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Review by Gwyn Jennings
It's here! Finally -- a book that helps parents to get their children actively involved in the reading process. Steve Cohen's "Learn to Read Treasure Hunts" gives parents insightful games to help their children (ages 5 - 7) learn to love to read. This book is a result of a concerned parent wanting to enhance his child's reading skills. After talking with teachers and reading specialists, Cohen came up with the "Treasure Hunt" game.
Clues from the book are hidden by the parent, and the child has to read each clue to find the next one. The clues progress in difficulty as your child's reading ability grows. There are even incentives (stickers) in the back for finding all the clues (a stroke of genius from Cohen's 10-year-old son). An extra game at the end of each "Treasure Hunt" reinforces emerging reading skills.
The book's introduction is a bonus. In a clear, concise way, Cohen relays much of the information you need to understand how children learn. He stresses that "Learning is fun," and parents can help their child in this journey toward success with pointers on decoding unknown words and how to respond to wrong guesses or miscues. There is also a section on different reading strategies used in schools today and how the "Treasure Hunts" can work with any method being taught at your child's school.
This book is informative yet very "parent-friendly." Fifty days of "Treasure Hunts" are provided with three to four clues each. After you and your child have finished the "Treasure Hunts," you can be certain that you will receive more from the experience than just better reading skills.
Gwyn Jennings is a first grade teacher who recently earned her master's degree in reading.
©1997, ProMotion, inc.
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