Summary research report: Books, babies and bonding

Early Years, 2021

We report an evaluation of a book gifting scheme (the Dolly Parton Imagination Library; DPIL) that targeted families from disadvantaged areas. We considered the impact that length of participation had on children’s interest in literacy-related activities, the frequency of parent–child reading interactions, duration of reading, and whether the parents read with their child daily (N = 286). We also compared these families to a group of non-participating families from the same city (N = 197). We found that families registered with DPIL for a year or more reported higher frequencies of parent–child interactions when reading than the non-DPIL group, and were more likely to read with their children on a daily basis than those registered with DPIL for less than a year. We suggest that book gifting schemes need to be long-term to positively influence home literacy environments.

Literacy Information & …, 2010

Journal of Early Childhood Literacy

This qualitative study explores parents’ considerations in selecting narrative picturebooks to read with their children. Participants included 104 middle-socioeconomic status parents (84 mothers, 20 fathers) of young children (51 boys, 53 girls; Mage = 61.26, SD = 9.52). We presented parents with two translated children’s books whose content was previously unfamiliar to them: Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are (1991) and Julia Donaldson’s Where’s My Mom? (2008). A semi-structured interview stimulated the conversation surrounding what parents consider is a good book to read to their children, what they like in a good children’s book, and why. Parents’ responses highlighted some main considerations: purpose behind their reading, illustrations, centrality of the written text and structure. We highlight how these elements are similar to and different from those that have emerged from research in children’s development, literacy and literature, and recommend how parents, practiti...

2006

The literacy environment created in the home by parents plays a crucial role in young children's emerging literacy and social-emotional development (Bus, 2003; Bus, van IJzendoorn, & Pelligrini, 1995; Evans, Shaw, & Bell, 2000; Parlakian, 2004). One area of children's ...

Educational Review, 2009

2021

Research has consistently established the positive impact of sharing books with young children. Evidence suggests several important factors when evaluating book sharing with young children, including the quality of educator practice = and the nature of groupings, as well as the frequency and duration of book sharing sessions and access to books. Other evidence suggests book sharing may be particularly important for children from low ses backgrounds attending early learning settings. This paper reports on a larger study which investigated the factors and relationships influencing the use of children’s literature to support principles of diversity in kindergarten rooms of long day care centres. A mixed methods approach was adopted and a convergent design was employed to synthesise the qualitative and quantitative data and interpret significant relationships and their meanings. The quality of educator practice was measured through the Systematic Assessment of Book Reading (SABR) and Ch...

We included a question on book ownership in our Annual Literacy Survey, which was conducted between January and March 2021. Based on the responses of the 34,435 children and young people who answered this question: • Almost 6% of children and young people said they didn't have a book of their own at home-this equates to 413,068 children and young people in the UK • More children who receive free school meals (FSMs) said that they didn't have a book of their own at home compared with their peers who don't receive FSMs (9.2% vs. 5.3%) • Book ownership was associated with greater reading enjoyment and frequency. More than twice as many of those who had a book of their own said that they enjoyed reading (52.8% vs. 21.1%), and more than twice as many read daily in their free time (31.8% vs. 13.5%) compared with those who didn't have a book of their own.

Educ Rev, 2009

Journal of Early Childhood Research, 2018

Families are pivotal in terms of facilitating children’s language development, including their ability to read. However, to date, there is little research designed to understand how shared reading operates within the realm of everyday family practices. Drawing on data from a study which set out to explore shared reading practices in the home, this article considers reading within the context of the family and everyday family life. In-depth interviews were carried out with 29 parents of pre-school children to investigate shared reading practices within a socially and culturally mixed sample. This study revealed that the relationship between shared reading practices and family practices is recursive. In particular, building on the seminal work of Finch reading was seen to be a specific feature of family practice and routine, and acts as a form of family display. Furthermore, this article demonstrates how shared reading contributes toward the ways in which structure and agency may oper...

Child & Youth Care Forum, 2017

Background Although shared book reading is seen as an effective way to support children's early literacy and language development, less is known about the factors associated with toddlers' engagement with books. Objective The goal of the current study was to examine younger and older toddlers' engagement with books during one-on-one reading with a teacher in an interactive versus non-interactive manner and during independent exploration. Method Using single-case design, the study examined how engagement among toddlers (N = 6) in a childcare classroom varied under different book reading/exploration conditions. Results Results indicated that overall engagement was greater when teachers read interactively compared to when children explored books on their own, with this effect differing for younger versus older toddlers. Conclusions Understanding how teachers reading to younger and older toddlers is associated with children's engagement with books compared to children's engagement when exploring books on their own can inform early care and education reading practices with toddlers. Implications for book reading with toddlers in group childcare are discussed.

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal, 2021

Parent beliefs about reading to young children-and factors related to such beliefsaffect a child's reading skill. But little is known about parent beliefs about reading to infants and toddlers. To fill this gap, three University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs) studied 43 English-and Spanish-speaking parents of children 9-18 months of age. The three UCEDDs were working on a project to create a children's book that had tips for parents about how their 1-year-old learns and grows. The UCEDD study survey asked about parent beliefs regarding reading to young children (4 questions) and factors related to those beliefs (2 questions). Parents were also asked to give feedback about the book. Nearly all parents agreed that children should be read to as infants and that this helps children develop reading skills. Most (62%) parents said it was "very common" for friends and family to read with children of this age. Parents said that reading the board-book together was useful for "promot[ing] language," "help[ing] my baby's development," and "help[ing] my child speak." More research like this can identify ways to help parents of young children develop reading skills.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2014

We report on a study of children and parents shared reading of interactive printed books. We investigated the differences between books with interactive features and books with expressive typography in order to evaluate which features within a book encouraged interaction between the reading participants and the book. 11 parent and child groups took part in the study that involved three observed reading sessions. From our observations we offer suggestions for the development of books and eBooks to encourage shared reading practices.

Prior research has indicated that parents of young children prefer their children read print over electronic books. In this study we addressed whether this preference is associated with differences in child enjoyment and engagement or joint caregiver–child interactions during reading. Caregivers of children ages 1–4 years reported their children not only read traditional books more than electronic books, but enjoyed them more and paid more attention to them. Caregivers also reported participating in more adult–child interactions when reading print than electronic books. This research is important because it indicates that caregivers and children may not tend to engage with electronic formats in optimal ways. The result may be a cycle of lower-quality interaction and lower-quality learning with electronic books.

Early Childhood Education Journal, 2013

Books share some key features with traditional printed picture books, but also include distinct features such as live animation, interactive components, and the operation of the technology that require new approaches to shared reading with young children. The purpose of this paper is to better inform adults working with young children (teachers, child care providers, and parents) of important factors to consider when choosing and sharing e-books with young children. We discuss why to share e-books with young children; types of e-books and how to evaluate them; how adults can best support young children's language and literacy development through shared readings of e-books, including examples of shared readings of an e-book with young children; and an exploration of the potential of e-books to support meaningful interactions around texts. Keywords Literacy development Á Shared reading Á e-Books Á Evaluating e-book resources Á Early childhood Shared reading with young children is not what it used to be. Or rather, it is not limited to what it used to be. Possibilities abound, not only in expansive options of genre and format of children's literature in print, but also e-books accessed through newer technologies like e-readers (e.g., Kindle, Nook) and tablet computers with touch screens (e.g., iPad, Android). We use the term e-book to refer to any digitally constructed literature, available in a wide variety of forms and of sources, e.g., online, CD-ROM, and most notably in downloaded applications, or ''apps.'' E-books share key features with traditional printed picture books, such as the integration of text and image to convey meaning. However, some features of e-books are distinct, such as live animation, interactive components, and the operation of the technology. Thus, our purpose is to better inform adults working with young children (i.e., teachers, child care providers, and parents) of important factors to consider when choosing and sharing e-books with young children. We first discuss why to share e-books with young children, followed by a review of relevant research on shared reading. The remaining discussion describes types of e-books and how to select them; how adults can best support young children's language and literacy development through shared readings of e-books, including examples of shared readings of an e-book with young children; and an exploration of the potential of e-books to support meaningful interactions around texts. Why Share e-Books with Young Children? Shared reading with young children is common practice in homes and child care settings, usually involving reading printed children's books. Adults should also consider introducing e-books to young children in shared reading for the following three reasons that are supported by the recent position statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Fred Rogers Center (2012). First of all, e-book reading can be a highly engaging and enjoyable learning experience for both adult and child (Labbo 2009; Smith 2001).