiction-make-us-better-people
McKearney, M., & Mears, S. (2015, May 13). Lost for words? how reading can teach children empathy. The Guardian. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/may/13/reading-teach-children-empathyTry This at Home
Make a craft of the animal from the story you’ve just read together. For example, this cute paper roll owl after reading ”Little Owl’s Bathtime”.
Source: DIY Owl Family | Toilet Paper Roll Craft Ideas (2016). Box Yourself. Retrieved 2022, October 22.
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World of Fairy Tales
Welcome to the enchanted world of Fairy Tales. Here you will find a selection of your favourite childhood stories. Reading and listening to fairy tales help children cultivate their imagination, develop their vocabulary, and help bring across important lessons as many fairy tales emphasize the importance of values such as honesty, generosity and humility.
Fairy tales are meaningful stories passed down from generation to generation. Discover the wonderful fairy tales by watching these videos together.
Fairy Tales Compilation | Three Billy Goats Gruff | Rapunzel | Gingerbreadman | and Lots More
Explore these beloved classic fairy tales such as Goldilocks & The Three Bears, Rapunzel, Chicken Licken and more!Jack and The Bean Stalk | Fairy Tales | Gigglebox
Jack and his mother are so poor that they don't have anything to eat. Their hope is fading, until Jack meets a strange old man with a handful of magic beans. Enjoy this classic fairy tale.
After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again
Author & Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: New York, New York: Roaring Brook Press,2017
Collection: Junior Lending Picture Book
Call no.: English SANRetrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).
Reading Beauty
Author: Deborah Underwood
Illustrator: Meg Hunt
Publisher: San Francisco, California: Chronicle Books LLC, [2019]
Collection: Junior Picture Book
Call no.: English UND
Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).
Cinderstella : A Tale of Planets Not Princes
Author: Brenda S. Miles & Susan D. Sweet
Illustrator: Valeria Docampo
Publisher: Washington, DC: Magination Press, 2016
Collection: Junior Lending Picture Book
Call no.: English MIL
A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale
Author: Penny Parker Klostermann
Illustrator: Ben Mantle
Publisher: New York : Random House, [2017]
Collection: Junior Lending Picture Book
Call no.: English KLO
Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).
The copyright to all book covers belongs to the relevant publishers or illustrators.
Use props such as paper puppets and costumes to make characters come alive and inject excitement as you read with your child.
You can also expand your child’s reading diet by reading fractured fairy tales or different versions of the tales to give them different perspectives of the original stories.
As you read to your child, ask the following questions:
- Can you name the different characters in the story?
- What would you do if you were the character(s)?
- What do you think will happen at the end of the story?
- If you can recreate your version of the story, what will it be?
Open-ended questions provide opportunities for your child to think critically about the stories.
Here are some fun activities for you to do with your child.