Golden Bear by Ruth Young

A toy bear and his owner dance up the stairs, learn to play the violin, talk to a ladybug, ice skate, play outside, talk on the telephone, take a bath, wish on stars, and dream together.

• Read the title of the book from the cover, while pointing to each word. Say the title together as you point to each word. Ask: What do you think of this little boy's teddy bear? Have you ever seen a teddy bear like this?

Reading the Story for the First Time

• Read the story, moving your finger under the words as you read. Give the child plenty of time to look at the pictures.
• As you go through the book, point to Golden Bear in each picture.

Reading the Book Again and Again

• Each time you read Golden Bear, leave more of the "reading" or retelling to the child. Give open-ended prompts on each page. For example, ask: What is happening here? What are the little boy and Golden Bear doing?
• Give prompts about objects or activities in the pictures. For example, ask: What is this? (It is a violin.) Use your finger to point to what you are asking about. Evaluate the child's response. Expand it by giving more information. Ask the child to repeat the answer. If he or she needs help in answering a question, ask that question again the next time you read the book. Good words to ask about are listed in the vocabulary section below. Be sure to talk about objects your child brings up, too.
• You may wish to discuss the prompts shown below.

Building Literacy

• You can use this book to start the child talking about his or her favorite toys. Have your child name each toy and demonstrate how he or she plays with it.

Excerpted from Read Together, Talk Together, the Pearson Early Childhood research-based program that makes reading aloud even more effective!