Peas, Peas, Peas! (pages 6 to 9)

• This rollicking, rhyming story begs to be read again and again. As you reread it, encourage your child to chime in. Help your child listen for and identify the rhyming words.
• If your child is beginning to recognize words, you could use this simple text to hunt for repeated words: peas, in, on, and the.

After rereading the story, help your child use the illustrations to retell the story. Recalling the sequence of events helps ensure that children understand or comprehend the story.

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

*Literacy: Book Knowledge & Appreciation (Demonstrates progress in an ability to retell stories from books and magazines.)

What Are They Wearing? (pages 16 and 17)

• Help your child use the description of each child's clothing to find the boys and girls in the illustration.
• Then count the letters in each child's name. After exploring the length of these names, help your child count and identify the letters in his or her name.

Focusing on the letters in your child's name and the names of family members is a good way to begin learning about letters. Your child will see that letters are grouped to form words and that those words represent something very important: the people he or she loves!

*Literacy: Alphabet Knowledge (Identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name and the names of important people in their lives.)

*Approaches to Learning: Reasoning & Problem Solving (Begins to recognize and solve problems through active exploration and interactions and discussions with peers and adults.)

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Mole (pages 26 to 30)

• Before you read the story, talk about knitting. If possible, show your child a knitted scarf or sweater.
• After reading the story, ask your child to describe what the three friends did, and discuss the nature of their interactions.

When characters in stories engage in positive interactions, children can begin to see how people can cooperate, solve problems, ask for help when necessary, and give to others. These three friends are great role models!

*Social & Emotional Development: Cooperation (Shows increasing abilities to use compromise and discussion in working, playing, and resolving conflicts with peers.)

*Literacy: Listening & Understanding (Demonstrates an increasing ability to attend to and understand stories.)

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