Mother Goose on the Loose: Updated

Library Trends, 2016

Young children build an understanding of their world through play. Play starts in infancy and continues to evolve as children develop. Research shows strong links between play and early literacy, as well as other key developmental skills. This paper reviews what very young children learn through play, as well as optimal adult interactions that best support early literacy development. It looks at certain barriers to play and addresses what impedes parents and caregivers from being present and responsive during their children's play. At Brooklyn Public Library the authors have developed a play-based curriculum for babies and toddlers, which the paper describes, including suggested play activities and practical tips for setting up "play stations" in traditional storytime programs or in full-scale play events. Finally, the authors share examples of how librarians throughout the United States are implementing innovative play programming for babies and toddlers.

Children and Libraries 10:1 (2012): 3-10, 52

https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60121, 2022

This thesis investigates what parents and carers think about sharing books with their children from birth to 5 years of age. It explores parental views on the impact of receiving books gifted monthly from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the academic impact of participation in the Imagination Library. Sharing books with children from birth is widely believed to have a positive impact on many aspects of their development. A significant body of research correlates frequent early reading experiences with a wide range of positive cognitive and emotional outcomes. This study uses a mixed-methods approach grounded in a realist paradigm to combine survey data, interviews and analysis of assessment data to explore the impact of receiving Imagination Library books. It also documents wider parental views about the value of early book-sharing. Phase 1 consisted of a national survey of parents of children aged 0-5 years old, recruiting families receiving Imagination Library books and those outside of the programme. Phase 2 compared the academic progress of children in North Lincolnshire who had participated in the Imagination Library programme for over 12 months with those who had not, using end of reception year assessments to quantify the reading and developmental gains made by children within the programme. Phase 3 surveyed parents in the same locality, to better understand what book-sharing looked like within the home, and Phase 4 consisted of three interviews with programme participants. The findings of this research indicated a positive difference for families within the Imagination Library programme in reading frequency and in children’s assessment scores at the age of 5. It also highlighted the parental focus on bonding as a key benefit of booksharing for parents and for children. This study enhances the Imagination Library’s conceptual model by redesigning it to include a wider focus on the emotional and family benefits of gifting books to children.

Frequent reading was common in the respondent group, but higher in families receiving Imagination Library books. Parents identified a 'nudge' factor through the monthly book arrival. Bonding was the key benefit of book-sharing that parents identified for themselves and their child. Receiving Imagination Library books for 12 months or more correlated with improved academic outcomes at age 5. The curated book selection introduced new authors into the home and was highly valued by parents. Participation in the Imagination Library strengthened parent-child bonds through frequent reading, and by helping parents learn more about their child. Participation in the Imagination Library supported improved parental selfimage and their attitudes towards sharing books with their children. Focus on bonding in messaging about the benefits of book-sharing. Connect with families in pregnancy and early parenthood. Support parents to understand how children's book-sharing behaviours develop. Consider the demographics of the receiving families.

Language Arts

This qualitative study describes the ways that first-grade children make meaning with wordless picture books through play as reader response.

Public Libraries 43:1 (2004): 41-45.

Mother Goose on the Loose is an award-winning early childhood literacy program for babies and their caregivers offered each week at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland. This article describes the history of the program including the theories behind it, practical implementations for creating optimal learning environments for very young children, descriptions and benefits of the program, and parent reactions to it.

Frequent reading was common in the respondent group, but higher in families receiving Imagination Library books. Parents identified a 'nudge' factor through the monthly book arrival. Bonding was the key benefit of book-sharing that parents identified for themselves and their child. Receiving Imagination Library books for 12 months or more correlated with improved academic outcomes at age 5. The curated book selection introduced new authors into the home and was highly valued by parents. Participation in the Imagination Library strengthened parent-child bonds through frequent reading, and by helping parents learn more about their child. Participation in the Imagination Library supported improved parental selfimage and their attitudes towards sharing books with their children. Focus on bonding in messaging about the benefits of book-sharing. Connect with families in pregnancy and early parenthood. Support parents to understand how children's book-sharing behaviours develop. Consider the demographics of the receiving families. This research was conducted as part of a PhD research project funded jointly by The Dollywood Foundation (UK) and Swansea University. It included a national parent survey alongside school attainment data, interviews and local parent survey from an area where the Imagination Library has been implemented successfully for over five years.

2017

I n an era of vast electronic media, this research sets out to establish the contemporary value of thoughtfully developed play books, being hardcopy children's books with additional features such as flaps, textural elements, built-in puzzles and so on, in childhood development and learning. It seeks to determine whether such playbooks continue to have a role in education and learning or whether they have been superseded by electronic media such as interactive digital books. The following chapters consider various formats in terms of their suitability for specific developmental and learning outcomes for young children.

Library Trends, 2006

Participant observation, unlike the more traditional approach of querying adults about children's experiences, is identifi ed as an appropriate and effective method for studying babies and toddlers in public library settings in order to explore these experiences from the children's own perspectives. In an observation study of eleven, thirty-minute baby storytimes conducted at two branches of a large public library system, the naturally occurring behavior of the children captured through observation fi eld notes and audio-recording and transcription of the program successfully revealed numerous incidents of emergent literacy activities and social interaction. This article discusses the practicalities of implementing participant observation in storytime programs for very young children. Special requirements related to informed consent, the need to protect baby and toddler participants, and the challenge of gaining and maintaining access are addressed. Included is an appendix of recommended observation, child development, and research methods texts.