There are many apps, websites, and other technological tools available to help both children and adults improve their reading, writing, and spelling skills. Here are just a few of the best iPad/iPhone apps that are especially good for children who are struggling with dyslexia.

What do Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Whoopi Goldberg, Pablo Picasso, Muhammad Ali, George Washington, Richard Branson and Cher all have in common? Dyslexia.

 The Vista Book Group’s January discussion was on Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84. 1Q84, originally published in Japan as three separate books, was translated to English and released internationally as one lengthy book (925 pages).  But don’t let the size of the book scare you off, because if you do you will miss a compelling, interesting and, one might even say, weird story.  Of the ten members that made it to the meeting, five of us finished the book and four of us were still working our way through, but were determined to finish.  Almost all of us felt that the book was well worth the effort and time invested, although some felt that the book could have been shorter and still been a good read. 

…And the Winner is…

What are rare words, where can you find them, and why do they matter?

Rare words are those beyond the 10,000 words known as our Common Lexicon used in most daily conversation with each other.

You can find a great many rare words in children’s books. Children’s books have 30 rare words per thousand, while conversations between an adult and 3-year-old child typically include 9 rare words per thousand (JimTrelease: The Read-Aloud Handbook.) 

Quality children’s picture books are filled with rare words. Consider Byron Barton’s I Want to Be an Astronaut, a picture book for toddlers and preschoolers. It includes words like shuttle, mission, and gravity. These are words you might not use in everyday conversation with your young child. When you read this book aloud, you introduce him to these words, and they become part of his growing vocabulary.

Why is this important? Studies show that a child’s vocabulary upon entering school is the number one indicator of whether he will be a good reader. Trelease reminds us that by the time a child is 5-years-old, he will know 90% of the words he will use for the rest of his life. The eventual strength of your child’s vocabulary depends on how many of these rare words he knows. And the child who has heard thousands of picture books before he reaches school will have a larger vocabulary than the child that experiences very few books during his early years. 

There are thousands of vocabulary-rich books for young children. Check out the below sampling, but know it is the tip of an enormous iceberg. Visit the library often, attend storytime, and let us help your child develop a rich vocabulary through picture books.

NextReads allows you to receive book suggestions by e-mail. Sign up and choose from a variety of newsletters, featuring fiction and non-fiction categories.

I remember when my son was younger. While looking at the cereal box during breakfast, he put his head in his hands and sighed, “I wish I could read what this says!” He wanted so badly to read, but he could not seem to remember his letters and sounds from day to day.

Written by: Caroline J. Blakemore and Barbara Weston Ramirez