http://pbskids.org
A wide variety of literacy activities for parents and caregivers including public television programming for children.

www.pbs.org/parents/issuesadvice/booklist/multicultural/html
A list of recommended multicultural books for children and a book list for home library for preschoolers.

http://pbskids.org/sharestory/
A new story with a different PBS Kids friend each week.

http://pbskids,org/lions/prionitables/
Letterguides, games and other printables

www.nncc.org/Sereies/good.time.stori.html
National Network for Child Care site, section called Ages and Stages providing tips for reading to children of different ages, including book suggestions.

http://getreadytoread.org/earlyE.cfm
Affiliated with the National Learning Center for Disabilities, includes section on how children get ready to learn to read and write, why some children struggle and how to talk to parents when children about literacy concerns.

www.realebooks.com/main.html
Understanding nonfiction books for children; information and templates for crating little books.

http://readingrockets.org

www.lil-fingers.com/
Stories, games, finger plays and more for young children.

www.sesameworkshop.org/
Popular children's program can be utilized to promote many early learning and developmental successes; this site provides hundred of ideas.

www.literacy.uconn.edu/earlit.htm
This site has posts of current research, theory and ideologies regarding early literacy and learning.

http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/title
See this valuable website to learn and practice sign language.  It provides your choice of animated pictures of word signs and finger spelling repeated so you can practice signing.  This is an amazing resource for teachers who have discovered the magic of teaching all children sign language.

www.everythingpreschool.com
Our site contains over 30,000 early childhood education ideas separated into over 100 themes, 26 Alphabet Idea Sections, & Lesson Plans. Look around and stay awhile.

www.preschoolexpress.com
Ideas for early childhood activities; designed for caring adults.

www.ALA.org American Library Association
Links to many support resources and service for those interested in early childhood and older persons' literacy development; includes family-centered parent education workshop scripts!

Author Sites

Eric Carle www.eric-carle.com
We especially enjoyed his answers to frequently asked questions on his “An Occasional Newsletter” called Caterpillar Express.

Jan Brett www.janbrett.com
This award-winning site is a delight to view. Video clips of Jan Brett reading and interacting with children adds interest to her books.

Jane Yolen www.janeyolen.com
We love Jane Yolen and her exquisite website. Her photo biography makes her so real – from pictures of her as a young girl, her wedding and even her grandchildren. Her elegance with language and thoughtful answers to questions that children and writers ask is fascinating. See the interesting story about How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? was written.

Mem Fox www.memfox.net
What a fascinating and informative literacy journey. Mem Fox invites us into her life with photos of her family and talks about the stories behind her books, which are some of our favorites. Listen to Mem Fox read some of her best-selling titles. She is a powerful storyteller and passionate educator.

Rosemary Wells www.rosemarywells.com
The world of Rosemary Wells is a nurturing, joyful one. This site is easy to use. We love to read about the lives of favorite authors.

Center for Improvement of Early Reading Achievement www.ciera.org
Extensive literacy links and access to National Center for Research on Early Literacy are available. We appreciate having CIERA Presentations available in PDF and HTML versions. Their summer training will be of interest.

National Association for the Education of Young Children www.naeyc.org
This site provides a forum for issues and ideas in the early childhood field. Their journal, Young Children, frequently has articles on kindergarten literacy, as do their publications. Local, state and national conferences provide excellent, affordable training of special interest to the kindergarten teacher. Abstracts of research articles, position papers, and their online catalog will be of interest.

Scholastic www.scholastic.com
Scholastic Book Clubs continue to be the largest publisher of children’s books and one of the best ways we know to get quality paperbacks at low prices. Order SeeSaw (K-1) News. Check out information about “Scholastic Teacher Fellows”. We especially appreciate new books that incorporate sign language and their section (under Activity Center) on “Authors and Books” which support literature-based instruction.

Music is Magic in Developing Literacy

Charlotte Diamond www.charlottediamond.com
Some of our favorite songs come from this awesome musician and performer, who also has the heart of a kindergarten teacher. Check out the sign language for Spin Spider Spin and learn about her wonderful CDs.

Dr. Jean Feldman www.drjean.org/html/about.html
Dr. Jean is a well-loved presenter of concerts and early literacy training for educators across the country.  Her site provides some very helpful child-centered activities listed by month and activities that extend the songs from her CD’s.  Dr. Jean’s focus on the whole child is very evident. Teachers love her creative ways to clap and cheer.

Tom Hunter – Song Growing Company www.nas.com/sgc
Tom Hunter is a traveling minstrel and friend of all children and educators. We always enjoy reading his essays and wise thoughts about honoring childhood and the power of music. He is an inspiring presenter. Check out his seminar schedule and great CDs. Tom Hunter has always been a part of our Summer Kindergarten Institutes. Look for future “Thank You Northwest Teachers” renewal seminars with Tom Hunter announced in our newsletter.

www.desmoinespubliclibrary.org/
For library hours, programs and additional web links, visit this site.