Bert and Beth Travel Far, Far Away (pages 6 to 9)

• After reading the story, ask your child to describe an adventure they would like to have.
• If your child is beginning to recognize letters, help them find the names Bert and Beth in the text.

Hunting for the names Bert and Beth in the text will help your child begin to notice that words are formed by grouping letters together. In this case, Bert and Beth have four letters, and three of the letters are the same. Perhaps some of these letters are in your child's name.

*Language Development: Speaking & Communicating (Progresses in ability to initiate and respond appropriately in conversation and discussions with peers and adults.)

*Literacy: Print Awareness & Concepts (Recognizes a word as a unit of print, that letters are grouped to form words and that words are separated by spaces.)

Mice Tales (pages 16 and 17)

• Have your child point to the mice as he or she counts to answer each question.
• This illustration invites further questions about numbers. For example: How many brothers and sisters are in this family? How many adults are in this family? How many mice are in this family? How many beds are in this house?

When children count a set of objects to determine quantity, they are developing a deeper understanding of numbers. Long before they can solve the equation 2 + 3 = , they can count the two sets of mice in the first illustration to solve the problem.

*Mathematics: Number & Operations (Develops an ability to combine, separate, and name "how many" concrete objects.)

*Approaches to Learning: Reasoning & Problem Solving (Grows in ability to recognize and solve problems through active exploration.)

You Can Do It! (pages 24 and 25)

• Read the poem and ask your child to listen for the words that rhyme. Then have your child describe what's happening in the illustration.
• After you and your child find the T's hidden in the illustration, help him or her find the T's in the poem.

Finding the hidden objects is a favorite activity for many of our young readers. In this case, we’re also helping them identify a particular letter. Have fun hunting for and finding lots of T's!

*Literacy: Phonological Awareness (Shows growing awareness of the beginning and ending sounds of words.)

*Literacy: Alphabet Knowledge (Shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.)

*Early childhood standards based on the U.S. Head Start Child Outcomes Framework.